I live near Jacksonville. The LARGEST city in the country by landmass. and relatively few people compared to its size. Yet traffic is awful and getting worse. So many apartments being built everywhere, but not enough new schools or roads to support them. Most new schools open with having to use portables their first year of being open. Portables should be illegal. Build more damn schools or stop building apartments and Nocatee wantabe’s
St Petersburg/Pinellas County 50 years here- Pinellas County has exploded in population- I miss the old Florida feel there used to be .The traffic is a death sport- property taxes , home insurance and auto insurance rates are completely out of control. I hear rent is also incredibly high (got a house years ago) Regardless of this- I do love the Burg and will probably never leave. I love the museums, theatres, beaches, festivals and diversity of this area- Lots of volunteer opportunitys, lots of good health care options- many sports opportunities. I can always find something to do. People who live here are pretty friendly. The only problem in St Pete is the public school- IMO there are only a handlful of very good public schools. Thats a problem all over Florida
Left Plantation in 1996 for Citrus County. Now the traffic here is as bad as it was down there. I do love kayaking the central Florida springs and King’s Bay, and really nothing beats scalloping off the Homosassa River looking at the old nuke plant. Other than the Keys, this is the only part of Florida I want to live in.
I'm native born and raised in South Florida. The traffic and the people coming here a fucking horrible. It is expensive. Our housing costs and taxes are low because we've been owned it since 2002.
With that said Deerfield Beach is quiet but has nothing to offer. The SW 10th Street corridor from the Sawgrass to 95 is a nightmare. I drive it twice a day for work.
Once construction commences on the connector project, all bets are off on arriving to work on time for the next 8-10 years.
Yo I am out in sunrise now but I miss Deerfield terribly 😭 I lived off tenth and drove my roommate to Lyons and sawgrass for work- horrible then but way worse now- not to mention it’s way more crowded and than it used to be. Still miss it🫶🏼
Pompano resident here. The stretch of 95 that goes through Deerfield is ALWAYS a traffic nightmare, and the express lanes don't really help because they merge from 2 lanes to 1 which means they get backed up too.
Yeah, I grew up in Parkland; it’s boring as FUCK and nothing but rich assholes and cookie-cutter homes now. I remember when there were a lot of farms. Now I live in Davie and it’s the same. exact. shit.
Chiefland Florida, bet you never heard of it. Absolutely love the forests and wildlife. No hospital. Not many restaurants unless you like fast food fried chicken. Decent internet is only available for the most populated areas, Starlink is great.
Vero beach here, but the less rich side lol
I love the beaches and the slower pace of the town, plus the fact that the palm trees are taller than almost all the buildings. Traffic isn't bad out of snow bird season. Price of houses are a little higher than surrounding times.
Treasure coast here, it was better right after the market crashed and I bought my house. Highest foreclosure rate in the country meant… not a lot of traffic and a sleepy town. Now it’s too busy and a pain to get around on the weekends.
Treasure Coast here too. It's not the quiet sweet little town anymore. We hear sirens all day long now. All the empty lots that where around us are now houses. No more wildlife. It's sad to see the developing.
I used to live in Port Saint Lucie (born 1995) and it’s like a totally different city! I think I read somewhere the area is in the top 10 cities of HCOL in Florida. Do anything to go back and buy a house.
My friend lives in PA she called to tell me a magazine she picked up showed our hidden town. I was saddened. The article titled was something similar to "hidden towns no one knows about," can't remember the exact wordage
In 1986 if another Floridian said Port Saint Lucie, we'd say "Where? That's a weird name for a town. South of Vero? Around Jupiter?"
But wow, you all sure took one for the team and almost single handedly captured every transplant resident coming in during the 90s and 00s.
Thanks for holding off the hoarde as long as you could. It was a noble effort.
Born and raised in Brevard. Recently, I worked a year at Long Point Park. The weekend warrior/snowbird/fishermen demographic absolutely disgusted me. Also, the blatant greed vs. incompetentce of the county was mind boggling.
My husband (also fl native), makes fun of me because many of my rants end with “it was ALL ORANGE GROVES…” or “when we had FIREFLIES”. Which is an updated version of my dad saying “when the Indian River had enough trout, you could walk on water!”
Hernando County. Avoid at all costs. Rampant drugs everywhere. Literally nothing for teens to do so they drink and party way more than previous generations. County is on the gulf but literally only 1 beach and it's a mud pit. Nothing but chain restaurants that are 1 stars at best. And worse, nothing but a bunch of 1 star people from New York and Ohio that think they're 4 stars but couldn't afford Naples or Sarasota.
I was born and raised in Spring Hill and I always remember it as a small, sleepy town. We were always outside because there was never anything close enough for us to do and our parents weren’t going to drive to Tampa all the time. Now I go back to visit family and I can’t believe the amount of development and population growth there, even though the infrastructure hasn’t been updated past the original plans.
I live on the river. Yeah it's drop dead gorgeous. It's also flooded with tourists on the weekend. I just put new regulations in place to help slow the degradation of the river which I have watched go downhill for the last 20 years. Now you can't get out of your boat anymore. I live near the end of a road no traffic until I go out on Cortez Boulevard. Housing is pretty much doubled since 2008. There's now a place on the river up for sale for 1.3 million. Big dreams. Still the river is gorgeous, tranquil, and empty on weekdays. I kayak everyday in the summertime. I feel like I live in my own little hot house and it's only a 10-minute drive to get to Home Depot or Publix. There's really nothing culturally doing in Hernando County, but there's a ton down in St Pete in Tampa, so I go to shows a lot down there.
south florida between miami & homestead - i don’t like it anymore - light pollution is killing astronomy, traffic is out of control/rude people and rude drivers/ very poor city planning and management, corrupt politicians, over crowding, politicians allowing development into the agricultural areas between the National Parks and in my area (redlands). i’m making my money and likely leaving to somewhere out west. i don’t enjoy taking the boat out into Biscayne bay anymore too many weekend warriors, i tend to launch from flamingo in the ENP or launch from John Pennekamp SP. Desantis has done nothing but give leeway to allow insurance and utilities premiums to skyrocket. we need to vote for someone who will help the homeowners and not line the pockets of special interests groups.
You're the first person to mention light pollution. We have bright LED street lamps near Broward North hospital to deter crime. It's so bright that we can't use the telescope anymore. I fucking hate it.
I grew up in the Redlands/Homestead and god it is so depressing visiting there now. I refuse to go there unless it’s for a family event I can’t avoid lol. In just the last 8 years alone, it has developed/grown like crazy and doesn’t feel like home to me anymore. I’m in north central Florida now and much happier, but I’d love to get out of this state altogether someday. Best of luck on your journey out!
Agreed! We’re in Franklin and it’s still very rural, yet I have the beach right outside my door. There aren’t a lot of stores, but also not a lot of traffic! I’ll deal with minor inconveniences to escape the major ones that come from more populated areas.
Tallahassee resident and FSU grad sad that we have hundreds of fewer trees now after 3 tornadoes tore through our south & west sides last Friday. So much damage!
Orange County. Moved here four years ago and it's one of my least favorite places I've ever lived. Cars, concrete, crowds, and capitalism. Those are the cultural and community hallmarks of this area. For all of thr diverdisity, this place lacks any form of culture or community. To speak positively, there is always something to do and lots and lots of good food. I appreciate the ethnic diversity, especially when it comes to ethnic markets and grocery stores. It's also a good city for the arts - kind of.
Hunter S. Thompson summed my thoughts about Florida up pretty beautifully circa 1973: "Florida is a state of transients and New York reitrees." True then and true now. It's hard for a community to exist when nobody is from the area, nobody is looking to stay, and all of the good that once existed was sold to the highest bidder and bulldozed away. Ask yourself where all the orange groves went. Hard pass for this central floridian concrete hellscape.
The capitalism here is insane.
I'm in business and education. My dad had a business in Lakeland when I was a kid, as did other family. When I started business courses he asked, "Do you know the saying If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere?". Then followed up with how New York City would be easy compared to Lakeland and described it's politics, economics, and some other factors.
As a business professor of 15 years, I can look back to the 80s and my childhood and see for a self employed mechanic, he sure knew what he was talking about.
Tally here also. Other than that storm we caught the other day and the occasional college party goin a little wild. It’s pretty calm in town. Born and raised here.
Tallahassee here too (actually I live in Monticello now) with family off Hwy 20 and outside of Southwood who suffered extensive damage last Friday. It's been amazing to see the communities pulling together to help neighbors. But I gotta say, we are suffering a little PTSD from the tornadoes. They were simply vicious and we had just minutes. It's just amazing more people were not injured or killed. RIP Railroad Square...
Orlando. The traffic is awful but I wouldn’t give up the them parks and an hour drive to Daytona beach, Clearwater or the Space Coast. Every weekend is like a mini vacation.
Same. I live in that urban core and it’s a great place to live. People that complain need to get out of the burbs and go to the areas that have free events constantly.
