Calling all former Floridians...

[Anonymous]

Sorry but I couldn't get past the "You love the weather....???!!"

I was there in Orlando in March and the heat + humidity were SO OPPRESSIVE.

I felt like it was a second form of hell.

Signed ~
A Weather Wimp in SoCal

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have heard the public schools in Florida are not good anywhere. Period. And, most people with money put their kids in parochial or private schools. My family lives full time in the DC Metro area but we own a home in Boca Raton. I would never move down there with grade school children. I have kids in middle school now. At least in the DC area you have a wide variety of school options but not in Florida. Plus, people down there are stupid (culturally, socially, politically...) at least in South Florida. OP, you should think long and hard about it.

You must have missed the part where I said I lived in florida for 7 years and love it.

But, you have kids now which is a critical component. You weren't concerned about schools when you were loving it.

I was mostly responding to the bolded. No one can be so stupid to think that there are literally no excellent public schools in the entire state of florida, so that I didn't even think to respond to that part of the PP's comment.

NP. I grew up in Florida. Don't do this to your kids. You understand great school ratings don't work across state lines? And though UF is not a bad school, it is the only viable in state option and decent university for like 600 miles.

Culturally there is a reason why Florida is the butt of many jokes. And summers are unbearable unless you live on the beach. No one will be walking in your cute downtown area for 5 months of the year because of the blistering heat. And it is the south with a bunch of lower income folks who moved down from up north to live large.


If you must do this, Gainesville is cute college town but kind of grungy, St Augustine is decent option, bayside in Tampa, parts of New Tampa are where all my friends with professional jobs ended up (but suburban sprawl). Maybe Celebration, but snooty. Winter Park I think is ok but less familiar with Orlando. Space coast might be nice but has been in decline since NASA outsourced everything to SpaceX and Russians.

You will not find cats and dogs and teachers and doctors living together; teachers make $30k, it just doesn't happen unless teacher marries a doctor. Gated communities are EVERYWHERE.

OP, people are just stupid. This poster has no idea what she is talking about. My daughter is a teacher in St Johns. Starting salary several years ago was 46,000 a year. That's just one small example of the nonsense on the board. There are several great colleges in Florida. Smart, high performing kids in Florida go to college at almost no cost. UF and FSU are good as are University of North Florida, University of Central Florida, Miami, ....... Plenty of good in-state options. We have lived in every region of this country (including several years in Hawaii) and in three overseas countries. We can't WAIT to move back to Florida.

Huh, so DCUM is not a great forum for asking about where to live in Florida? Who would have thunk it?

I'm PP being called stupid. My parents were teachers, I knew many growing up, and have many friends who stayed in FL and now teach (because honestly, in MUCH of the state, the jobs are tourism, healthcare, or schools and that's it). I am guessing my numbers are a bit stale, but sure $46k could be inflation adjusted, but it's still far far below what a doctor would be making, and with low property taxes and no state income taxes, it just doesn't have much money to pay state employees like teachers. I don't know why all these PPs who vacationed in Florida are poo-pooing the folks who actually grew up there? I mean there is bias; DCUM posters will invariably be the folks who LEFT Florida if they grew up there, b/c otherwise why would they be on DCUM? It's a nice place for spring break vacations, but as a place to live its quite... different... than most metropolitan cities on the coasts.

I'm the PP you are responding to. I'm not calling you stupid. I'm irritated that the DC -- that's DC -- Urban Moms board has turned into a forum about life and schools in Florida.

[Anonymous]

Oh wait, looks like it was a different PP who called you stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Floridians:
What's the vibe on Destin, Rosemary Beach, Miramar beach, Seacrest?

To die for, but not sure of the schools.
Prettiest part of Florida!

If you like the Gulf Coast, Gulf Breeze has excellent schools, and Pensacola has an ecoonomy outside of tourism. The others are truly resort communities. They may have ok schools, but the year-round population is relatively small.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have heard the public schools in Florida are not good anywhere. Period. And, most people with money put their kids in parochial or private schools. My family lives full time in the DC Metro area but we own a home in Boca Raton. I would never move down there with grade school children. I have kids in middle school now. At least in the DC area you have a wide variety of school options but not in Florida. Plus, people down there are stupid (culturally, socially, politically...) at least in South Florida. OP, you should think long and hard about it.

You must have missed the part where I said I lived in florida for 7 years and love it.

But, you have kids now which is a critical component. You weren't concerned about schools when you were loving it.

