Ridgeback

Hello!

Can you guys tell me the pros & cons (if any) about living in Florida. As I am sure with any country there are places not to go and places that are fantastic, where are the best places to live in Florida??

Also I am looking to bring over my Rhodesian Ridgeback when we move to Florida, are there any dog problems or issues i need to know about? is the US a dog friendly place?

Many thanks
Tony

Guindalf

To save anyone (everyone!) asking, OP is a USC and about to marry his UKC partner (details in the Marriage forum!).

Tony, why Florida? There are 50 states and many of them are a better option, depending on your motives.

Pros: Warm to hot all year round (also a con).
Close to the house of mouse (also a con!).
Close to cruise ports for vacations.
Close to the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean.

Cons:
All of the above!
Lots of tourists and old, retired people.
Very high insurance rates.
A long way from the rest of civilization.
When it's hot, it's extremely humid.
During the summer (when all the snowbirds have gone home), it rains at 5pm every day.

That's a first-thing-in-the-morning quick list. Others will be along soon to add to it.

As for dogs, yes, fairly dog friendly as long as you follow basic guidelines (keep under control, pick up poop, don't let it bark all night, etc.).

Pulaski

I've never thought of the US as especially dog-friendly. There seem to be few opportunities to safely let your dog run off the leash. It is frowned on, or prohibited in most parks, and can be dangerous in state and national parks and other rural areas - my sister bought blaze orange vests for her dogs when she lived in PA.

If my best friend was permanently sewn into a fur jump suit I would not take him to live in Florida, it's just way too hot for a good chunk of the year.

Nutmegger

I agree -- I once thought of moving to Jamaica, and learned that (at that time, anyway) they would not allow people to import dogs. They said that a dog who knew nothing else but the heat and humidity would deal with it, but a dog that had been used to a more temperate clime would have a tough time adapting. I feel that the same holds true for FL.

Moses2013

I think it would be very hard for people to say where the best places in Florida are. Like anywhere, you'll find lowlifes & the exact opposite. Personally I would probably stay away from hurricane prone areas and luckily the main real estate sites would also show you crime rates in the area. As Guindalf mentioned, you have plenty more states to choose from. I suppose most people only pick Florida because of the sun, so maybe European locations like Mallorca, mainland Spain would be a better option.

kins

My bit of the US is pretty dog friendly. I rarely have to put mine on the leash as we're almost always walking in leash-free parks or beaches, and it's very uncrowded. Almost all the state parks here welcome dogs but the beaches vary according to the time of year. Something to check out depending on where you'll live OP.

I will have to buy my pooch an orange vest but then we humans wear them when out walking during certain months too.

We had the opportunity to move to Florida recently but turned it down. The job was in Orlando and I wasn't willing to take my kids out of an excellent education system here and put them in the Orlando system. I also found the city horribly crowded (bear in mind I am in Maine :-)). But there are nicer parts of Florida that I'm sure other people can send you towards.

Ridgeback

Ahh Maine, I lived there for a while as a kid. I remember the lobsters well! and jumping off the jetty and nearly drowning.

Thanks for all your help. I may need to think this over.....the US is a massive country so I might change to a differenet location. Key West Maybe!! :-)

kins

That's my children's favourite hobby too :-)

indigogirl1976

I moved to Florida nearly 5 years ago. I was dreading it at the time but my husband got a job here so we moved as a family. I was very conscious that Florida is the butt of many American jokes and I was really nervous but I have to say I love living here! Having lived in New York and Virginia before I can say that Florida is by far my favorite place I have lived in the states. The pros are it has a VERY low cost of living compared to the other areas I have lived in. I haven't found insurance to be an issue. We have decent home insurance and our car insurance is cheaper here that it has been in other states. The weather is brilliant. You really cannot beat the winters. They are fabulous. The summers are hot and humid but most of the east coast is hot and humid in the summer. The summer just lasts a little longer here. It's doesn't really get done until Halloween. I've found the people to be lovely. There are always plenty of things to see and do and the area I live in (Tampa bay) is fairly dog friendly. The local beach has a dog beach and there are a number of dog parks around. It's very family friendly and we live in a decent school district so I have no complaints there either. Both Tampa and Orlando offer direct flights home to the UK which is great! Florida also has to have some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes in America. It's is breathtakingly gorgeous in parts of Florida. All in all I have been pleasantly surprised by Florida and am happy to sing its praises. The cons....most of the housing stock is really small and old or new and crappily made. I would really love a bigger house but unless you are super rich you ain't getting one. I live on the west coast and we have never had a hurricane event but I know from friends on the east coast they are rather scary. The bugs are horrible! I've never seen cockroaches this size in my life!

Florida is great :-)

Ridgeback

Hi indigogirl,

Thanks for your reply. Good to hear your happy in Florida, Whats the crime rates like in Tampa? Is it a safe place? When I was in Down town Orlando once I think I drove down the wrong street...I was not a pleasant experience, I put my foot on the gas and got the hell out!

Has anyone here got any views on The Keys???

Steve_

Yeah, a lot of the negativity about Florida is more perception than reality. Although it is rapidly sinking beneath the waves.

It may be hot but it is temperate, unlike say, Arizona or Texas (yes I know both States have various climate zones). Florida also has about the lowest State taxes in the US, with two or three possible exceptions (Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming).

However, the employment picture is basically tourism/hospitality or healthcare. That's the real downside. Also various parts of Florida are very crowded. Schools are often (but not always) mediocre.

Steve_

You're basically stuck there, because Federal Highway is the only way in or out and the speed limit is 30mph for large chunks of it.

steveq

Not in the last 5 years I visited, its pretty well 55 most of the way, except in Miami, when it drops to about 5.

sir_eccles

Key West can be a bit odd. Some bits near the cruise ship port are horribly tourist tat. Other bits are very individual free living fun, not quite the Austin TX of Florida but you've got a bit more younger crowd. Heavy drinking on Duval. It isn't necessarily easy living there.

scrubbedexpat091

The humidity in Florida is a killer though. I've in both Phoenix and Miami and Orlando in the 90's, and Phoenix is by far the nicer place to be, even at 110 in a dry heat its really not that bad, better then 90 or 100 in high humidity.

Florida heat sucks.