Boca Raton, FL. Overall, it’s alright. I’m desperate to move out to Miami or FTL at this point. Boca is perfect if you are looking to settle down and have kids, but if you’re young like me there’s no reason to live here. It’s like living in a retirement community. I’m also biased because Boca is my hometown, so I don’t see it with fresh eyes and have just been here way too long. But I will say it’s super nice and the town center mall is awesome. It’s also close enough to travel to all the downtown areas, which is nice if you want to live away from the action but still have access to it.
Winter Haven. My only complaint other than quiet grumbling is the traffic once we try to go anywhere. It is bad and getting worse all the time. We know the population of Florida is increasing rapidly. Our "governor" brags about it. So what's the plan?
Winter Haven is my hometown. I truly used to love living there. I moved out in 2023 to the Midwest. I just couldn’t handle working long hours and commuting an hour home from Lakeland everyday.
Born and raised in Winter Haven but now live in far East Lake Wales because of my husbands job. Winter Haven is popping with growth. New hotels and apartments are crazy
Winter Haven will always be my home! We are in Sebring now and it’s as equally miserable traffic wise. I can’t get over the growth in just the last few years though, it’s crazy! My grandmother is nervous about the traffic that will be on Cypress Gardens Blvd with all the apartments.
Lake Worth FL
It's a small town in Palm Beach County and people like to shit all over it from other areas but I absolutely love it here. I have a 5/3 (we aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination) 2 blocks from the lake and 2 miles from the beach. We are 30 seconds from an i95 exit so it makes driving anywhere so much easier. And I I really love the community here. There an actual small town community. It's mostly working class, salt of the a earth people. Hard working and humble.
I love Lake Worth.
LWB is awesome! It ain’t bougie but the sense of community is like living in the 50s! The cast of characters are welcoming, funny, eclectic, and mostly just average Joe or Jane. The neighborhoods have committees and monthly events and annual events. People actually say hello when you pass by. Sure it’s got some issues just like most places but ya just don’t go there unless that’s what you are looking for. Made many a friends, good friends in LWB the past 15 years.
Pensacola. I grew up here and while it will always feel like home, probably one of my least favorite parts of the State. We're about 10 years behind the peninsula in almost every respect. Progress is perpetually stymied in favor of the handful of families that rule the city. No industry, an absolutely inflated housing market. We've had a large influx new residents and frankly, this city was designed as if it was never expected to grow. So, now we're playing catch up with infrastructure and it's a nightmare. I prefer Central Florida.
Born and raised just across the bay in Milton.
I used to absolutely love the quaint small town feel.
That piece of shit money hungry twat sam parker has run the place into the ground.
So many subdivisions built on swamp land
If I see one more single wide trailer from the 90:s being rented out for $1,300/month im going to drive through it.
Infrastructure is decades behind the exponential population growth and probably always will be because our county leaders are absolute rotten garbage.
My parents moved to Milton when I was 8 months old. I may as well have been born here. I agree with everything here.
Our infrastructure wasn’t great a decade ago, and about another two subdivisions and then it’s going to pop. Wrecks every day from folks leaving local businesses on hwy 90. Mom and pop shops are closing in favor of all the big chains. Some of this is just due to the changing of the times, but it’s sad to see nonetheless.
I AM happy to see the downtown area being revived. It’s a great place but again, the roads are so overloaded it’s a headache. There are zero public transit options, as the last option for the public closed in 2012. That’s wild to me.
I think the biggest issue right now it is the lack of affordable housing. We don’t need anymore single family homes yet they are building everywhere. We have a small handful of decent apartment units in the area, and they are far from affordable. The housing doesn’t match the median household income of around $65k a year. Sorry, but the majority of the people here don’t have the ability to go buy a 300000+ house, yet that’s the vast majority of the market. You can rent a shitty apartment in the shittiest part of town and have some money for groceries, you can rent a shitty single wide with a hole in the floor, or you rent a decent house for twice what it cost 5 years ago and cross your fingers for the rest of your bills. 10 years ago I was never worried about living within my means while working an average job. The fact that I’ve been a homeowner for years and watch my mortgage go up year after year, at a rate much faster than my salary goes up, sucks. It sucks seeing the “transplants” scooping up our resources while the locals have been suffering.
We visited Pensacola last year, and my wife who's never been anywhere in the panhandle that's not beautified beachside asked me 'Has it always been like this?'. Yes. Yes it has. It's great to visit, but unless you're part of the ruling families or the Redneck Riviera crew, it would be tough to live there.
Grew up in Tampabay, 50+ years now. The place I grew up in doesn't exist anymore. Hotter than ever, over crowded and getting worse, wages suck for most, cost of living is high, roads are packed. Maybe the younger crowd loves it but it's hard to love when you know what you lost.
I left in 2017 for north Houston and I don’t regret it one bit, my mom and sister are constantly telling me how expensive everyday things are, the amount of traffic, thankfully the house in Tampa is paid off, the roads just can’t keep up with the amount of people that moved in such a short time. For the price of a 1500 sqft house in Tampa sitting on 5,000 sqft I got double the house and lot for about the same price
Near downtown Orlando, lived in FL for 38 years. Have watched the sprawl take over the orange trees, have watched BFE turn into subdivision after subdivision, strip malls and chains, bad planning, infrastructure catch-up, over and over. I try to ignore all that, I don’t have to see it on the day to day. I’m surrounded by cute mid century and older neighborhoods, and local restaurants and businesses for the most part. I try not to leave my bubble much, except tgt the beach, and now that’s Satellite since New Smyrna has gotten so crowded. We plan on moving to Waynesville, NC in next ten years or less, this state has been taken over by literal fascists.
i lived in st pete for two years and absolutely loved it. its a mix of liberal and floridia so i feel like wherever you like politically you can find comfort in st pete. beautiful beaches .. nearby to tampa and sarasota even tho nobody really goes to sarasota from st pete. overall just amazing vibes there.
Gulfport🦎
I concur on the good vibes of the St.Pete area and loving the “keep it weird” and progressive attitudes of St.Pete/Gulfport. The people are so nice, creative, and welcoming. We enjoy the nature, beaches, and the charming downtown, without the Tampa-high levels of congestion and concrete. It ain’t the cheapest place to live in FL, and our house is tiny, but it’s our little oasis.
I live in Seminole county, just north of Orlando, and I love it bc its politically liberal (rare for Florida) and we do a good job of protecting our green spaces. Much better than the surrounding counties anyway.
I spent four years in Sanford and Longwood. Would have stayed there if it was closer to the ocean. We’ve been on nearly two years now and parts of me miss it. The schools are much better there than Charlotte County, that’s for sure.
I was born in Pensacola, moved to Jacksonville partway through elementary school, and came down to the Orlando area for school (UCF) and just stayed. I've traveled all over the state for work and vacation, and Orlando/Central Florida still feels a bit unique.
There are some nice residential areas (I used to live in Oviedo and Winter Springs), good museums, performing arts, tons of hidden gems, and there are people from all over the world that live here.
Also, because it's "central," it makes it easy to travel to other places.
I first read that as you were walking distance to Sweet Berries and I thought, “Wow, he really did luck out!” But, no-Gainesville’s parks and trails are such a treasure.
I live in tampa and, while I hate the weather and COL with a burning passion, I really like the tampa Bay Area as a whole. There’s a lot to do, most of the people are friendly (depending on what part of tampa you’re in), it’s somewhat culturally diverse, overall vibe is good.
Honestly though, I’m always a bit down when we get home from vacations where we’ve been somewhere vastly different (NYC, NC, Alaska, New Orleans, and Europe especially) because there are always characteristics or qualities about the places or people that are better than Tampa.
Living in tampa is expensive for sure, but just because we live here doesn’t mean we can afford to live just about anywhere else. My husband is finally on board with the idea of moving but because he’d be working remotely, his pay would remain the same sad, pitiful Florida pay rate but with the added bonus of paying state income taxes. Unless he can convince his boss to give him a hefty raise, we’re probably stuck here a while longer.
Tampa. I loved it here the most when I first moved here in 2000. Now it's to crowded. To many homes and apartments going up that noone can afford to live in. Pay is crap. Traffic is crap.
Upside the beach and we get alot of concerts here
The rent has gotten ridiculous. My last apartment, the rent was raised so much I had to move, that apartment has been sitting empty for 3 years but they still won't lower the rent.
I found a decent place and they didn't raise the rent when I re-signed but it's still ridiculous how much the rent is vs. what I'm getting, not as ridiculous as other places I looked but Tampa's rent in general is ridiculous.
Arlington, Jax for 45 years. It has gotten quite congested each decade. I concur, more good than bad. With the size of our city with the ocean/intracoastal/river we are unique.
I use to really like Jville but I’ve been to Mayo too many times now to where it kind of makes my stomach hurt and I get all nervous when getting there.
