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[quote=Anonymous]I read these threads on dcum and just cannot understand how my experience in Florida is so different from what I read here.  I didn't hate living in DC or NoVA, but I certainly don't want to ever move back.  We love living in Florida.  We lived in St Johns (near Jax) for six years.  Our schools were outstanding.  My kids that graduated from high school in Florida went to college free thanks to Bright Futures.  Our schools were every bit as strong as the schools the kids attended in Fairfax.  We still own a home in NoVA but it will likely always be an investment property.

We live about an hour from Tampa and are in the city often.  It's a great city!   Lots of great restaurants, shopping, entertainment, .... And the Tampa airport is so easy to get in and out of.   We love Busch Gardens in Tampa and the Aquarium is fun as well.

Here's the thing - To live in Florida, you need a sense of humor.   Yes.  It's true.  Crazy things happen here.  If you are from Florida, you learn to embrace the crazy.  It's much better than the traffic, crime, COL, and humorless life in DC.

The good stuff - 
🐊We are outdoors all the time.  Of course it's hot during the summer.  It's hot in the DC swamp during the summer.  The difference is, I have an enclosed pool on my lanai.  I can be at the beach in less than 20 minutes.  We live near several beautiful springs (Three Sisters is my favorite). We swim, kayak, float, scuba dive/snorkel, stand up paddle board, sail, ....  There is always something to do.  There are hundreds of beautiful national parks all over the state.  
🐊We live in a huge community on the golf course.  During the summer, we try to get out on the golf course early in the morning before it gets too hot.  I can drive my golf cart just about anywhere I need to go.  People are very friendly for the most part.  Crime in my community is almost non-existent.  
🐊 It's an easy, laid back place to live.  No traffic in my area.  Almost zero crime.  People aren't rushing around all the time.  Life is just so much easier here.  
🐊 Florida Publix.  There is nothing else to say.  If you know, you know.

The not-so-great stuff - 
🐊You have to learn to ignore the Trumpsters and the rednecks.  It's really not hard to do.  They are a minor annoyance.  
🐊The schools in some parts of Florida aren't great.  You'll need to be careful if you are moving here with kids.  Tampa does have some great schools.  
🐊It's hot for a long time.  Unlike DC where it starts to cool off in September/October, central Florida is HOT until January.  We were still swimming in our pool without turning on the heat until mid-January.  It cools off in January and February.  It starts to get hot again in March. If you don't like warm weather, you will be miserable.  
🐊Some people have a hard time getting used to the wildlife.  There are gators, venomous snakes, wild boar, panthers, black bears, coyotes, bobcats, sharks .... all kinds of things that want to kill you.   Once you live here for a while, you learn to understand how to live with the animals.  We have several gators in the pond behind our house (golf course water hazard).  They typically run back into the water if you approach them.  They are really only dangerous if you are in the water with them or if you get between a mama and her nest.  They don't chase people around on land.  You learn to expect any body of fresh water (expect the cold springs) to have a gator in it.
🐊Housing prices are really high right now.  We bought our home years ago.  We could not afford this house at today's prices.

Again, I read these threads about Florida and wonder where in the world these people visited or lived.  I feel like I live in paradise most days.  Last night my husband and I played pickleball and then went to the Tikki Bar for drinks.  We were there for hours.  Great friends, great music, great drinks.  And we got there in our golf cart.  The only complaint I have is that it's getting crowded.  So many yankees moving down here from NY, NJ, and DC.

Tampa is a great city, OP.  Come on down![/quote]

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