Relocating to Florida with elementary aged kids

[Anonymous]

Florida is a big state, OP. Where are you hoping to be? Northern, southern, central, on the coast or not?

There are plenty of good and plenty of bad public school districts. Is that your only consideration? Or are you also looking at other variables? For instance I would NOT want to be on the coast. I love the beach but the hurricane threat is too scary for me to want to buy property anywhere on the coast. However, I also wouldn’t want to be in Orlando area. I’ve just never liked the culture of that area due to all the tourists and theme parks. I do like Gainesville and you can find good public schools there (buchholz high school is very good and there’s another public, east side, that has an excellent IB program) but it’s a small city with a small airport (not sure if that matters to you). You can find good schools farther north around Jacksonville but I cannot stand the Jacksonville metro area. It just feels very uninspired, soulless.

[Anonymous]

Op here. The only part of Florida I am very familiar with is Lee County: Fort Myers Cape Coral Pine Island Naples etc. My mother lived there for years and so has extended family. I love the weather and beach but can't really imagine living there full time.

I am open to Tampa Area, Jacksonville, Central Florida/Orlando etc. Not interested in South Florida Miami and also priced out of it. I love St Pete but assumed I was priced out. I have family in Pensacola but have never been there and not sure about it. I have heard good and bad about the Panhandle.

Thank you all so much for the specifics about Orlando and Jacksonville. Florida is a huge state and any insight helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. The only part of Florida I am very familiar with is Lee County: Fort Myers Cape Coral Pine Island Naples etc. My mother lived there for years and so has extended family. I love the weather and beach but can't really imagine living there full time.

I am open to Tampa Area, Jacksonville, Central Florida/Orlando etc. Not interested in South Florida Miami and also priced out of it. I love St Pete but assumed I was priced out. I have family in Pensacola but have never been there and not sure about it. I have heard good and bad about the Panhandle.

Thank you all so much for the specifics about Orlando and Jacksonville. Florida is a huge state and any insight helps.

I’m from Florida and am very familiar with a few of the cities mentioned above. I think the nicer parts of Tampa with good schools are out of your budget (at least until/unless the housing market crashes there). I’d stick to St. John’s/Jacksonville and maybe Seminole County (suburban county of Orlando with generally good schools).

[Anonymous]

My in-laws, including my SIL and her family, are in Seminole which is the middle/highest point on the peninsula that is Pinellas County. They don’t need flood insurance, have good schools (for Florida) and you can get a 3-BR in the $400Ks.

[Anonymous]

Maybe Wesley Chapel if you don’t mind exurban. Also second the rec for Gainesville zoned for Buchholz.

[Anonymous]

Duval county Jacksonville, aiming to attend this magnet:
https://www.niche.com/k12/stanton-college-preparatory-jacksonville-fl/

[Anonymous]

Another rec for Gainesville. Just realize that you'll have DC summer weather from April to October. And no sea breeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Florida too, but have lived in the DMV for a long while. I am tempted to move back every winter. The areas I would look at are near Orlando, Winter Park and Maitland.

This looks nice to me

https://www.redfin.com/FL/Winter-Park/811-Douglas-Ave-32789/home/46713727

I agree that Winter Park is a great area, but that house??
My eyes... my eyes! 😱

That house needs SO MUCH WORK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Florida too, but have lived in the DMV for a long while. I am tempted to move back every winter. The areas I would look at are near Orlando, Winter Park and Maitland.

This looks nice to me

https://www.redfin.com/FL/Winter-Park/811-Douglas-Ave-32789/home/46713727

This is a scary house with people who had no taste!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not try a message board or Facebook group in a place like, oh, Florida?

I posted here because the input would be from a perspective of people who have atleast lived in the DMV at some point in their lives vs a Florida board filled with lifelong Floridians. Looking for a different perspective. For example, if you are from here you would compare FL schools differently and could comment that public is going to work there. If I posted on saw FL board the perspective woul be different.

I know I have read several posts on DCUM from people that have relocated or suggested Florida as a place to relocate to.

OP I lived there.

This is 1000% the wrong time to be moving there with kids.

In public school the teachers are leaving in droves they are scared of DeSantis. It is not going well in schools. Banning of books is crazy not to mention teachers are being fired for the most absurd things. Racist and Nazism are growing and in the public schools getting worse by the day.

Here goes.
Weston east coast
West Boca east coast

Clearwater on the West coast

Stay away from Naples, Fort Meyers, Lakewood Ranch, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale. Delray, Miami


Private schools suck in Florida do not pay for them please. American Heritage would be your best bet that is on the east coast.