Orlando… hate it!! Spent most of my years on the beach in Brevard Co. and that was pretty nice. Moved to ORL for work and it’s a miserable shathole! I was born and raised in FL went to FSU and lived here entire life. I’ve noticed the whole state for the most has just become trashy since the first housing crisis. We have too many people in this state. Couple that with tourism that adds more and it has become a crowded mess with less kindness and care for your locals than ever before. As soon as my kids finish school I’m out! I’d be gone already if it wasn’t for an ex anchoring me to this landfill of trac homes, condos and theme parks.
Orlando definitely has its downsides just like any city but I wouldn’t say it’s a *shithole*. Our small business community here is outstanding. The food is probably the best in the state and although the traffic can be a little much, it’s not too bad in city. There is never a shortage of things to do. The weather is a drag in the summer but makes up for it during fall and winter. At least we aren’t shoveling snow 4-5 months out of the year. I moved to Michigan for a few years and that was rough.
The theme parks used to be okay. Now they're insanely overrun like everything else.
You used to be able to go to a Florida theme park, even as global destinations, and stroll around. Sure, the population has doubled, but how does that explain the at least 10x growth in crowding all the time... just like our cities, it's unsustainable development. Now Disney, for instance has 10x the resorts and only 4x the parks. Sounds like the DOT... 100K people move in, pretend only 40k did because it's cheaper.
My husband used to be a Disney employee and loved the parks more than most people. I took him to Dollywood last year. He now thinks Dollywood is much better than Disney because you can actually enjoy the park when you visit. It’s not just fighting crowds all day.
Jacksonville Beach. I used to love it when I moved here in 1996 when it was a kind of dumpy and quiet beach town. But now, almost 30 years later, we have an entire beachfront with high-rise condominiums that all go for $2 million plus. Also during the pandemic, a bunch of well-to-do retiree/boomer age MAGAs moved here and they are insufferable.
Lakeland my entire life! I wish the red lights had a way of being synchronized but once you get there the fishing is Great! No ice in the forecast! Never go north of Polk city in the winter time! Our orange groves and phosphate pits are homes and golf courses now but would not live anywhere else!
Lake County. I hate it here. Grew up here. Jobs don't pay shit, there's nothing at all to do here, and the whole area is devoid of any culture aside from maga. Still can't understand what the hell people see in Mt Dora. Its crap.
Born in Hollywood(near Fort Lauderdale), moved to Clermont(just north and west of Disney) in 2006. Hate south Florida, glad we moved from there. Clermont is ok. The last few years it’s changed a little… built up so much. Housing is through the roof. We got our house right before Covid hit. The weather is ok from November through April. The rest of the time it’s hot as hell. The drives are idiots everywhere. If I could, I’d move to Northern California in a heartbeat. Florida’s government is atrocious as well. I wish we could leave.
Cape Coral since 1979 (I was 6). It’s hot, we’ve had 2 major hurricanes directly hit since I’ve been here, a 2 bedroom apartment is like $2200. I like that even though we are heavily Republican/maga we have an actual gay pride parade and festival for a few years now. We have a lot of new construction of apartments, shops, restaurants about to be done.. unfortunately the infrastructure isn’t in place and the roads get overwhelmed in rush hour and all the time in season. Speaking of which I owned a restaurant here for 17 years it’s very hard to deal with 5 months of insane business in season then do half those sales for 7 months.
Currently in Winter Park. Lived in Casselberry for about 15 years, and St Pete for 3. St Pete was my favorite. Winter Park is ok. We love our house and we’re close to good restaurants, highways, etc. The traffic is a bear though. We’ve considered moving to less populated areas, like Lake or Sumter county, but then we’d lose our proximity to things about this area that we do like. We do have really great food spots in the Orlando area. Whenever we visit friends in other parts of the state we go to their favorite local places, and they’re usually mediocre compared to what we have right around the corner here.
Matt Gaetz’s district. He’s a tool. Most of the people here are too. They’re largely poor, but love billionaires and defend the super wealthy while they live on government assistance (and bemoan immigrants and people of color who do the same). Living here is like living in a Faux News soundbite.
My father in law is a disabled veteran. He received a disability check/benefits and a VA retirement check/benefits. He also pays zero property taxes as a result. The point is, he benefits greatly from socialist policies.
Anyways, this man loudly and proudly is MAGA ultra conservative and has quite literally said rich people shouldn’t have to pay taxes because it’s unfair to them, and that taxes are bad and “tHe GoVeRnMeNt” shouldn’t be allowed to take his money either. Like sir, the government is PAYING you money they got from everyone else’s taxes. Get help.
Be careful!
I moved from WPB to Polk County about 10 years ago and it's one of the worst mistakes l ever made.
Nothing here but red necks and red hats.
I grew up in Coral Springs. I never really liked it and wouldn’t move back. I lived in Palm Beach County for 10 years after college and the northern half of the county is absolutely fantastic. I currently own a second home in Gainesville (I’m working overseas) and also went to college at UF. Gainesville has a much different vibe from South Florida but it’s awesome as well. It’s much easier to not feel trapped in an endless suburb.
Coral springs has torn down and rebuilt most of the town you grew up in anyway lol. That's probably common in most towns and cities but CS especially has been renovating a lot.
Florida native, moved out to Clearwater 12 years ago for work and the Rent here is outrageous. 1800 a month for a 2b1ba. Hate it. Traffic sucks, all my friends are in Lakeland, crackheads on every corner and cops that don't protect the innocent, just like any other place in Florida. Problem is I can afford it. But not much else. Food bill is over 200 a week, plus expenses. I'm in HVAC, the heat is worse every year. Water at the beach is hot. Water from the tap is tainted and water at Wawa is 3 dollars for a small store brand. This place is overflowing with tourism that just stays. New Yorkers move down here to get away from expensive flats but now inflation is pushing out the locals. It's all fun and games until you wake up one day and realize that 55,000 grand a year is only enough to live paycheck to paycheck on. I work 50 plus hours a week. No time for myself. Weekend comes around only to vanish in a blink of a eye. Overworked and under fucked. A small dilapidated house is 200,000 cash and only sold to contractors. Lot rent on a small outdated trailer as well over a thousand bucks. Want to buy some land? an acre will cost you a hundred grand. In a lawsuit right now for an accident I was in 3 years ago telling me that because I'm still working that I didn't get injured and my car accident I got hit in a t-bone other guy was at fault. Getting harder every day to work but the insurance companies don't care about them common Man. Got a DUI last year paying out the ass for fines and fees almost done with it. I got a side of work from time to time and I have money in my pocket just long enough to be pissed away on bills.
Can't get a leg up to save my life. Welcome to the dark side of Florida.
Port Orange. Atlantic Ocean keeps Volusia County a little cooler than inland areas. Convenient to everything I need. New Costco that is the largest in Central Florida. Dislike rising housing prices.
Born and raised in Port Orange (about 10-15 minutes from Daytona Beach). Currently live in New Smyrna Beach on the opposite side of Port Orange… use to be a small quiet beach town but it’s starting to turn crowded and over developed like everywhere else
St Pete. It’s the only place I’d want to live in Florida. It’s a great city but too many people and way too expensive. I bought a condo as a starter home and literally can’t afford to move now so we’re looking to leave the state.
Stop moving to FL holy shit.
Cost of living is insane because everyone moving here from Cali. Renting is isane, Home Owners Insurance is insane, Mortgages are insane, Traffic is insane.
I dont understand how everything thinks they can just flood to FL and not expect literally everything to go up. Its been over a 100x increase in everything within the last few years alone.
Born at Lee Memorial in Ft. Myers and I grew up in Tice. When it was nice. 😊 I now live in Port Orange. And have for 30 years. I'm a state licensed irrigation contractor and have a very successful small business in Volusia and Flagler. I love my customers, Our business is well known and liked. And we work year round. We live on the water and bass fish nearly every day. I hate the maga garbage politics of this state. But I'm a native. I love my home state. And my two hometowns. Cause I've only lived in Tice and in Port Orange. I've rarely left the state.
I'm a Florida Boy
Yes, I am
Cut me open
I bleed sand
I love the sunshine
I love the water.
I was kissed by
Ponce de Leon's Daughter.
I'm a Florida boy
I'm genuwine.
I wear flip flops in the
Winnertime.
My best friend is the ceilin fan cause a Florida boy I am.
Yup
A Florida boy I am.
R.I.P. Burt Wilson
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, absolutely loved it. But by 2020 it was just getting too crowded/expensive, so my wife and I moved to Jacksonville.
Jax is nice, big city (something for everyone) but still a small town feel, only 5hr drive to mountains compared to 13hrs in WP.
Only thing is the ocean suckssss compared to Palm Beach…miss it -_-
Grew up in Palm Beach County. Loved it, Everglades and beach 10 mins either direction. Groves, farms and ranches turned into suburban hell. Moved to Tampa for work and I’m not much for city life but it’s fun. Folks here typically more laid back than what South FL has turned into. It’s changing here too. I miss when FL was quiet and cheap.
Tampa native (65 yrs) I don’t have much to add that other folks haven’t said already. The censorship, book banning, and the overall choking restrictions have really made me rethink how much longer I’ll be staying. It will take decades to undo the very very extreme politics. The Villages is particularly hateful, as is most of Florida. It’s just not ok. Lots of good places to visit but jeez, living here is stressful and is wearing me down.if it weren’t for weed being legal (medicinal only) I would have been gone already. We really need it to get through the day.
