Why move to Florida?

[Amethyst]

First, I don't deny that all the perils you listed are real.

That said, I do not know what is meant by an "edgy" atmosphere. There has been an ongoing Florida building boom (they come in cycles, and have for more than 100 years), and as a result, the roads are much more crowded, with lots of speeders on I-95. But I'm not sure about an overall "vibe" of edginess.

I seriously considered moving to Florida. I like heat and humidity, and love the idea of afternoon storms rolling in every day. I like subtropical birding and vegetation.

But - I am one who has been convinced that climate change is here and will severely impact Florida. The succession of hurricanes was eye-opening. I closely follow issues of sea level rise. Even though I wouldn't be living at the water's edge, I do not see how anyone will escape the escalating costs of mitigation. Water treatment and sewerage plants are having to be completely relocated. Roads and bridges have to be raised. Beaches rebuilt, replenished, protected with walls or dunes. Public buildings have to be repaired. A fair amount of this money comes from US federal taxpayers, but a substantial portion from Floridians. No state tax but property taxes? Sales taxes? I know there are fees on tourists that help too.

And overall the looming issue of insurance. Farmers Insurance just pulled out of Florida. If I understand correctly, Citizen's Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last resort is taking on a larger and larger number of property owners. I see that Citizen's will be requiring ALL policyholders to also take out flood insurance, even if they don't need it. And I *think* I read that all policyholders are on the hook for storm damage; basically those at less risk subsidizing those at more risk (which makes sense if the state is trying to discourage anyone but the most desperate from using the state insurance). And I also just read that all policyholders of ALL insurance companies in Florida can be hit with a special assessment if the state fund begins to run dry. Somebody correct me here, as I don't think I have all the details right.

I was just flying into Ohio last week, and my seatmate was someone who had lived in New Jersey, Ohio, and most recently Florida, and she said the congestion had increased exponentially and the atmosphere there was very "edgy."

Love the idea of subtropical living, though!

 

[meleana]

You've made a good case for your choice. It's not for me, though I thought NH was stunningly beautiful when I visited. BUT, the snow and cold are a complete turn off in my old age. No way could I shovel a drive way or dig my way out of a snow bank. Not gonna happen - but, enjoy!

I hear ya!

But I’ll tell you right now we have a tiny driveway to go with our tiny house and my husband literally does just a few swipes with the snow blower and done. In fact he helps the other neighbors with theirs.

But when he can’t anymore, we just will hire someone to do it. That’s what some neighbors do. And we don’t get caught in snow banks because being retired we don’t need to go out in a blizzard.

 

[meleana]

You've made a good case for your choice. It's not for me, though I thought NH was stunningly beautiful when I visited. BUT, the snow and cold are a complete turn off in my old age. No way could I shovel a drive way or dig my way out of a snow bank. Not gonna happen - but, enjoy!

I hear ya!

But I’ll tell you right now we have a tiny driveway to go with our tiny house and my husband literally does just a few swipes with the snow blower and done. In fact he helps the other neighbors with theirs. Our driveway in NY was 700 feet long and steep and we paid to have it plowed.

But when he can’t anymore, we just will hire someone to do it. That’s what some neighbors do. And we don’t get caught in snow banks because being retired we don’t need to go out in a blizzard.

 

[Aerides]

And overall the looming issue of insurance. Farmers Insurance just pulled out of Florida. If I understand correctly, Citizen's Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last resort is taking on a larger and larger number of property owners. I see that Citizen's will be requiring ALL policyholders to also take out flood insurance, even if they don't need it. And I *think* I read that all policyholders are on the hook for storm damage; basically those at less risk subsidizing those at more risk (which makes sense if the state is trying to discourage anyone but the most desperate from using the state insurance). And I also just read that all policyholders of ALL insurance companies in Florida can be hit with a special assessment if the state fund begins to run dry. Somebody correct me here, as I don't think I have all the details right.

I was just flying into Ohio last week, and my seatmate was someone who had lived in New Jersey, Ohio, and most recently Florida, and she said the congestion had increased exponentially and the atmosphere there was very "edgy."

Love the idea of subtropical living, though!

We are with Citizens after our former provider gave us a raise that qualified us. I'm not terribly worried about maintaining flood insurance - there are few in florida who could claim they "don't need" it - water can rise up in any flash situation (see fort lauderdale a few months ago).

Flood is a requirement if you don't want to be arguing with your homeowners about water damage. I also don't worry about subsidies or solvency. That is what a little extra savings is for, so I don't have to worry.

I don't know about any edgy atmosphere, this is a very big state with 20m+ people, and there are all kinds of cities and neighborhoods all over. I might never want to live in town XYZ that might be 12 counties away, but it's still Florida. There's a little bit of everything in this state.