Public schools change districts like crazy there. Also, DeSantis is going to privatize schools. That means you will need cash in the budget for better schools that might be far from your home.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Florida too, but have lived in the DMV for a long while. I am tempted to move back every winter. The areas I would look at are near Orlando, Winter Park and Maitland.

This looks nice to me

https://www.redfin.com/FL/Winter-Park/811-Douglas-Ave-32789/home/46713727

I agree that Winter Park is a great area, but that house??
My eyes... my eyes! 😱

That house needs SO MUCH WORK.

DP here, this is a gentrifying area, west of Park Ave and the railroad tracks. It was historically a LC/LMC AA neighborhood, but that's shifting. It's walkable to Park Ave (which is a really nice area with shops and restaurants - think Georgetown, DC in the 1990's), Hannibal Square (a gentrified area with shops and restaurants (think 14th Street circa 2005), and Winter Park Village (a very nice sort of town center type area). The homes in this area are typically smaller and need work, but it's a way to afford walkability and excellent schools for much less $$$ than areas to the east of Park Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not try a message board or Facebook group in a place like, oh, Florida?

I posted here because the input would be from a perspective of people who have atleast lived in the DMV at some point in their lives vs a Florida board filled with lifelong Floridians. Looking for a different perspective. For example, if you are from here you would compare FL schools differently and could comment that public is going to work there. If I posted on saw FL board the perspective woul be different.

I know I have read several posts on DCUM from people that have relocated or suggested Florida as a place to relocate to.

OP I lived there.

This is 1000% the wrong time to be moving there with kids.

In public school the teachers are leaving in droves they are scared of DeSantis. It is not going well in schools. Banning of books is crazy not to mention teachers are being fired for the most absurd things. Racist and Nazism are growing and in the public schools getting worse by the day.

Here goes.
Weston east coast
West Boca east coast

Clearwater on the West coast

Stay away from Naples, Fort Meyers, Lakewood Ranch, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale. Delray, Miami


Private schools suck in Florida do not pay for them please. American Heritage would be your best bet that is on the east coast.

Public schools change districts like crazy there. Also, DeSantis is going to privatize schools. That means you will need cash in the budget for better schools that might be far from your home.

Good luck.

This entire post is very far removed from my reality living in FL now. It reads more like politicized fear mongering.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the situation with public schools is going down hill. And I say this as a FL defender. The right-wing takeover of the once esteemed Sarasota County Schools is more evidence of that. And before someone says, “But Desantis kept the schools open”, (1) No school anywhere has been remote in more than a year and (2) The test result declines were greater in FL than in CA, despite the latter having remote learning longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am remote but have to be in Florida. So literally anywhere is game. Budget is 500k if using public school if I have to go private budget would be less. I am hoping there are some areas that have good public schools but I have no clue. Mixed race family if that matters

I'm from Florida. I'm used to Florida bashing (and I get it!) but it was an amazing childhood. Obviously a state of 21 million people will have some variety. Check out Winter Park. VERY wealthy area (but you could get something cute for $500k), great schools, great town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not try a message board or Facebook group in a place like, oh, Florida?

I posted here because the input would be from a perspective of people who have atleast lived in the DMV at some point in their lives vs a Florida board filled with lifelong Floridians. Looking for a different perspective. For example, if you are from here you would compare FL schools differently and could comment that public is going to work there. If I posted on saw FL board the perspective woul be different.

I know I have read several posts on DCUM from people that have relocated or suggested Florida as a place to relocate to.

OP I lived there.

This is 1000% the wrong time to be moving there with kids.

In public school the teachers are leaving in droves they are scared of DeSantis. It is not going well in schools. Banning of books is crazy not to mention teachers are being fired for the most absurd things. Racist and Nazism are growing and in the public schools getting worse by the day.

Here goes.
Weston east coast
West Boca east coast

Clearwater on the West coast

Stay away from Naples, Fort Meyers, Lakewood Ranch, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale. Delray, Miami


Private schools suck in Florida do not pay for them please. American Heritage would be your best bet that is on the east coast.

Public schools change districts like crazy there. Also, DeSantis is going to privatize schools. That means you will need cash in the budget for better schools that might be far from your home.

Good luck.

This entire post is very far removed from my reality living in FL now. It reads more like politicized fear mongering.

Agree. I despise DeSantis. But this is nothing like our experience living in Florida. My kids went to outstanding public schools in St Johns. And college was free.