Jacksonville born and raised. Left for a decade to a “real” city and came back to too many people and not a lot of upgrades from when I left. I have an appreciation and love for it cuz it’s home but no, I don’t like it.
Central Florida- Citrus Hills. I love my community inside Citrus Hills. I love the Country Club and all the wonderful amenities. I love the town of Crystal River. I also like Inverness. I love all the amazing places we have to hike and kayak. There are great little Florida towns to explore. I love that we are close to my in-laws. They are requiring a lot of help as they age. I love the weather! (I know…..but I actually do). Love our beautiful beaches. Love our rivers and springs. I love living on the golf course even though I don’t play. It’s so peaceful, most of the time. I really love our wildlife! Love that I can be in either Orlando or Tampa in about an hour. We have made some really good friends here. I love the variety of fresh fruits and veggies available almost year round. My garden is always growing something.
That said, I hate Ocala. I hate the methy, trashy parts of Central Florida. I avoid our Walmart like the plague. There are a lot of really sketchy people. I despise the politics and DeSantis. I hate local law enforcement. I hate the cost of insurance, both home and auto. And the drivers suck.
We lived in Northeast Florida (St John’s/St Augustine) for six years. We LOVED that part of Florida.
SWFL. Yeah, pretty good. There will be things that you don't like about anywhere you live but overall thigs are pretty chill. Like it significantly better then the Tampa area.
Wellington (Palm Beach).
Have lived here 4 years after moving from the Midwest. We love it. Yes, the traffic sucks at times but having lived in SoCal it doesn’t even compare.
South FL. Delray Beach.
Mixed bag. We have entered summer time. So I am starting to hate it again. Just despise the humidity. I feel like my wife and I don’t do a ton because everything is expensive and south FL is basically - go roast in the sun on the beach or eat out/go drinking. There’s a lack of cheap/free things to do.
I’d love to be able to split time between here and CO (I have family here) but both are expensive and while we make good money ($160-$200k) can’t really do both. We could but neither place would be what we want out of a home.
Feels like a ton of artists we like skip south FL altogether too. So concerts aren’t something we do a lot of either.
So unless you’re a drinker or super wealthy or LOVE the beach no matter what it’s kind of boring.
I’m generalizing. I do like it here mostly.
It’s frustrating though sometimes Especially since Delray isn’t close to a big city yet costs as much as most major metros.
I lived in Clearwater, moved to St. Petersburg, then slowly migrated north over a few moves until now I'm in Palm Harbor. Feels like I'm just trying to outrun rising rents, I was old enough to buy a house right as the market exploded so despite having spent >100k in rent the last 4 years, missed out on the chance to elevate with the rest.
I love the idea of Florida but lately, I don't see it anymore. It's too expensive, all of my friends have been pushed out of the area, and if I had any confidence in.. well, going anywhere else, I'd probably do it. I even have a fully remote job with others not in Florida, so I bet I could move...
St Pete FL. I love the things to do but sometimes it feels too small. I’m 30 and the heat gets to me sometimes and I’m feeling like the older I get the more I’ll want to get out. I love spring like temps, that’s where I thrive and love being outside. I own a house here though so i feel a bit stuck I couldn’t afford to live here if I was renting and it seems like rent elsewhere is climbing everyday.
I'm in JAX, I want to get out of the state. It used to be nice here, but summers are starting earlier and lasting later, getting far hotter. Politics seem to have driven some people truly insane and the COL of getting ridiculous.
Tampa, or rather Riverview. I absolutely hate living here. The traffic is horrendous to the point where I avoid going out during rush hour. There is literally nothing to do, even if you include Tampa. There's legitimately only so much you can do before there isn't anything new and you get bored of it. I also am a beach hater so that's not helpful either. Granted, I'm here because my parents moved to Florida, and given that I'm in college now, I'm getting out as soon as I graduate.
Bradenton / Sarasota area is the worst place and state ive ever lived in 40 years. The humidity is out of this world hot it already feels like 110 weather and its only May. People cant drive for shit here and traffic feels like we live in tampa. Snowbirds.. the city is FULL of rich weirdo Canadians, making it more difficult to go shopping or out to do anything. Property tax is out of control as is food prices, gas prices, living expensive. Politics/ political turmoil is literally the worst in the country in florida. It’s a hateful, unaccepting state stuck in the stone ages of ignorance. Alligators.
Punta Gorda. Hate it and cannot wait to get out. charlotte county is overflowing with MAGAts and our schools are not great. There’s no program for gifted students here, and there are not enough medical/therapeutic providers for anyone with special needs. Hell there’s not even good care for basic needs. Homes are overpriced and shitty and the wages are horrible. People are out here trying to sell 1960s block homes with no garages, 2/2 800 so ft for over $350K. It’s asinine. Traffic is horrendous during snowbird season. The drivers are awful year round but noticeably worse during season. There’s not much shopping around here. A few Walmarts and a half assed target. There’s nothing to do for kids. You have to either go up to Sarasota/tampa or down to fort myers/Cape Coral/naples.
West Palm Beach here and love it. Lots for the kids to do and live in a nice neighborhood around nice people. We both work from home so don’t have to deal with traffic like I did back when I lived in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Love the weather November-Early May - the summer heat almost kills me every year.
Sarasota. It’s absolutely beautiful here but the traffic is getting bad. The city wasn’t meant to hold this many people.
I live near Jacksonville. The LARGEST city in the country by landmass. and relatively few people compared to its size. Yet traffic is awful and getting worse. So many apartments being built everywhere, but not enough new schools or roads to support them. Most new schools open with having to use portables their first year of being open. Portables should be illegal. Build more damn schools or stop building apartments and Nocatee wantabe’s
Let me guess..northern St John’s?
Bingo. But I’ve seen/heard about it happening in Jax/duval as well.
Amen
Born and raised in Sarasota and moved back 5 years ago. Traffic is ridiculous.
Shhhh no it sucks here. No one else come here.
I have photos as a teen on Siesta Key. In some, the beach around us is empty. It’s like an alternate universe.
St Petersburg/Pinellas County 50 years here- Pinellas County has exploded in population- I miss the old Florida feel there used to be .The traffic is a death sport- property taxes , home insurance and auto insurance rates are completely out of control. I hear rent is also incredibly high (got a house years ago) Regardless of this- I do love the Burg and will probably never leave. I love the museums, theatres, beaches, festivals and diversity of this area- Lots of volunteer opportunitys, lots of good health care options- many sports opportunities. I can always find something to do. People who live here are pretty friendly. The only problem in St Pete is the public school- IMO there are only a handlful of very good public schools. Thats a problem all over Florida
I love St Pete. You're dead right about the schools. We have a kid going into kindergarten and we're navigating that shit show now.
Agree with you! It’s a hard place to imagine leaving! We really have it all. I moved here in 2017 from the other side of FL
South Florida Gets annoying at times. Plus it's super expensive now and traffic is 50x worse 💀
Left Plantation in 1996 for Citrus County. Now the traffic here is as bad as it was down there. I do love kayaking the central Florida springs and King’s Bay, and really nothing beats scalloping off the Homosassa River looking at the old nuke plant. Other than the Keys, this is the only part of Florida I want to live in.
That sounds nice.
It used to be- it's still pretty "Nature Coast" , but getting so expensive we can't even afford to leave
I'm native born and raised in South Florida. The traffic and the people coming here a fucking horrible. It is expensive. Our housing costs and taxes are low because we've been owned it since 2002. With that said Deerfield Beach is quiet but has nothing to offer. The SW 10th Street corridor from the Sawgrass to 95 is a nightmare. I drive it twice a day for work. Once construction commences on the connector project, all bets are off on arriving to work on time for the next 8-10 years.
Yo I am out in sunrise now but I miss Deerfield terribly 😭 I lived off tenth and drove my roommate to Lyons and sawgrass for work- horrible then but way worse now- not to mention it’s way more crowded and than it used to be. Still miss it🫶🏼
It's getting more congested in Deerfield.
Another Deerfield resident here. Traffic is a nightmare 😩 It barely gets better when all the snowbirds leave anymore.
Pompano resident here. The stretch of 95 that goes through Deerfield is ALWAYS a traffic nightmare, and the express lanes don't really help because they merge from 2 lanes to 1 which means they get backed up too.
The snowbirds left?? Lol
That’s what they said 20 years ago too that it was going to connect.
Yeah, I grew up in Parkland; it’s boring as FUCK and nothing but rich assholes and cookie-cutter homes now. I remember when there were a lot of farms. Now I live in Davie and it’s the same. exact. shit.
You have alot of weed dispensaries that's something
Traffic always felt bad so I’m used to that, I just don’t like how I can’t afford a house making 3x what my parents do.
That’s really sad, hopefully things will improve.