But back to the main point of this thread...why...anywhere? And why question anyone else's decision on where they want to live? There are good and bad things about every location. To each their own.

 

[Dtail]

First, I don't deny that all the perils you listed are real.

That said, I do not know what is meant by an "edgy" atmosphere. There has been an ongoing Florida building boom (they come in cycles, and have for more than 100 years), and as a result, the roads are much more crowded, with lots of speeders on I-95. But I'm not sure about an overall "vibe" of edginess.

Hard to say if edgy relates to rougher neighborhoods, or politically speaking?

 

[W2R]

Hard to say if edgy relates to rougher neighborhoods, or politically speaking?

I have no idea! I interpreted it as possibly meaning a high stress, hyper-competitive atmosphere like NYC has a reputation of having. But that doesn't make any sense to me, especially in the resort areas, so honestly I'm not sure what was meant. Besides, as Aerides pointed out, Florida is a very big state with all kinds of cities and neighborhoods all over.

 

[MC Rider]

<mod edit>
I won't follow the grandkids. How did New Hampshire come up, that is where they are now. It was pretty when I visited in April '22, despite the cold and gray weather. Which is not for me. Plus the oldest kid who is 15 has lived in AZ, AR, IN, back to AR which was allegedly the "forever home" according to DD, and now in NH. They may well move again. We may help them come here and visit us next year.

 

[Aerides]

Mod Note:

As a reminder, let's leave partisan politics out of discussions. And should someone cross that line, please use the button to report the post, instead of quoting, complaining, or otherwise commenting on the post.

 

[Scuba]

First, I don't deny that all the perils you listed are real.



That said, I do not know what is meant by an "edgy" atmosphere. There has been an ongoing Florida building boom (they come in cycles, and have for more than 100 years), and as a result, the roads are much more crowded, with lots of speeders on I-95. But I'm not sure about an overall "vibe" of edginess.

I agree. We’ve been all over the southern part of FL and have found the vibe to be laid back, casual and friendly. A little busier on the East coast, but I wouldn’t call it “edgy.”

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have moved 30 times in 50 years. I have lived in 9 cities, 5 states and 26 years ago interviewed by phone with the state of Nevada and took the job without ever being in the West.

I have lived in both Texas and Kansas and figured it couldn’t be any worse. Not only do I love the mild 4 seasons, have made excellent friends and one of my sons lives here now. It’s the best place I have ever lived.

What I have learned is that you can’t always find your tribe when you move somewhere. It also takes years to develop deep friendships. I have found it easy to make friends because I am an extrovert but deep friendships where you will do anything for someone needs a long time to develop.

I also realized that I hate heat and humidity with a passion so even though I don’t love the cold of Wisconsin where I grew up I would take it over heat. Since we are all different a place I hate is going to be perfect for someone else.

I do miss the green, rain, lakes and rivers of both the Midwest and east coast. Although I can drive to Tahoe in 45 minutes for that scenery. For 6 weeks straight it rained a short time every evening or afternoon and I just loved it. It’s so unusual for here.

 

[neihn]

We snowed bird to Florida from PNW starting 2016. Maintain two places became too much works for us (2 trips per year, 3 summer months and Christmas season back to PNW). We decided to move back to PNW in late 2019 and completed the move during COVID March 2020. Never look back, and glad that we made that decision.

 

[gayl]

I live within 22 miles of where I was born. All my siblings live within 50 miles. My kids live within 9 miles. 1 DGS lives 25 miles away (SF). The other DSG lives on the other end of the state (LA). But I take off every season for about a month to other parts of the world. And I can't imagine living anywhere else -- except back to where I was born.

Yes OP it's common

 

[Ballhawker]

Wherever you go, there you are. My feeling is people can choose to be happy or unhappy anywhere they go.
So for me, place isn't that important.

Finding connections and meaning in my day to day life are most important. I live in the PNW and am probably not going to move too far from here if at all.

 

[Music Lover]

What I have learned is that you can’t always find your tribe when you move somewhere. It also takes years to develop deep friendships. I have found it easy to make friends because I am an extrovert but deep friendships where you will do anything for someone needs a long time to develop.

That's why we and probably many other people don't move when they retire. I have some 30 and 40 year friendships that can't be replaced. In fact, I've been in a band with the same 2 people for 40 years.

So, our retirement plan is simple. We stay where we are and go away in winter for a couple months to escape the cold.

 

[Sunset]

I’m always puzzled by people who think where they live is the best, when they haven’t lived anywhere else…

There is a lot of subtle propaganda in every Country and area.

I view it as a form of localized Nationalism.
Pretty much everyone I've ever talked to has said their Country is the BEST place to live... even when that is the only Country they have ever lived in.

