I regret moving to Florida

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Sarasota since 2020 and absolutely love it. I do not find any of these anecdotal comments to be true for me. I cannot even imagine why anyone would prefer living in central Florida vs the gulf coast. I left during Ian for a few days because it was supposedly heading right for us. When I came back I found out the power never even when out in my community. There was some tree damage and landscaping debris to clean up. It was nothing especially compared to Ft. Myers 100 miles south.

Like the OP I came from NoVa and I do not miss that scene at all. It's a nice place to visit, that's all. The people I've met here are great, my life here is great, there is a lot of traffic during snowbird season but it's a lot better than DC area traffic. Traffic in central Florida, especially I-4, is pretty much awful all year round.

Hello Sarasota poster. We are moving there for my husbands job this summer from the east coast of Florida. He’ll be working in long boat. We have a rising 9th grader and rising 8th grader. I’ve been put several times - spent some time on the coastal side and in Lakewood ranch. What insight might you have. Traffic is busy but seems less so than our Miami/Lauderdale traffic. Budget is relatively healthy so we can swing a lot of places. Any other insight you have is appreciated!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in central FL and lived in Sarasota for awhile before moving to NOVA. Sarasota’s actually the only place in Florida I would ever consider moving back to, especially now that I have kids. I loved the Ringling, plays at the Asolo and Venice Thestre, Simon’s Coffeehouse on Saturday mornings. Traffic is pretty bad, so that was good preparation for moving here. The schools in Sarasota County are (were) decent, although we left in 2012 and my teacher friends there tell me we got out at a good time.

I wouldn’t raise my kids in Polk/Orange/Osceola counties for anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in central FL and lived in Sarasota for awhile before moving to NOVA. Sarasota’s actually the only place in Florida I would ever consider moving back to, especially now that I have kids. I loved the Ringling, plays at the Asolo and Venice Thestre, Simon’s Coffeehouse on Saturday mornings. Traffic is pretty bad, so that was good preparation for moving here. The schools in Sarasota County are (were) decent, although we left in 2012 and my teacher friends there tell me we got out at a good time.

I wouldn’t raise my kids in Polk/Orange/Osceola counties for anything.

I recently went to a musical at the Asolo with my son who was visiting, we both loved it and he said it was a Broadway caliber production and he ought to know because he goes to NY several times a year mainly to go to as many Broadway shows as he and his GF can fit into a few days. I also have been to shows at Florida Studio Theater and it also was great. The arts opportunities here are amazing and there are more great options in St. Pete 46 minutes away.

Yes traffic is tough and I have heard the same thing you heard about the schools. It's a real shame because Sarasota County schools have historically been among the best. I think there's a chance that if we get a decent governor after DeSantis' reign of terror is over the schools might improve. Don't know if you are following the Ziegler scandal but that is the kind of thing we are dealing with here now. Regardless I still love it and wouldn't live anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Sarasota since 2020 and absolutely love it. I do not find any of these anecdotal comments to be true for me. I cannot even imagine why anyone would prefer living in central Florida vs the gulf coast. I left during Ian for a few days because it was supposedly heading right for us. When I came back I found out the power never even when out in my community. There was some tree damage and landscaping debris to clean up. It was nothing especially compared to Ft. Myers 100 miles south.

Like the OP I came from NoVa and I do not miss that scene at all. It's a nice place to visit, that's all. The people I've met here are great, my life here is great, there is a lot of traffic during snowbird season but it's a lot better than DC area traffic. Traffic in central Florida, especially I-4, is pretty much awful all year round.

Hello Sarasota poster. We are moving there for my husbands job this summer from the east coast of Florida. He’ll be working in long boat. We have a rising 9th grader and rising 8th grader. I’ve been put several times - spent some time on the coastal side and in Lakewood ranch. What insight might you have. Traffic is busy but seems less so than our Miami/Lauderdale traffic. Budget is relatively healthy so we can swing a lot of places. Any other insight you have is appreciated!

I think you will love Sarasota. There is some sketchy business going on with the schools so investigate carefully. The best public HS are Pine View, Riverview and Suncoast Polytech, check those out, plus there are some good privates.

Traffic getting on and off Longboat Key is a mess since they built a traffic circle at the city side base of the Ringling Bridge so be prepared for that in addition to in-season crazy traffic. You won't experience that when you first move here in the summer but you will eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Sarasota since 2020 and absolutely love it. I do not find any of these anecdotal comments to be true for me. I cannot even imagine why anyone would prefer living in central Florida vs the gulf coast. I left during Ian for a few days because it was supposedly heading right for us. When I came back I found out the power never even when out in my community. There was some tree damage and landscaping debris to clean up. It was nothing especially compared to Ft. Myers 100 miles south.

Like the OP I came from NoVa and I do not miss that scene at all. It's a nice place to visit, that's all. The people I've met here are great, my life here is great, there is a lot of traffic during snowbird season but it's a lot better than DC area traffic. Traffic in central Florida, especially I-4, is pretty much awful all year round.