Chiefland Florida, bet you never heard of it. Absolutely love the forests and wildlife. No hospital. Not many restaurants unless you like fast food fried chicken. Decent internet is only available for the most populated areas, Starlink is great.
Vero beach here, but the less rich side lol I love the beaches and the slower pace of the town, plus the fact that the palm trees are taller than almost all the buildings. Traffic isn't bad out of snow bird season. Price of houses are a little higher than surrounding times.
Love me some Vero Beach! We live only 60 miles away, and drive over once a month. We always have dinner at Ocean Grill. You’re so lucky
Never been there, we go to Casey's alot tho. Great burgers
Hello neighbor! I’m in Sebastian!
Treasure coast here, it was better right after the market crashed and I bought my house. Highest foreclosure rate in the country meant… not a lot of traffic and a sleepy town. Now it’s too busy and a pain to get around on the weekends.
Treasure Coast here too. It's not the quiet sweet little town anymore. We hear sirens all day long now. All the empty lots that where around us are now houses. No more wildlife. It's sad to see the developing.
Soooooo many sirens!!!
I used to live in Port Saint Lucie (born 1995) and it’s like a totally different city! I think I read somewhere the area is in the top 10 cities of HCOL in Florida. Do anything to go back and buy a house.
And here my BIL says that Deerfield Beach is high COL (he's lived in PSL since 2007).
Yep! Too many newspaper articles on how hidden we are!
My friend lives in PA she called to tell me a magazine she picked up showed our hidden town. I was saddened. The article titled was something similar to "hidden towns no one knows about," can't remember the exact wordage
I’ve lived/worked on the treasure coast for over 30yrs it’s never been a sleepy town. There was traffic on the blvd and us1 in 1986.
During the last housing crash it actually was pretty sleepy from like 2010-2014 atleast compared to living in west palm. I moved up in 2010.
I was born in Port Saint Lucie (1986) and it was sad watching it over develop and become over populated. I left in 2010.
In 1986 if another Floridian said Port Saint Lucie, we'd say "Where? That's a weird name for a town. South of Vero? Around Jupiter?" But wow, you all sure took one for the team and almost single handedly captured every transplant resident coming in during the 90s and 00s. Thanks for holding off the hoarde as long as you could. It was a noble effort.
Yeah, we didn't even have a spot on the weather map, lol. I always described it as "50 miles north of west palm".
Broooo chill don’t tell people about us
One of my areas of interest when i pull anchor from south fl.
Treasure coast as well. The traffic SUCKS. Getting out of St Lucie West is a nightmare every day
Born and raised in Brevard. Recently, I worked a year at Long Point Park. The weekend warrior/snowbird/fishermen demographic absolutely disgusted me. Also, the blatant greed vs. incompetentce of the county was mind boggling. My husband (also fl native), makes fun of me because many of my rants end with “it was ALL ORANGE GROVES…” or “when we had FIREFLIES”. Which is an updated version of my dad saying “when the Indian River had enough trout, you could walk on water!”
Hernando County. Avoid at all costs. Rampant drugs everywhere. Literally nothing for teens to do so they drink and party way more than previous generations. County is on the gulf but literally only 1 beach and it's a mud pit. Nothing but chain restaurants that are 1 stars at best. And worse, nothing but a bunch of 1 star people from New York and Ohio that think they're 4 stars but couldn't afford Naples or Sarasota.
I was born and raised in Spring Hill and I always remember it as a small, sleepy town. We were always outside because there was never anything close enough for us to do and our parents weren’t going to drive to Tampa all the time. Now I go back to visit family and I can’t believe the amount of development and population growth there, even though the infrastructure hasn’t been updated past the original plans.
I remember county line rd. When it was dirt
Hernando County from Pasco county I thought it would be better in Hernando boy was i wrong It used to be Newport Roxy and now it’s Springhill fentanyl
I have fond memories of Aripeka.
Aripeka is my favorite part of driving home…
Sounds like Central Florida. Sounds like ALL of Florida. Thank you, Governor Puddin' Fingers.
Dollar Tree Trump
You got Weeki Wachee !! I know that doesn't fix the ramp ant boredom, but it's something.
I live on the river. Yeah it's drop dead gorgeous. It's also flooded with tourists on the weekend. I just put new regulations in place to help slow the degradation of the river which I have watched go downhill for the last 20 years. Now you can't get out of your boat anymore. I live near the end of a road no traffic until I go out on Cortez Boulevard. Housing is pretty much doubled since 2008. There's now a place on the river up for sale for 1.3 million. Big dreams. Still the river is gorgeous, tranquil, and empty on weekdays. I kayak everyday in the summertime. I feel like I live in my own little hot house and it's only a 10-minute drive to get to Home Depot or Publix. There's really nothing culturally doing in Hernando County, but there's a ton down in St Pete in Tampa, so I go to shows a lot down there.
south florida between miami & homestead - i don’t like it anymore - light pollution is killing astronomy, traffic is out of control/rude people and rude drivers/ very poor city planning and management, corrupt politicians, over crowding, politicians allowing development into the agricultural areas between the National Parks and in my area (redlands). i’m making my money and likely leaving to somewhere out west. i don’t enjoy taking the boat out into Biscayne bay anymore too many weekend warriors, i tend to launch from flamingo in the ENP or launch from John Pennekamp SP. Desantis has done nothing but give leeway to allow insurance and utilities premiums to skyrocket. we need to vote for someone who will help the homeowners and not line the pockets of special interests groups.
You're the first person to mention light pollution. We have bright LED street lamps near Broward North hospital to deter crime. It's so bright that we can't use the telescope anymore. I fucking hate it.
I grew up in the Redlands/Homestead and god it is so depressing visiting there now. I refuse to go there unless it’s for a family event I can’t avoid lol. In just the last 8 years alone, it has developed/grown like crazy and doesn’t feel like home to me anymore. I’m in north central Florida now and much happier, but I’d love to get out of this state altogether someday. Best of luck on your journey out!
Key West 20 years and still love it. Crowded in wintertime.
Same
North Florida just south of Tallahassee. I love all the trees and canopy roads, but yet the area borders the coast as well. I also love FSU!
Agreed! We’re in Franklin and it’s still very rural, yet I have the beach right outside my door. There aren’t a lot of stores, but also not a lot of traffic! I’ll deal with minor inconveniences to escape the major ones that come from more populated areas.
Go Noles!
Let’s keep the Forgotten Coast forgotten.
Shhhh….
Tallahassee resident and FSU grad sad that we have hundreds of fewer trees now after 3 tornadoes tore through our south & west sides last Friday. So much damage!
People in the panhandle do seem happier than other places in Florida. Hopefully, urbanization won’t come soon and screw things up like elsewhere.
Orange County. Moved here four years ago and it's one of my least favorite places I've ever lived. Cars, concrete, crowds, and capitalism. Those are the cultural and community hallmarks of this area. For all of thr diverdisity, this place lacks any form of culture or community. To speak positively, there is always something to do and lots and lots of good food. I appreciate the ethnic diversity, especially when it comes to ethnic markets and grocery stores. It's also a good city for the arts - kind of. Hunter S. Thompson summed my thoughts about Florida up pretty beautifully circa 1973: "Florida is a state of transients and New York reitrees." True then and true now. It's hard for a community to exist when nobody is from the area, nobody is looking to stay, and all of the good that once existed was sold to the highest bidder and bulldozed away. Ask yourself where all the orange groves went. Hard pass for this central floridian concrete hellscape.
The capitalism here is insane. I'm in business and education. My dad had a business in Lakeland when I was a kid, as did other family. When I started business courses he asked, "Do you know the saying If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere?". Then followed up with how New York City would be easy compared to Lakeland and described it's politics, economics, and some other factors. As a business professor of 15 years, I can look back to the 80s and my childhood and see for a self employed mechanic, he sure knew what he was talking about.
Ah yes the Cs of dystopia - cars, concrete, crowds and capitalism.
Tallahassee. Moved here from Orlando, and I appreciate the quiet and nature on my side of town.
Tally here also. Other than that storm we caught the other day and the occasional college party goin a little wild. It’s pretty calm in town. Born and raised here.
Tallahassee here too (actually I live in Monticello now) with family off Hwy 20 and outside of Southwood who suffered extensive damage last Friday. It's been amazing to see the communities pulling together to help neighbors. But I gotta say, we are suffering a little PTSD from the tornadoes. They were simply vicious and we had just minutes. It's just amazing more people were not injured or killed. RIP Railroad Square...
Hopefully people stop coming though, development has been ramping up which definitely puts the feel of the city at risk
Orlando. The traffic is awful but I wouldn’t give up the them parks and an hour drive to Daytona beach, Clearwater or the Space Coast. Every weekend is like a mini vacation.
I live in Jacksonville and love it. Born in Florida and have been here since 2000.
Same. I live in that urban core and it’s a great place to live. People that complain need to get out of the burbs and go to the areas that have free events constantly.
St. Augustine area . Love it even though the traffic and driving is horrendous.
Same.
