It's official: I'm done with Florida!

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
About 4.5 years ago, I moved from NY to FL to better my family's life. This weekend, I completed the move from FL back to NY.

Back in November, in the words of pcslookout, "I was accepted for a job offer" up here in NY, which I happily took. Unfortunately, I had to leave most of my life in storage in FL until I could get time and money to return and pay for the move. That occurred this past week. In a trip that involved missing a flight, putting my father in the hospital, and a Penske truck with craptastic suspension... I'm finally done. The only time I'll be heading to FL again is for an occasional vacation. Thank god!

Now begins the next 6 months of unpacking...
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
What are the highs and lows of life in Florida for a Northeasterner transplant?
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,679
11,023
136
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,716
417
126
tbqhwy.com
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

lol
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
Originally posted by: Mwilding
What are the highs and lows of life in Florida for a Northeasterner transplant?

The highs... probably the temps in winter. A Florida winter is kindof like a nice spring/fall day in upstate New York. The beaches are another thing I liked, but didn't take enough advantage of. I personally love the beach, just to chill, hang in the ocean and build sand castles. But there are major disadvantages (see the lows). Also, people in general seem a bit friendlier there too. Oh, and seriously, WAY more eye candy in Florida. Seriously, there is hardly any fugly in Florida. :p

The lows? Where do I start.

I absolutely hated Florida summers. Hot and humid, all the time. When you take you dog out for a walk at 6am and are soaked in sweat from a quick walk around the block... it's just sad. Too hot for the kids to play outside most of the time - they usually go out, then come back in 5 minutes later panting and sweating asking for drinks. Rain. Lots of it. The fact that summer is about 6 months long and it's so damn hot it makes going to the beach a waste of time. Having to be afraid of every weather system that came our way, be it tropical or not (tornadoes all the time). Who'd have thunk it... Florida summer is less hospitable than a New York winter.

Driving in Florida sucks too - no where will you find worse drivers than Floridiots. Can't wait to get rid of my Floridiot license.

Cost of housing compared to what you're likely to have for income in the area sucks. I'm happy to see Florida leading the way in this Sub-Prime mess (I tried to buy a house for about two years down there, but it was always out of reach). And even if you do buy a house, 9 times out of 10 you'll be stuck in a development with nearly zero yard and an insane HOA fee.

Employers are generally cheap in Florida too. Not sure why, but Florida generally seems to be at the lower end of the scale for pay (part of the reason I left: higher housing cost + lower pay makes it "meh").

The touristy places - way to freaking expensive, even with the so-called "Florida Resident Discounts". Seriously... $7.50 for a 20oz bottle of water??? Needless to say my son was the only one that has been to Disney, thanks to his uncle. Seaworld is a bit more reasonable though.

All in all, it's not that bad of a place. I'd rather pay for AC over a heating bill. And having a good amount of sunshine year round is nice. But still, Florida just wasn't for me.

Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

Is that what that popping sound was?
 

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,536
5
0
:clinks beer with SunnyD;

Welcome to the wonderful world of no longer living in FL! :D


I was born and for the most part raised in South East FL, I'm now living in the Atlanta area and don't miss FL one bit (except for friends and family of course)
 

BAMAVOO

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,089
41
91
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So, you get smarter but you become a bigger ass?
 

HannibalX

Diamond Member
May 12, 2000
9,361
2
0
I spent 14 years in Orlando, FL (1993-2007). It's a nice place to visit, but I couldn't live there anymore.

A few reasons I left:
* Terrible weather. It's bloody damn hot for 9 months out of the year, and then it's hot for remaining 3 months. Yes, there are a few days occasionally when a freak cold spell will move in and it will get into the 40s. 20s? Very rarely. Maybe once a year, if that. The rest of the time it's 90F with 100% humidity.

* The cost of living compared to income is insane. Back in the 90s it wasn't so bad, but now days a regular working guy making $60k a year will have a hard time buying a home in Florida unless he wants to move in with all the white trash and ghetto rats. A cheap condo without enough room to move around is 200k, a nice condo is 500k. A cheap house is 250k, a nice house is 500k. We are talking the same homes that were 100k in the year 2000. Yes you can buy cheaper and live in the ghetto but why? No thanks.

* Traffic! Orlando has 1 interstate that was designed for 20,000 cars/day. Back in 2004 the state did a report that said it was getting 140,000 cars/day. You literally sit and crawl your way to work. In my case I lived on the north end (Maitland) and worked on the south end (Conroy) so I was stuck in I-4 traffic moving at 5 mph every single day. There are a few toll roads but they don't even remotely go anywhere that most of the city needs to.

* Education. Lets just say the public schools in the Orlando area are lucky to be called schools at all.