My Cousin married a Russian who agreed to come with him, but if life was not as good as he claimed, they would move back to "Mother Russia". She had a good live in Russia, being the daughter of a general.

She was blown away my cousin owned a townhouse (so much nicer than the concrete block apartments in many Soviet Countries).
Their first shopping trip, she literally scooped a shelf full of spices into his cart, because to see those in the store was so rare in the homeland. (He had to convince her they could come back tomorrow if they needed anything and there would still not be lines at the door).

She stayed in her new Country.

 

[Koolau]

She was blown away my cousin owned a townhouse (so much nicer than the concrete block apartments in many Soviet Countries).

Heh, heh, our condo is poured concrete - not block. But it has a heck of a view of the Pacific Ocean. I think we'll stay, too.

 

[Scuba]

That's why we and probably many other people don't move when they retire. I have some 30 and 40 year friendships that can't be replaced. In fact, I've been in a band with the same 2 people for 40 years.



So, our retirement plan is simple. We stay where we are and go away in winter for a couple months to escape the cold.

This is the reason we haven’t moved yet and may not. We did move from the Coast to the Desert, but it’s only 2 hours away and easy to still maintain close relationships with our long-term friends. Added bonus - new friends in the Desert.

Now we have many reasons to move across the country - family, financial, proximity to wonderful beaches, among other reasons. Time will tell if these reasons trump friendships.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We grew up in the SF Bay Area. On my dad’s side, we are 5th generation Californian. My mom’s parents immigrated to SF from different parts of Russia in their youth. All my cousins still live in Northern California.

My sister moved to Washington in 1982. She found her tribe. I moved to Pennsylvania in 1998. DH and I found our tribes here. Neither of us plan to move. If our DS moves away, I would be happy to move to be near him as I get old enough that my other activities fall away, to make his life easier. Taking care of aging parents’ as they developed serious health problems from a cross continent distance was a nightmare.

The most likely place DS would move is Colorado or the PNW.

 

[Koolau]

We grew up in the SF Bay Area. On my dad’s side, we are 5th generation Californian. My mom’s parents immigrated to SF from different parts of Russia in their youth. All my cousins still live in Northern California.

My sister moved to Washington in 1982. She found her tribe. I moved to Pennsylvania in 1998. DH and I found our tribes here. Neither of us plan to move. If our DS moves away, I would be happy to move to be near him as I get old enough that my other activities fall away, to make his life easier. Taking care of aging parents’ as they developed serious health problems from a cross continent distance was a nightmare.

The most likely place DS would move is Colorado or the PNW.

The issue that we have seen when parents follow moving children: They move again. I've seen it too many times to even consider it. Let them go where they want to go. Visit if you can. Maybe they'll come back - maybe they won't It's not our call. YMMV

 

[Music Lover]

The issue that we have seen when parents follow moving children: They move again. I've seen it too many times to even consider it. Let them go where they want to go. Visit if you can. Maybe they'll come back - maybe they won't It's not our call. YMMV

I find this sad:

The parents of one of my friends passed away in 2017 and 2018. He's single, a bit of a loner, and has a hard time making new friends. In 2019 he moved 1500 kilometers away from where he grew up and lived for 55 years to be near where his nephew (law enforcement) had just been transferred. He's married with 2 young kids and "Uncle Karl" would visit them a couple times a month.

Then his nephew was transferred again last year and my friend moved once again to be near them. I don't know what his nephew thinks, but I'd find it a little creepy that an uncle I would casually see a couple times a month was following me around every time I was transferred.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Now we have many reasons to move across the country - family, financial, proximity to wonderful beaches, among other reasons. Time will tell if these reasons trump friendships.

It is hard for anyone who has a good local friends' network that they regularly get together and have fun with.

We left California in 2003, we also had a great friends' network that we left behind, but still keep in touch with to this day. However, the draw of the wild, adventure and doing things we would never do in SoCAL won. The traffic was also terrible especially at the beaches, the 5 was murder and it took forever to get anywhere nice, and when we did arrive there was no parking, not to mention the crowds. Now, we do not have children and fully understand the pull they excerpt on most who do.

We were fortunate to spend 3 years cruising the Caribbean at our own pace, deciding that living by the beach with the vibe it offers was what we liked. So, when we sold the boat, we settled in N.E. Fla. (Having experienced the Caribbean crowds, heat and humidity, we wanted a little less of it, not much less, but having a break every now and then is nice) That was our reasoning for N.E. Fla.

Yes, it was an MCOL area we chose at the time, for some it would be HCOL. With that comes high prices, and now high insurance. But it is what we liked. Not too crowded, with all the benefits of a small tourist town.