Central. Hells no
I love rural central Florida so long as I don’t spend too much time talking to the neighbors 😂
Which part? Moved to champions gate area a little over a year ago and really like it a lot
Monroe County. It’s been “warm”.
Problem with monroe is youre one storm away from losing it all. If the wind dont get you, the tidal surge will.
Boca Raton, FL. Overall, it’s alright. I’m desperate to move out to Miami or FTL at this point. Boca is perfect if you are looking to settle down and have kids, but if you’re young like me there’s no reason to live here. It’s like living in a retirement community. I’m also biased because Boca is my hometown, so I don’t see it with fresh eyes and have just been here way too long. But I will say it’s super nice and the town center mall is awesome. It’s also close enough to travel to all the downtown areas, which is nice if you want to live away from the action but still have access to it.
Winter Haven. My only complaint other than quiet grumbling is the traffic once we try to go anywhere. It is bad and getting worse all the time. We know the population of Florida is increasing rapidly. Our "governor" brags about it. So what's the plan?
Winter Haven is my hometown. I truly used to love living there. I moved out in 2023 to the Midwest. I just couldn’t handle working long hours and commuting an hour home from Lakeland everyday.
Born and raised in Winter Haven but now live in far East Lake Wales because of my husbands job. Winter Haven is popping with growth. New hotels and apartments are crazy
Winter Haven will always be my home! We are in Sebring now and it’s as equally miserable traffic wise. I can’t get over the growth in just the last few years though, it’s crazy! My grandmother is nervous about the traffic that will be on Cypress Gardens Blvd with all the apartments.
Lake Worth FL It's a small town in Palm Beach County and people like to shit all over it from other areas but I absolutely love it here. I have a 5/3 (we aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination) 2 blocks from the lake and 2 miles from the beach. We are 30 seconds from an i95 exit so it makes driving anywhere so much easier. And I I really love the community here. There an actual small town community. It's mostly working class, salt of the a earth people. Hard working and humble. I love Lake Worth.
LWB is awesome! It ain’t bougie but the sense of community is like living in the 50s! The cast of characters are welcoming, funny, eclectic, and mostly just average Joe or Jane. The neighborhoods have committees and monthly events and annual events. People actually say hello when you pass by. Sure it’s got some issues just like most places but ya just don’t go there unless that’s what you are looking for. Made many a friends, good friends in LWB the past 15 years.
Pensacola. I grew up here and while it will always feel like home, probably one of my least favorite parts of the State. We're about 10 years behind the peninsula in almost every respect. Progress is perpetually stymied in favor of the handful of families that rule the city. No industry, an absolutely inflated housing market. We've had a large influx new residents and frankly, this city was designed as if it was never expected to grow. So, now we're playing catch up with infrastructure and it's a nightmare. I prefer Central Florida.
Born and raised just across the bay in Milton. I used to absolutely love the quaint small town feel. That piece of shit money hungry twat sam parker has run the place into the ground. So many subdivisions built on swamp land If I see one more single wide trailer from the 90:s being rented out for $1,300/month im going to drive through it. Infrastructure is decades behind the exponential population growth and probably always will be because our county leaders are absolute rotten garbage.
My parents moved to Milton when I was 8 months old. I may as well have been born here. I agree with everything here. Our infrastructure wasn’t great a decade ago, and about another two subdivisions and then it’s going to pop. Wrecks every day from folks leaving local businesses on hwy 90. Mom and pop shops are closing in favor of all the big chains. Some of this is just due to the changing of the times, but it’s sad to see nonetheless. I AM happy to see the downtown area being revived. It’s a great place but again, the roads are so overloaded it’s a headache. There are zero public transit options, as the last option for the public closed in 2012. That’s wild to me. I think the biggest issue right now it is the lack of affordable housing. We don’t need anymore single family homes yet they are building everywhere. We have a small handful of decent apartment units in the area, and they are far from affordable. The housing doesn’t match the median household income of around $65k a year. Sorry, but the majority of the people here don’t have the ability to go buy a 300000+ house, yet that’s the vast majority of the market. You can rent a shitty apartment in the shittiest part of town and have some money for groceries, you can rent a shitty single wide with a hole in the floor, or you rent a decent house for twice what it cost 5 years ago and cross your fingers for the rest of your bills. 10 years ago I was never worried about living within my means while working an average job. The fact that I’ve been a homeowner for years and watch my mortgage go up year after year, at a rate much faster than my salary goes up, sucks. It sucks seeing the “transplants” scooping up our resources while the locals have been suffering.
We visited Pensacola last year, and my wife who's never been anywhere in the panhandle that's not beautified beachside asked me 'Has it always been like this?'. Yes. Yes it has. It's great to visit, but unless you're part of the ruling families or the Redneck Riviera crew, it would be tough to live there.
Tampa and getting the heck out of Florida
Grew up in Tampabay, 50+ years now. The place I grew up in doesn't exist anymore. Hotter than ever, over crowded and getting worse, wages suck for most, cost of living is high, roads are packed. Maybe the younger crowd loves it but it's hard to love when you know what you lost.
23 here, I hate it just as much as you. Anyone who wants to act like this place is paradise still is kidding themselves, or just plain stupid.
I left in 2017 for north Houston and I don’t regret it one bit, my mom and sister are constantly telling me how expensive everyday things are, the amount of traffic, thankfully the house in Tampa is paid off, the roads just can’t keep up with the amount of people that moved in such a short time. For the price of a 1500 sqft house in Tampa sitting on 5,000 sqft I got double the house and lot for about the same price
Cocoa beach/satellite beach area- and loving it!
Sshhhh, you still have time to delete this lol
Lol!
I grew up in satellite beach! Such a great town to grow up in.
Near downtown Orlando, lived in FL for 38 years. Have watched the sprawl take over the orange trees, have watched BFE turn into subdivision after subdivision, strip malls and chains, bad planning, infrastructure catch-up, over and over. I try to ignore all that, I don’t have to see it on the day to day. I’m surrounded by cute mid century and older neighborhoods, and local restaurants and businesses for the most part. I try not to leave my bubble much, except tgt the beach, and now that’s Satellite since New Smyrna has gotten so crowded. We plan on moving to Waynesville, NC in next ten years or less, this state has been taken over by literal fascists.
i lived in st pete for two years and absolutely loved it. its a mix of liberal and floridia so i feel like wherever you like politically you can find comfort in st pete. beautiful beaches .. nearby to tampa and sarasota even tho nobody really goes to sarasota from st pete. overall just amazing vibes there.
Gulfport🦎 I concur on the good vibes of the St.Pete area and loving the “keep it weird” and progressive attitudes of St.Pete/Gulfport. The people are so nice, creative, and welcoming. We enjoy the nature, beaches, and the charming downtown, without the Tampa-high levels of congestion and concrete. It ain’t the cheapest place to live in FL, and our house is tiny, but it’s our little oasis.
I live in Seminole county, just north of Orlando, and I love it bc its politically liberal (rare for Florida) and we do a good job of protecting our green spaces. Much better than the surrounding counties anyway.
I spent four years in Sanford and Longwood. Would have stayed there if it was closer to the ocean. We’ve been on nearly two years now and parts of me miss it. The schools are much better there than Charlotte County, that’s for sure.
Polk County. Hate it. Rednecks, red hats, and fucking Grady Judd.
I was born in Pensacola, moved to Jacksonville partway through elementary school, and came down to the Orlando area for school (UCF) and just stayed. I've traveled all over the state for work and vacation, and Orlando/Central Florida still feels a bit unique. There are some nice residential areas (I used to live in Oviedo and Winter Springs), good museums, performing arts, tons of hidden gems, and there are people from all over the world that live here. Also, because it's "central," it makes it easy to travel to other places.
Gainesville, moved up here 5 years ago from Bradenton and don’t regret it!
Bradenton sucks
I second this motion.
I'm walking distance to Sweet Water Preserve. Bike trails are nice too.
I first read that as you were walking distance to Sweet Berries and I thought, “Wow, he really did luck out!” But, no-Gainesville’s parks and trails are such a treasure.
Nobody regrets leaving Bradenton.
Tallahassee. Leaving Florida this year
Tampa and don’t like it. Never really did and glad to be leaving in July
Jax Beach, love it!
Tampa area and hate it !
I live in tampa and, while I hate the weather and COL with a burning passion, I really like the tampa Bay Area as a whole. There’s a lot to do, most of the people are friendly (depending on what part of tampa you’re in), it’s somewhat culturally diverse, overall vibe is good. Honestly though, I’m always a bit down when we get home from vacations where we’ve been somewhere vastly different (NYC, NC, Alaska, New Orleans, and Europe especially) because there are always characteristics or qualities about the places or people that are better than Tampa. Living in tampa is expensive for sure, but just because we live here doesn’t mean we can afford to live just about anywhere else. My husband is finally on board with the idea of moving but because he’d be working remotely, his pay would remain the same sad, pitiful Florida pay rate but with the added bonus of paying state income taxes. Unless he can convince his boss to give him a hefty raise, we’re probably stuck here a while longer.