I was mostly responding to the bolded. No one can be so stupid to think that there are literally no excellent public schools in the entire state of florida, so that I didn't even think to respond to that part of the PP's comment.

NP. I grew up in Florida. Don't do this to your kids. You understand great school ratings don't work across state lines? And though UF is not a bad school, it is the only viable in state option and decent university for like 600 miles.

Culturally there is a reason why Florida is the butt of many jokes. And summers are unbearable unless you live on the beach. No one will be walking in your cute downtown area for 5 months of the year because of the blistering heat. And it is the south with a bunch of lower income folks who moved down from up north to live large.


If you must do this, Gainesville is cute college town but kind of grungy, St Augustine is decent option, bayside in Tampa, parts of New Tampa are where all my friends with professional jobs ended up (but suburban sprawl). Maybe Celebration, but snooty. Winter Park I think is ok but less familiar with Orlando. Space coast might be nice but has been in decline since NASA outsourced everything to SpaceX and Russians.

You will not find cats and dogs and teachers and doctors living together; teachers make $30k, it just doesn't happen unless teacher marries a doctor. Gated communities are EVERYWHERE.

OP, people are just stupid. This poster has no idea what she is talking about. My daughter is a teacher in St Johns. Starting salary several years ago was 46,000 a year. That's just one small example of the nonsense on the board. There are several great colleges in Florida. Smart, high performing kids in Florida go to college at almost no cost. UF and FSU are good as are University of North Florida, University of Central Florida, Miami, ....... Plenty of good in-state options. We have lived in every region of this country (including several years in Hawaii) and in three overseas countries. We can't WAIT to move back to Florida.

Stop the presses. $46k! That is mad money.

Yeah, but when you have, say, two married teachers in their mid 30s who are now each making $56k (I'd guess that's a reasonable amount of raises for working for 10-15 years), and they aren't paying 8% income tax (like i do in DC), it seems pretty viable to buy a $350k house in a nice, new part of town on that salary. Lots of nice neighborhoods in Floirda with good schools where you can get something for $350k. So yeah, those kinds of salaries can afford to buy in nice neighborhoods in Florida.

My mom was a teacher in Florida. You don't get those kind of raises. She retired 5 years ago and made peak $60k by doing a lot of overtime/homeschooling. Every teacher in FL has to have a side hussle to cover summer of no pay. Or marry a doctor. Teachers are not valued in FL nearly as much as in MoCo or the like, though I guess in truth maybe the housing cost/salary ratio still works out in FL. But they aren't living next to doctors, which was the original point. Doctors by and large live in the gated communities that litter the state.

Okay, so even assuming crappy raises, the two teachers could possibly buy a $300k house a few blocks down from a $550k house where the early-career doctor working at the UF hospital with a sahm lives. I had a lot of doctor friends in their thirties in florida who were living in that house price point. They aren't all plastic surgeons! And same with lawyers down there. There are probably only 10 kids a year in florida that get hired out of law school at the big law $160/180k starting salary. Most lawyers are lucky to get offered a starting salary of $80k in the major cities; less in the smaller towns. So certainly lawyers are living along side teachers. Maybe not the same street, but in the same communities and sending their kids to the same schools. But in DC, the teachers aren't even living in the same county as lawyers (unless they married rich). Florida salaries are much more closely gathered around the mean.

Oh, I didn't see where in OP said she wanted to live next to lawyers.

I agree any lawyer in FL is not big law; I won't use the pejorative that is thrown around DCUM to describe it.

I'm just saying as someone who grew up in FL, I wish my parents had stayed in the NE, it was awful and I hope OP really things hard about what she is doing. It's fine for vacation or to party in your twenties. Why not look at someplace in Colorado or Seattle? Is it the beach? North Carolina or Jersey are doable options.

So you are saying that if OP likes the beach and easy life in Florida, she should consider Jersey as a viable option? Seriously?

Have you been to the small beach towns on jersey shore, like Cape May, etc? She will be near a beach and this area is truly the garden state, and have much better educational opportunities for her kids.

I have relatives who just moved from Jersey to Florida. They just traded their crappy (as in, badly constructed in the 60's) three bedroom (one bedroom was basically a closet) for a beautiful new five bedroom house with a pool in a good (gasp!) Schools district. Not only do they not pay outrageous New Jersey income and property taxes, they report that groceries are half what they were in Jersey. Personally, I'm not a fan of Florida weather, but the fact that you're pushing Jersey as an alternative to people who could live anywhere completely discredits you.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have heard the public schools in Florida are not good anywhere. Period. And, most people with money put their kids in parochial or private schools. My family lives full time in the DC Metro area but we own a home in Boca Raton. I would never move down there with grade school children. I have kids in middle school now. At least in the DC area you have a wide variety of school options but not in Florida. Plus, people down there are stupid (culturally, socially, politically...) at least in South Florida. OP, you should think long and hard about it.