You have to choose your poison. Florida is not all expensive upscale beach developments, in fact most of it is not and far from it, you do not need to go far to find it either. Only this week we went looking at smaller homes inland, homes as cheap as $350k, and not that far from where we live now, not <2miles from the beach though, more like 30/40 minutes to the nearest beach. Those areas simply did not appeal to us, 3 trucks in each driveway, poorly constructed homes (In our opinion), kids everywhere, not our idea of an ideal second phase of our retirement. Even the 55+ nicer developments like Del Webb around here are in the middle of nowhere, for us anyway. To get a home anywhere near what we would like were $900k+. We could sling $250k at our home and make it exactly what we want, not that we will as we cannot make it smaller and lose the pool, which is what we want to do (downsize). So, for now it looks like we are staying put. Not to mention the selling and buying costs would top $150k. Makes $3,000 a year RE insurance look like a bargain.

 

[Koolau]

I find this sad:

The parents of one of my friends passed away in 2017 and 2018. He's single, a bit of a loner, and has a hard time making new friends. In 2019 he moved 1500 kilometers away from where he grew up and lived for 55 years to be near where his nephew (law enforcement) had just been transferred. He's married with 2 young kids and "Uncle Karl" would visit them a couple times a month.

Then his nephew was transferred again last year and my friend moved once again to be near them. I don't know what his nephew thinks, but I'd find it a little creepy that an uncle I would casually see a couple times a month was following me around every time I was transferred.

Yeah, that seems a bit strange - but then, most families are dysfunctional if you dig deep enough.

 

[Scuba]

It is hard for anyone who has a good local friends' network that they regularly get together and have fun with.



We left California in 2003, we also had a great friends' network that we left behind, but still keep in touch with to this day. However, the draw of the wild, adventure and doing things we would never do in SoCAL won. The traffic was also terrible especially at the beaches, the 5 was murder and it took forever to get anywhere nice, and when we did arrive there was no parking, not to mention the crowds. Now, we do not have children and fully understand the pull they excerpt on most who do.



We were fortunate to spend 3 years cruising the Caribbean at our own pace, deciding that living by the beach with the vibe it offers was what we liked. So, when we sold the boat, we settled in N.E. Fla. (Having experienced the Caribbean crowds, heat and humidity, we wanted a little less of it, not much less, but having a break every now and then is nice) That was our reasoning for N.E. Fla.



Yes, it was an MCOL area we chose at the time, for some it would be HCOL. With that comes high prices, and now high insurance. But it is what we liked. Not too crowded, with all the benefits of a small tourist town.



You have to choose your poison. Florida is not all expensive upscale beach developments, in fact most of it is not and far from it, you do not need to go far to find it either. Only this week we went looking at smaller homes inland, homes as cheap as $350k, and not that far from where we live now, not <2miles from the beach though, more like 30/40 minutes to the nearest beach. Those areas simply did not appeal to us, 3 trucks in each driveway, poorly constructed homes (In our opinion), kids everywhere, not our idea of an ideal second phase of our retirement. Even the 55+ nicer developments like Del Webb around here are in the middle of nowhere, for us anyway. To get a home anywhere near what we would like were $900k+. We could sling $250k at our home and make it exactly what we want, not that we will as we cannot make it smaller and lose the pool, which is what we want to do (downsize). So, for now it looks like we are staying put. Not to mention the selling and buying costs would top $150k. Makes $3,000 a year RE insurance look like a bargain.

Thanks. I agree with you. Also completely relate to how far inland most of the 55+ communities are being built. We haven’t found anything we’d consider buying for less than $800K+ and most of the properties we really like are over $1M. I think we would love the FL lifestyle.

Glad to hear you were able to maintain friendships.we don’t have children either. DH’s family is all in GA, so if we move it will be much easier to stay connected to them and see them more often.

 

[Koolau]

Thanks. I agree with you. Also completely relate to how far inland most of the 55+ communities are being built. We haven’t found anything we’d consider buying for less than $800K+ and most of the properties we really like are over $1M. I think we would love the FL lifestyle.

Glad to hear you were able to maintain friendships.we don’t have children either. DH’s family is all in GA, so if we move it will be much easier to stay connected to them and see them more often.

It would seem that all the nice places have been discovered and are now being overrun with all the "old" people who's 401(k)s and tIRAs have exploded in the last few years. Cashing out for a nice retirement home doesn't seem a bad move for a lot of folks. That's gotta put pressure on prices.

 

[aja8888]

After my wife passed away last December, I considered moving away from here after 30 years living in this area (Texas). Several trips back East where I spent half my life ended with a NO GO. Reasons include housing is too expensive (for a comparable place), all or most of my old friends are gone, remaining family is almost gone, and the traffic is horrendous in some areas I would consider. I could handle winter OK though.

So I came back. And I am staying.

What I have realized is that my friends (close knit group) are all here and so is my daughter and her family (no grands though). I'm not starting over again.