There are other things but I don't want to think about them. 14 years was enough.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,085
5,618
126
I was only in Florida for one week and only in the Orlando area, but one thing I hated(not there long enough to hate it insanely, just long enough to know I would in time) is that it was so f*ing flat! Been living in mountains too long to put up with that.
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
Originally posted by: Nitemare
are you changing your name to NotsoSunnyD?

I was SunnyD before I moved to Florida. I'll be SunnyD after leaving Florida. The name sticks. I was considering joining the trend of changing the username thing, but figured what's the point. I'm not important enough anyway.
 

Descartes

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
13,968
2
0
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

What a stupid thing to say, imo.
 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,255
403
126
I don't think I'd like it much either. I admit I haven't been there, but from what I've read and what other people've said, not for me. Vacation, yeah; live, no.
 

bigal40

Senior member
Sep 7, 2004
849
0
0
Wait, you moved out to florida to NY b/c the traffic was bad, and the houses were to expensive, and water at DW cost too much. I hope you moved to upstate/rural NY and not the city.
 

trmiv

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
14,668
1
81
Originally posted by: bigal40
Wait, you moved out to florida to NY b/c the traffic was bad, and the houses were to expensive, and water at DW cost too much. I hope you moved to upstate/rural NY and not the city.

His profile says Ithaca
 

Linflas

Lifer
Jan 30, 2001
15,395
78
91
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So Pennsylvannia and New Jersey are now part of the South? You don't exactly display a steel trap mind when it comes to geography...
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Originally posted by: Linflas
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So Pennsylvannia and New Jersey are now part of the South? You don't exactly display a steel trap mind when it comes to geography...

only one of them at least touches the mason dixon line, but yeah the joke really loses it's punch with the geographic ignorance...
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
Originally posted by: trmiv
Originally posted by: bigal40
Wait, you moved out to florida to NY b/c the traffic was bad, and the houses were to expensive, and water at DW cost too much. I hope you moved to upstate/rural NY and not the city.

His profile says Ithaca

Indeed. I will say that after moving back up here, I am a bit disappointed in general cost of living in upstate NY. Housing is significantly cheaper, which is a huge plus. But in the four plus years I've been gone, it looks like everything else went up in price. Including milk, sadly enough. But again, higher salary, and lower housing costs are currently significantly outweighing the hundred-or-so more a month in grocery bills. Plus my commute to work is a hell of a lot shorter.
 

Mxylplyx

Diamond Member
Mar 21, 2007
4,197
101
106
Originally posted by: lokiju
:clinks beer with SunnyD;

Welcome to the wonderful world of no longer living in FL! :D


I was born and for the most part raised in South East FL, I'm now living in the Atlanta area and don't miss FL one bit (except for friends and family of course)

I moved from the burbs of Birmingham to Atlanta a few years ago. I lasted 3 months in Atlanta before I moved back, and havent been back since.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,591
5
0
And you chose to get raped by income tax by leaving Fla
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
145
106
www.neftastic.com
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
And you chose to get raped by income tax by leaving Fla

Very true. My state withholdings far exceed my federal. But, when it comes down to it, I still get nearly all of it back at the end of the year anyway. The part that does suck is the additional 40 cents of taxes that NY puts on gasoline and all the other things they tax to death. But I console myself that my kids are getting a better education in public schools in NY than they were in private schools in FL.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,679
11,023
136
Originally posted by: BAMAVOO
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So, you get smarter but you become a bigger ass?

Sounds like a GREAT trade-off to me...


Originally posted by: Descartes
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

What a stupid thing to say, imo.

Anuther Suthrner herd from...;)



Originally posted by: Linflas
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So Pennsylvannia and New Jersey are now part of the South? You don't exactly display a steel trap mind when it comes to geography...

WTF does Pennsylvania have to do with this?
As for Noo Joisey...need I say more? ;)


Originally posted by: Mwilding
Originally posted by: Linflas
Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

So Pennsylvannia and New Jersey are now part of the South? You don't exactly display a steel trap mind when it comes to geography...

only one of them at least touches the mason dixon line, but yeah the joke really loses it's punch with the geographic ignorance...

No geographical ignorance...I considered Joisey...then dismissed it out-right for the obvious reasons...


You fucking people need to lighten up and develop a sense of humor...apparently it's Okie-Dokie to fuck with Kahleeforneeya and Kahleeforneeyans, but gawd forbid anyone says anything negative about teh South...the land below the Iron Curtain known as the Mason-Dixon Line...
 

KK

Lifer
Jan 2, 2001
15,903
4
81
Originally posted by: SunnyD


Originally posted by: BoomerD
When you crossed the NY state line, did you feel your IQ go up by 40 points? (you gotta get completely out of the South for the effect to kick in)

Is that what that popping sound was?

Most likely that was you car still making noise from all the pot holes in PA.