Not sure what they meant by bad food. Lots of trendy crap has opened but Tampa has a few gems. It’s a fun area.
Tampa. I loved it here the most when I first moved here in 2000. Now it's to crowded. To many homes and apartments going up that noone can afford to live in. Pay is crap. Traffic is crap. Upside the beach and we get alot of concerts here
Moved here in 2018. Traffic has gotten worse. Rents have skyrocketed. My insurance went through the roof And so true about the concerts.
The rent has gotten ridiculous. My last apartment, the rent was raised so much I had to move, that apartment has been sitting empty for 3 years but they still won't lower the rent. I found a decent place and they didn't raise the rent when I re-signed but it's still ridiculous how much the rent is vs. what I'm getting, not as ridiculous as other places I looked but Tampa's rent in general is ridiculous.
Jacksonville, more good.here than bad. Just too many people.
Arlington, Jax for 45 years. It has gotten quite congested each decade. I concur, more good than bad. With the size of our city with the ocean/intracoastal/river we are unique.
I use to really like Jville but I’ve been to Mayo too many times now to where it kind of makes my stomach hurt and I get all nervous when getting there.
Orlando… hate it!! Spent most of my years on the beach in Brevard Co. and that was pretty nice. Moved to ORL for work and it’s a miserable shathole! I was born and raised in FL went to FSU and lived here entire life. I’ve noticed the whole state for the most has just become trashy since the first housing crisis. We have too many people in this state. Couple that with tourism that adds more and it has become a crowded mess with less kindness and care for your locals than ever before. As soon as my kids finish school I’m out! I’d be gone already if it wasn’t for an ex anchoring me to this landfill of trac homes, condos and theme parks.
Orlando definitely has its downsides just like any city but I wouldn’t say it’s a *shithole*. Our small business community here is outstanding. The food is probably the best in the state and although the traffic can be a little much, it’s not too bad in city. There is never a shortage of things to do. The weather is a drag in the summer but makes up for it during fall and winter. At least we aren’t shoveling snow 4-5 months out of the year. I moved to Michigan for a few years and that was rough.
The theme parks used to be okay. Now they're insanely overrun like everything else. You used to be able to go to a Florida theme park, even as global destinations, and stroll around. Sure, the population has doubled, but how does that explain the at least 10x growth in crowding all the time... just like our cities, it's unsustainable development. Now Disney, for instance has 10x the resorts and only 4x the parks. Sounds like the DOT... 100K people move in, pretend only 40k did because it's cheaper.
My husband used to be a Disney employee and loved the parks more than most people. I took him to Dollywood last year. He now thinks Dollywood is much better than Disney because you can actually enjoy the park when you visit. It’s not just fighting crowds all day.
Jacksonville Beach. I used to love it when I moved here in 1996 when it was a kind of dumpy and quiet beach town. But now, almost 30 years later, we have an entire beachfront with high-rise condominiums that all go for $2 million plus. Also during the pandemic, a bunch of well-to-do retiree/boomer age MAGAs moved here and they are insufferable.
MAGAS 🤢 Make America Gross Again
Lakeland my entire life! I wish the red lights had a way of being synchronized but once you get there the fishing is Great! No ice in the forecast! Never go north of Polk city in the winter time! Our orange groves and phosphate pits are homes and golf courses now but would not live anywhere else!
I miss how Lakeland was when I was a kid, just orange groves and cows. *sigh*
Lake County. I hate it here. Grew up here. Jobs don't pay shit, there's nothing at all to do here, and the whole area is devoid of any culture aside from maga. Still can't understand what the hell people see in Mt Dora. Its crap.
Born in Hollywood(near Fort Lauderdale), moved to Clermont(just north and west of Disney) in 2006. Hate south Florida, glad we moved from there. Clermont is ok. The last few years it’s changed a little… built up so much. Housing is through the roof. We got our house right before Covid hit. The weather is ok from November through April. The rest of the time it’s hot as hell. The drives are idiots everywhere. If I could, I’d move to Northern California in a heartbeat. Florida’s government is atrocious as well. I wish we could leave.
Cape Coral since 1979 (I was 6). It’s hot, we’ve had 2 major hurricanes directly hit since I’ve been here, a 2 bedroom apartment is like $2200. I like that even though we are heavily Republican/maga we have an actual gay pride parade and festival for a few years now. We have a lot of new construction of apartments, shops, restaurants about to be done.. unfortunately the infrastructure isn’t in place and the roads get overwhelmed in rush hour and all the time in season. Speaking of which I owned a restaurant here for 17 years it’s very hard to deal with 5 months of insane business in season then do half those sales for 7 months.
Currently in Winter Park. Lived in Casselberry for about 15 years, and St Pete for 3. St Pete was my favorite. Winter Park is ok. We love our house and we’re close to good restaurants, highways, etc. The traffic is a bear though. We’ve considered moving to less populated areas, like Lake or Sumter county, but then we’d lose our proximity to things about this area that we do like. We do have really great food spots in the Orlando area. Whenever we visit friends in other parts of the state we go to their favorite local places, and they’re usually mediocre compared to what we have right around the corner here.
Ft Myers, it’s hell
Accurate.
Matt Gaetz’s district. He’s a tool. Most of the people here are too. They’re largely poor, but love billionaires and defend the super wealthy while they live on government assistance (and bemoan immigrants and people of color who do the same). Living here is like living in a Faux News soundbite.
Same. If Matt used his powers for good, he would be an insanely effective politician. He's decided to gargle Trump's balls instead
That's every county in FL... poor as shit but defending the rich assholes. This state is so fucking backwards.
My father in law is a disabled veteran. He received a disability check/benefits and a VA retirement check/benefits. He also pays zero property taxes as a result. The point is, he benefits greatly from socialist policies. Anyways, this man loudly and proudly is MAGA ultra conservative and has quite literally said rich people shouldn’t have to pay taxes because it’s unfair to them, and that taxes are bad and “tHe GoVeRnMeNt” shouldn’t be allowed to take his money either. Like sir, the government is PAYING you money they got from everyone else’s taxes. Get help.
West palm beach It’s cool but I’m ready for the country life
You should look into property out in the Achrage or Loxahatchee if you want more space but want to stay in WP.
I’d say that was country life..25 years ago. Honestly Lox is suburban hell with a few slash pine that filled back in.
Be careful! I moved from WPB to Polk County about 10 years ago and it's one of the worst mistakes l ever made. Nothing here but red necks and red hats.
I grew up in Coral Springs. I never really liked it and wouldn’t move back. I lived in Palm Beach County for 10 years after college and the northern half of the county is absolutely fantastic. I currently own a second home in Gainesville (I’m working overseas) and also went to college at UF. Gainesville has a much different vibe from South Florida but it’s awesome as well. It’s much easier to not feel trapped in an endless suburb.
Coral springs has torn down and rebuilt most of the town you grew up in anyway lol. That's probably common in most towns and cities but CS especially has been renovating a lot.
Florida native, moved out to Clearwater 12 years ago for work and the Rent here is outrageous. 1800 a month for a 2b1ba. Hate it. Traffic sucks, all my friends are in Lakeland, crackheads on every corner and cops that don't protect the innocent, just like any other place in Florida. Problem is I can afford it. But not much else. Food bill is over 200 a week, plus expenses. I'm in HVAC, the heat is worse every year. Water at the beach is hot. Water from the tap is tainted and water at Wawa is 3 dollars for a small store brand. This place is overflowing with tourism that just stays. New Yorkers move down here to get away from expensive flats but now inflation is pushing out the locals. It's all fun and games until you wake up one day and realize that 55,000 grand a year is only enough to live paycheck to paycheck on. I work 50 plus hours a week. No time for myself. Weekend comes around only to vanish in a blink of a eye. Overworked and under fucked. A small dilapidated house is 200,000 cash and only sold to contractors. Lot rent on a small outdated trailer as well over a thousand bucks. Want to buy some land? an acre will cost you a hundred grand. In a lawsuit right now for an accident I was in 3 years ago telling me that because I'm still working that I didn't get injured and my car accident I got hit in a t-bone other guy was at fault. Getting harder every day to work but the insurance companies don't care about them common Man. Got a DUI last year paying out the ass for fines and fees almost done with it. I got a side of work from time to time and I have money in my pocket just long enough to be pissed away on bills. Can't get a leg up to save my life. Welcome to the dark side of Florida.
Kissimmee in Osceola County, It's been an adventure, to say the least. I like it.
Samesies! We're by The Loop and it can be insane at times but we love it here!
Port Orange. Atlantic Ocean keeps Volusia County a little cooler than inland areas. Convenient to everything I need. New Costco that is the largest in Central Florida. Dislike rising housing prices.
Kendall, FL born in Brooklyn moved down here in 1973 sad to see what has happened to our state in the last 5 years, I blame Desucksondicks
Born and raised in Port Orange (about 10-15 minutes from Daytona Beach). Currently live in New Smyrna Beach on the opposite side of Port Orange… use to be a small quiet beach town but it’s starting to turn crowded and over developed like everywhere else
The sun coast and no. Florida desperately needs to rethink how neighborhoods are created and needs to invest in public rail transportation
St Pete. It’s the only place I’d want to live in Florida. It’s a great city but too many people and way too expensive. I bought a condo as a starter home and literally can’t afford to move now so we’re looking to leave the state.