You must have missed the part where I said I lived in florida for 7 years and love it.

But, you have kids now which is a critical component. You weren't concerned about schools when you were loving it.

I was mostly responding to the bolded. No one can be so stupid to think that there are literally no excellent public schools in the entire state of florida, so that I didn't even think to respond to that part of the PP's comment.

NP. I grew up in Florida. Don't do this to your kids. You understand great school ratings don't work across state lines? And though UF is not a bad school, it is the only viable in state option and decent university for like 600 miles.

Culturally there is a reason why Florida is the butt of many jokes. And summers are unbearable unless you live on the beach. No one will be walking in your cute downtown area for 5 months of the year because of the blistering heat. And it is the south with a bunch of lower income folks who moved down from up north to live large.


If you must do this, Gainesville is cute college town but kind of grungy, St Augustine is decent option, bayside in Tampa, parts of New Tampa are where all my friends with professional jobs ended up (but suburban sprawl). Maybe Celebration, but snooty. Winter Park I think is ok but less familiar with Orlando. Space coast might be nice but has been in decline since NASA outsourced everything to SpaceX and Russians.

You will not find cats and dogs and teachers and doctors living together; teachers make $30k, it just doesn't happen unless teacher marries a doctor. Gated communities are EVERYWHERE.

OP, people are just stupid. This poster has no idea what she is talking about. My daughter is a teacher in St Johns. Starting salary several years ago was 46,000 a year. That's just one small example of the nonsense on the board. There are several great colleges in Florida. Smart, high performing kids in Florida go to college at almost no cost. UF and FSU are good as are University of North Florida, University of Central Florida, Miami, ....... Plenty of good in-state options. We have lived in every region of this country (including several years in Hawaii) and in three overseas countries. We can't WAIT to move back to Florida.

Stop the presses. $46k! That is mad money.

Yeah, but when you have, say, two married teachers in their mid 30s who are now each making $56k (I'd guess that's a reasonable amount of raises for working for 10-15 years), and they aren't paying 8% income tax (like i do in DC), it seems pretty viable to buy a $350k house in a nice, new part of town on that salary. Lots of nice neighborhoods in Floirda with good schools where you can get something for $350k. So yeah, those kinds of salaries can afford to buy in nice neighborhoods in Florida.

My mom was a teacher in Florida. You don't get those kind of raises. She retired 5 years ago and made peak $60k by doing a lot of overtime/homeschooling. Every teacher in FL has to have a side hussle to cover summer of no pay. Or marry a doctor. Teachers are not valued in FL nearly as much as in MoCo or the like, though I guess in truth maybe the housing cost/salary ratio still works out in FL. But they aren't living next to doctors, which was the original point. Doctors by and large live in the gated communities that litter the state.

Okay, so even assuming crappy raises, the two teachers could possibly buy a $300k house a few blocks down from a $550k house where the early-career doctor working at the UF hospital with a sahm lives. I had a lot of doctor friends in their thirties in florida who were living in that house price point. They aren't all plastic surgeons! And same with lawyers down there. There are probably only 10 kids a year in florida that get hired out of law school at the big law $160/180k starting salary. Most lawyers are lucky to get offered a starting salary of $80k in the major cities; less in the smaller towns. So certainly lawyers are living along side teachers. Maybe not the same street, but in the same communities and sending their kids to the same schools. But in DC, the teachers aren't even living in the same county as lawyers (unless they married rich). Florida salaries are much more closely gathered around the mean.

Oh, I didn't see where in OP said she wanted to live next to lawyers.

I agree any lawyer in FL is not big law; I won't use the pejorative that is thrown around DCUM to describe it.

I'm just saying as someone who grew up in FL, I wish my parents had stayed in the NE, it was awful and I hope OP really things hard about what she is doing. It's fine for vacation or to party in your twenties. Why not look at someplace in Colorado or Seattle? Is it the beach? North Carolina or Jersey are doable options.

So you are saying that if OP likes the beach and easy life in Florida, she should consider Jersey as a viable option? Seriously?

Have you been to the small beach towns on jersey shore, like Cape May, etc? She will be near a beach and this area is truly the garden state, and have much better educational opportunities for her kids.