Hurricane Ian just missed you by 100 miles. Next year, there will be another hurricane. I wouldn't be so smug that it didn't affect you.

When I lived in Sarasota, I loved driving to Ft. Myers. I loved going to Englewood to Manasota Keys.

Traffic on I4 isn't horrendous except around WDW. I never drove when I lived in the DMV so I didn't spend that much time in traffic there by comparison. I'm sure it's worse in the DMV. That's not the point. When people from the DMV and NYC and Philly move to Florida, they bring they're driving and honking habits with them.

Sarasota used to be a place where mostly Midwesterners lived. It's changed in the last few years.

I'm not being smug, I'm being grateful. Also, people on DCUM seem to think hurricanes smash into every community in FL yearly while that is obviously not the case. I lived on the east coast of FL for 6 years and now the SW coast for 3 and the worst hurricane I have ever experienced myself was when I lived in NoVa, a tree fell on my house and the streets were flooded.
Sarasota has not suffered a direct hit from a hurricane in 63 years and has never even experienced sustained hurricane force winds according to The Weather Channel.

I go between Sarasota and Orlando regularly and traffic on I4 is horrendous most of the time, sometimes near Lakeland, sometimes near downtown Orlando, always near the parks, unless you drive late at night which I often do.

In my Sarasota community there are people from many areas of the country including the midwest but also north east and and other parts of the country. I find most people I meet here are delightful whether they are transplants, locals or snowbirds.

Yeah the I4 is horrible - I don't know who, who's ever spent any time in Florida, would say otherwise with a straight face

Also totally agree with your hurricane observations

[Anonymous]

Florida is awful. Worse than CA, which is not saying much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida is awful. Worse than CA, which is not saying much.

I can think of roughly 40 states that are FAR worse than either FL or California, so we're really arguing about where Florida lands in the top 10.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in central FL and don’t love going back to visit. The urban planning down there is just awful. Everything is random cul de sacs and disconnected shopping centers and just poorly thought out roads, which is odd for such a car centric area. For even short trips, jumping on I-4 is more direct than local streets, which is so odd to me. I hate interstate driving in general and I’ve found the people I know who still live down there don’t seem to think driving after a few drinks is that big of a deal. I get the appeal of living in areas near the water, but central Florida is a paved over swamp with poor design. I would never move back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Sarasota since 2020 and absolutely love it. I do not find any of these anecdotal comments to be true for me. I cannot even imagine why anyone would prefer living in central Florida vs the gulf coast. I left during Ian for a few days because it was supposedly heading right for us. When I came back I found out the power never even when out in my community. There was some tree damage and landscaping debris to clean up. It was nothing especially compared to Ft. Myers 100 miles south.

Like the OP I came from NoVa and I do not miss that scene at all. It's a nice place to visit, that's all. The people I've met here are great, my life here is great, there is a lot of traffic during snowbird season but it's a lot better than DC area traffic. Traffic in central Florida, especially I-4, is pretty much awful all year round.

Hello Sarasota poster. We are moving there for my husbands job this summer from the east coast of Florida. He’ll be working in long boat. We have a rising 9th grader and rising 8th grader. I’ve been put several times - spent some time on the coastal side and in Lakewood ranch. What insight might you have. Traffic is busy but seems less so than our Miami/Lauderdale traffic. Budget is relatively healthy so we can swing a lot of places. Any other insight you have is appreciated!

I think you will love Sarasota. There is some sketchy business going on with the schools so investigate carefully. The best public HS are Pine View, Riverview and Suncoast Polytech, check those out, plus there are some good privates.

Traffic getting on and off Longboat Key is a mess since they built a traffic circle at the city side base of the Ringling Bridge so be prepared for that in addition to in-season crazy traffic. You won't experience that when you first move here in the summer but you will eventually.

My husband is already there and has experienced long boat getting busier not that it’s season, which is the concern for living out in lwr.

We’ve decided on ODA for the youngest and feel good about it. I’m on the fence about Mooney for my oldest as it seems like a sports school with sub par academics. Am I wrong?

Magnets would he tough for the oldest as he is average.
Leaning towards SHS Aice as we like that zone better and it’s more humanities focused than riverview. I like riverview too, and applied for lottery though not expecting much. He would not get into the magnet for 9th due to the math requirement.

Any thoughts on SHS aice? I know it’s not ranked like riverview, but is it decent or unruly?

Lakewood ranch high school? This school worries me. Unnecessary worry?

Someone help me here. I’m a teacher and can read between the lines, but need the stuff that the realtors won’t say!

Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Sarasota since 2020 and absolutely love it. I do not find any of these anecdotal comments to be true for me. I cannot even imagine why anyone would prefer living in central Florida vs the gulf coast. I left during Ian for a few days because it was supposedly heading right for us. When I came back I found out the power never even when out in my community. There was some tree damage and landscaping debris to clean up. It was nothing especially compared to Ft. Myers 100 miles south.