Stop moving to FL holy shit. Cost of living is insane because everyone moving here from Cali. Renting is isane, Home Owners Insurance is insane, Mortgages are insane, Traffic is insane. I dont understand how everything thinks they can just flood to FL and not expect literally everything to go up. Its been over a 100x increase in everything within the last few years alone.
St Augustine and it’s pretty nice. Way easier to handle heat-wise than my hometown Orlando.
Panama City! We love it here!
I forgot to add on my other post desantis sucks
Born at Lee Memorial in Ft. Myers and I grew up in Tice. When it was nice. 😊 I now live in Port Orange. And have for 30 years. I'm a state licensed irrigation contractor and have a very successful small business in Volusia and Flagler. I love my customers, Our business is well known and liked. And we work year round. We live on the water and bass fish nearly every day. I hate the maga garbage politics of this state. But I'm a native. I love my home state. And my two hometowns. Cause I've only lived in Tice and in Port Orange. I've rarely left the state. I'm a Florida Boy Yes, I am Cut me open I bleed sand I love the sunshine I love the water. I was kissed by Ponce de Leon's Daughter. I'm a Florida boy I'm genuwine. I wear flip flops in the Winnertime. My best friend is the ceilin fan cause a Florida boy I am. Yup A Florida boy I am. R.I.P. Burt Wilson
Married a Ft Myers guy, and he said that was the place to be. He too was born at Lee Memorial
Tarpon springs (north of Clearwater ). I love it but it’s getting beyond me to live here economically
Check out Palm harbor South of tarpon on alt19 rent isn't ass, I pay 1050 for a two bed with a garage 🤫
maimi here, i hate this place.
Just bought a condo on Cocoa beach. I’m finally moving again and it’s been great for my health. I get up and walk 3 miles Oceanside every day.
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, absolutely loved it. But by 2020 it was just getting too crowded/expensive, so my wife and I moved to Jacksonville. Jax is nice, big city (something for everyone) but still a small town feel, only 5hr drive to mountains compared to 13hrs in WP. Only thing is the ocean suckssss compared to Palm Beach…miss it -_-
Don't need more people here .
Grew up in Palm Beach County. Loved it, Everglades and beach 10 mins either direction. Groves, farms and ranches turned into suburban hell. Moved to Tampa for work and I’m not much for city life but it’s fun. Folks here typically more laid back than what South FL has turned into. It’s changing here too. I miss when FL was quiet and cheap.
Tampa native (65 yrs) I don’t have much to add that other folks haven’t said already. The censorship, book banning, and the overall choking restrictions have really made me rethink how much longer I’ll be staying. It will take decades to undo the very very extreme politics. The Villages is particularly hateful, as is most of Florida. It’s just not ok. Lots of good places to visit but jeez, living here is stressful and is wearing me down.if it weren’t for weed being legal (medicinal only) I would have been gone already. We really need it to get through the day.
Jacksonville born and raised. Left for a decade to a “real” city and came back to too many people and not a lot of upgrades from when I left. I have an appreciation and love for it cuz it’s home but no, I don’t like it.
Tampa I love it. I wish it had a metro rail system. And a museum with Bouguereau paintings. Otherwise, it is perfect for me.
Duvaaall. Moved and miss it. Heard a lot has changed
Not that much DUUUVAAALLL
Tampa and no. Too much traffic, it's 400,000 main characters half of whom are conceal carrying. And it costs a fortune to live here with shit pay
Central Florida- Citrus Hills. I love my community inside Citrus Hills. I love the Country Club and all the wonderful amenities. I love the town of Crystal River. I also like Inverness. I love all the amazing places we have to hike and kayak. There are great little Florida towns to explore. I love that we are close to my in-laws. They are requiring a lot of help as they age. I love the weather! (I know…..but I actually do). Love our beautiful beaches. Love our rivers and springs. I love living on the golf course even though I don’t play. It’s so peaceful, most of the time. I really love our wildlife! Love that I can be in either Orlando or Tampa in about an hour. We have made some really good friends here. I love the variety of fresh fruits and veggies available almost year round. My garden is always growing something. That said, I hate Ocala. I hate the methy, trashy parts of Central Florida. I avoid our Walmart like the plague. There are a lot of really sketchy people. I despise the politics and DeSantis. I hate local law enforcement. I hate the cost of insurance, both home and auto. And the drivers suck. We lived in Northeast Florida (St John’s/St Augustine) for six years. We LOVED that part of Florida.
SWFL. Yeah, pretty good. There will be things that you don't like about anywhere you live but overall thigs are pretty chill. Like it significantly better then the Tampa area.
Wellington (Palm Beach). Have lived here 4 years after moving from the Midwest. We love it. Yes, the traffic sucks at times but having lived in SoCal it doesn’t even compare.
Jacksonville. Hate it here. Lol
South FL. Delray Beach. Mixed bag. We have entered summer time. So I am starting to hate it again. Just despise the humidity. I feel like my wife and I don’t do a ton because everything is expensive and south FL is basically - go roast in the sun on the beach or eat out/go drinking. There’s a lack of cheap/free things to do. I’d love to be able to split time between here and CO (I have family here) but both are expensive and while we make good money ($160-$200k) can’t really do both. We could but neither place would be what we want out of a home. Feels like a ton of artists we like skip south FL altogether too. So concerts aren’t something we do a lot of either. So unless you’re a drinker or super wealthy or LOVE the beach no matter what it’s kind of boring. I’m generalizing. I do like it here mostly. It’s frustrating though sometimes Especially since Delray isn’t close to a big city yet costs as much as most major metros.
Pinellas County. Born and raised. Hate it.
I lived in Clearwater, moved to St. Petersburg, then slowly migrated north over a few moves until now I'm in Palm Harbor. Feels like I'm just trying to outrun rising rents, I was old enough to buy a house right as the market exploded so despite having spent >100k in rent the last 4 years, missed out on the chance to elevate with the rest. I love the idea of Florida but lately, I don't see it anymore. It's too expensive, all of my friends have been pushed out of the area, and if I had any confidence in.. well, going anywhere else, I'd probably do it. I even have a fully remote job with others not in Florida, so I bet I could move...
St Pete FL. I love the things to do but sometimes it feels too small. I’m 30 and the heat gets to me sometimes and I’m feeling like the older I get the more I’ll want to get out. I love spring like temps, that’s where I thrive and love being outside. I own a house here though so i feel a bit stuck I couldn’t afford to live here if I was renting and it seems like rent elsewhere is climbing everyday.
North Florida...and HATE it, one day we will move out of state, been here since 71
Stuart. Love it.
I'm in JAX, I want to get out of the state. It used to be nice here, but summers are starting earlier and lasting later, getting far hotter. Politics seem to have driven some people truly insane and the COL of getting ridiculous.
Tampa, or rather Riverview. I absolutely hate living here. The traffic is horrendous to the point where I avoid going out during rush hour. There is literally nothing to do, even if you include Tampa. There's legitimately only so much you can do before there isn't anything new and you get bored of it. I also am a beach hater so that's not helpful either. Granted, I'm here because my parents moved to Florida, and given that I'm in college now, I'm getting out as soon as I graduate.
No. And please don't come here.
Bradenton / Sarasota area is the worst place and state ive ever lived in 40 years. The humidity is out of this world hot it already feels like 110 weather and its only May. People cant drive for shit here and traffic feels like we live in tampa. Snowbirds.. the city is FULL of rich weirdo Canadians, making it more difficult to go shopping or out to do anything. Property tax is out of control as is food prices, gas prices, living expensive. Politics/ political turmoil is literally the worst in the country in florida. It’s a hateful, unaccepting state stuck in the stone ages of ignorance. Alligators.
Punta Gorda. Hate it and cannot wait to get out. charlotte county is overflowing with MAGAts and our schools are not great. There’s no program for gifted students here, and there are not enough medical/therapeutic providers for anyone with special needs. Hell there’s not even good care for basic needs. Homes are overpriced and shitty and the wages are horrible. People are out here trying to sell 1960s block homes with no garages, 2/2 800 so ft for over $350K. It’s asinine. Traffic is horrendous during snowbird season. The drivers are awful year round but noticeably worse during season. There’s not much shopping around here. A few Walmarts and a half assed target. There’s nothing to do for kids. You have to either go up to Sarasota/tampa or down to fort myers/Cape Coral/naples.
West Palm Beach here and love it. Lots for the kids to do and live in a nice neighborhood around nice people. We both work from home so don’t have to deal with traffic like I did back when I lived in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Love the weather November-Early May - the summer heat almost kills me every year.
Jacksonville area. It’s the Deep South. It sucks
Shitsville, I mean Jacksonville, and no, I don't like it one bit.
Jacksonville. No.