I have relatives who just moved from Jersey to Florida. They just traded their crappy (as in, badly constructed in the 60's) three bedroom (one bedroom was basically a closet) for a beautiful new five bedroom house with a pool in a good (gasp!) Schools district. Not only do they not pay outrageous New Jersey income and property taxes, they report that groceries are half what they were in Jersey. Personally, I'm not a fan of Florida weather, but the fact that you're pushing Jersey as an alternative to people who could live anywhere completely discredits you.

Oh, and, yes, I've been to Cape May. Cute houses, but the beach is crap. Have you ever been to the Gulf Coast of Florida?

[Anonymous]

Florida? People (who are not 80) decide to move there? On purpose? <shudder>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida? People (who are not 80) decide to move there? On purpose? <shudder>

Nobody thinks you're cute, PP.

[Anonymous]

Jupiter is good for families.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read this entire post but I do know Sarasota pretty well. It has TERRIBLE traffic in the winter. I was surprised at how bad the traffic is. Also, you really won't get much in Sarasota for 400-600k near the cute downtown area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Floridians:
What's the vibe on Destin, Rosemary Beach, Miramar beach, Seacrest?

To die for, but not sure of the schools.
Prettiest part of Florida!

If you like the Gulf Coast, Gulf Breeze has excellent schools, and Pensacola has an ecoonomy outside of tourism. The others are truly resort communities. They may have ok schools, but the year-round population is relatively small.

Good to know!

[Anonymous]

I also grew up in Florida. I managed to get in application magnet school IB program while my siblings went to the "good" public schools in Boca Raton. I agree with the other Florida native above. Florida is terrible for kids. The schools are generally laughably bad, even the "good" ones. The old people really run the show, which means underfunding schools, parks, any family related things. There are extremely limited dining choices (Chains, fast food, Florida seafood restaurants, Cuban, and Italian food). There are very few cultural activities to do. The only good university is University of Florida, which admittedly is excellent (and very hard to get in). Every other college is third tier at best, and I'm including University of Miami on that list (seven year medical program excluded).

All of my friends who had any ambition at all left Florida eventually. I enjoy visiting in winter, but trust me that real floridians never go to the beach. Everyone hangs out at their own pool and spends most of their time complaining.

From what you've posted on here it seems that you will like the Boca Raton, Delray area. I would not wish that on anyone, but your combative nature and limited income seem to be a good fit. Gainesville is nice, but full of students and rednecks. Think lots of loud parties all the time, especially on football weekends. Also think of stars and bars and sweltering, unbearable summers.

Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

^^^
Wrong! New College of Florida is a great school. Went there for hardly any money after graduating from an IB high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^
Wrong! New College of Florida is a great school. Went there for hardly any money after graduating from an IB high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also grew up in Florida. I managed to get in application magnet school IB program while my siblings went to the "good" public schools in Boca Raton. I agree with the other Florida native above. Florida is terrible for kids. The schools are generally laughably bad, even the "good" ones. The old people really run the show, which means underfunding schools, parks, any family related things. There are extremely limited dining choices (Chains, fast food, Florida seafood restaurants, Cuban, and Italian food). There are very few cultural activities to do. The only good university is University of Florida, which admittedly is excellent (and very hard to get in). Every other college is third tier at best, and I'm including University of Miami on that list (seven year medical program excluded).

All of my friends who had any ambition at all left Florida eventually. I enjoy visiting in winter, but trust me that real floridians never go to the beach. Everyone hangs out at their own pool and spends most of their time complaining.

From what you've posted on here it seems that you will like the Boca Raton, Delray area. I would not wish that on anyone, but your combative nature and limited income seem to be a good fit. Gainesville is nice, but full of students and rednecks. Think lots of loud parties all the time, especially on football weekends. Also think of stars and bars and sweltering, unbearable summers.

Best of luck.

Former Floridian. I second (third?) this sentiment. I also grew up in the Parkland/Boca area. Beyond the fact that it is a cultural desert, there are a lot of incredibly snobby, superficial idiots. Be prepared for your kids to expect a BMW for their 16th birthday. I got a brand new jeep grand cherokee and was sort of mortified. I went to private school in Boca and was one of the only girls who didn't get a nose or boob job for their hs graduation gift. Terrible. If I had a gun to my head I would consider raising my children in South Florida or Sarasota but absolutely nowhere else in the state. If you aren't in a higher income area then you're going to be surrounded by redneck hicks.