Like the OP I came from NoVa and I do not miss that scene at all. It's a nice place to visit, that's all. The people I've met here are great, my life here is great, there is a lot of traffic during snowbird season but it's a lot better than DC area traffic. Traffic in central Florida, especially I-4, is pretty much awful all year round.

Hello Sarasota poster. We are moving there for my husbands job this summer from the east coast of Florida. He’ll be working in long boat. We have a rising 9th grader and rising 8th grader. I’ve been put several times - spent some time on the coastal side and in Lakewood ranch. What insight might you have. Traffic is busy but seems less so than our Miami/Lauderdale traffic. Budget is relatively healthy so we can swing a lot of places. Any other insight you have is appreciated!

I think you will love Sarasota. There is some sketchy business going on with the schools so investigate carefully. The best public HS are Pine View, Riverview and Suncoast Polytech, check those out, plus there are some good privates.

Traffic getting on and off Longboat Key is a mess since they built a traffic circle at the city side base of the Ringling Bridge so be prepared for that in addition to in-season crazy traffic. You won't experience that when you first move here in the summer but you will eventually.

My husband is already there and has experienced long boat getting busier not that it’s season, which is the concern for living out in lwr.

We’ve decided on ODA for the youngest and feel good about it. I’m on the fence about Mooney for my oldest as it seems like a sports school with sub par academics. Am I wrong?

Magnets would he tough for the oldest as he is average.
Leaning towards SHS Aice as we like that zone better and it’s more humanities focused than riverview. I like riverview too, and applied for lottery though not expecting much. He would not get into the magnet for 9th due to the math requirement.

Any thoughts on SHS aice? I know it’s not ranked like riverview, but is it decent or unruly?

Lakewood ranch high school? This school worries me. Unnecessary worry?

Someone help me here. I’m a teacher and can read between the lines, but need the stuff that the realtors won’t say!

Thanks all!

ODA is a great choice as you already know, I think Mooney is good too but do not have direct experience with it or SHS. I personally don't like Lakewood ranch and don't know anything about the high school. If I were picking where to live I would prefer near downtown as opposed to east of I75 but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

Born and raised Floridian (Bradenton/Sarasota) my favorite time to come home is in the hottest part of the summer. I really miss the old Florida of pastures and dirt roads. Mostly all has been ruined by people moving there and new developments. I can’t understand people who move to Florida and leave their family and hometowns behind. I am biased because it’s my hometown, but if I wasn’t from there, I wouldn't understand the appeal.

[Anonymous]

I am similar to you OP - live in Orlando, 55, work from home, six figures, etc. and I love it. I don't the traffic or the growth, but I only deal with that on the weekends since I don't commute. I don't see the class divide that you seem to experience. I will say, though, if we hadn't bought our house six years ago I'm not sure we could afford to now. It's gotten out of hand. But before the massive housing price increase, we had just refinanced. So we're in good shape. It would be hard to move here now.

[Anonymous]

I have a good friend who loved to vacation in Florida and he and his partner bought a house built to their specifications in Sarasota. The plan was to retire there. In just a couple of years they sold their house and moved to Charlotte North Carolina. Apparently there was a lot of homophobia that they never really noticed when they were just vacationing there. But when they lived there full-time made them uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You summed it up very well in your OP. Florida is all about appearances, the house, the car, the looks. The dichotomy of the wealthy and their servants (which include well paid servants like doctors and lawyers). People moving from DC to Florida shouldn’t delude themselves that anyone will care about their degrees, pedigree, cultured-ness, creativity or kindness. Relationship are transactional.

We moved to St Pete from DC and this has not been my experience at all. Maybe we just got lucky, where we picked to live.

Mine either. I'm in Tampa Bay also, northern part. I'm not familiar with the mar-a-lago type areas so can't speak to that part. Florida is a big, diverse state!

I actually live within biking distance of a Temple, and a Mosque, and my own church. I'm neither wealthy or a servant (???).

Traffic is a thing though! I have a relative who lives in central FL and works for Disney and their commute is brutal. But I never again have to drive in ice and snow, so there's that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a good friend who loved to vacation in Florida and he and his partner bought a house built to their specifications in Sarasota. The plan was to retire there. In just a couple of years they sold their house and moved to Charlotte North Carolina. Apparently there was a lot of homophobia that they never really noticed when they were just vacationing there. But when they lived there full-time made them uncomfortable.

I definitely have not seen that in Sarasota. Not saying it doesn't exist but the 55+ community I live in has about five gay couples that I know of plus other single gay people and there is literally zero homophobia going on, in fact some of them are the most beloved members of our community which has nothing to do with whether they are gay or not, it's just an example of how they are not being judged by their sexuality but by who they are.