amideislas

I think maybe the OP was referring to conditions sometime in this century.

scrubbedexpat099

RICH

Pinellas County/ St. Petersburg where I live, has a high point about 40 feet. I live at about 30 feet according to my gps, next to shelter #22 on the attached map.

Storm surge is a bigger issue than rising sea level. Sea levels have risen 3mm per year since 1992 I read (vs 2mm total the previous 40 odd years).

Pinellas

Mozzo

The cost to insure property in Florida can be insane, I've heard of $1000 a month just for insurance (never mind the cost of buying a property and the taxes).

I no longer have relatives there but made visits over the years. But can't see any motivation to go back, aside perhaps to visit the amusement parks with youngsters.

OK, winters are nice, but there are several months of summer with high sun that drives everyone indoors for most of the day. Thinking about an evening outdoor activity instead? It better be something flexible because the tropical thunderstorms build up out of nowhere in the late afternoon.

Then there are all the bugs you get to wash off your car if you drive outside of town.

And let's not talk about the Burmese Pythons.

Michael

Rate of Arctic summer sea ice loss is 50% higher than predicted | Environment | The Guardian

LondonSquirrel

We've got friends in Boca Raton which is really nice, but I admit I've no idea about economic activity there.

I just showed my DH the USA map if sea levels rose and Florida disappeared. He exclaimed 'But where will all the gators go!'

Michael

Into what is left of Georgia?

Moses2013

Don't want to move there now and in my mid 30's, so also far from retirement, but was always a place I liked visiting years ago (Was never in Port St. Lucie though). Just a general question if people can actually make a living there at the moment. It seems that every Brit I know talks positive about it because of the weather and cheap real estate + they are retired, but most Americans I spoke to are saying places like Port St. Lucie have nothing to offer and it's full of crack heads. They say that there are some jobs, but pay is so low that you can't afford anything and in general Florida is declining. As mentioned here, rising sea levels might be a reason for investors to avoid Florida. The thing is that if crime is rising and only low paid jobs are available, it will also become less attractive for tourism.

scrubbedexpat099

I am sure there are plenty of people who make good money in Florida. May not be the norm.

Hotscot

Generally, some do, and some don't.
Like everywhere.

What type of work did you say?
You can check job boards to see the level of demand for your skills.

Michael

Moses2013

So is that Kansas?

Michael

It's a relocation from Florida to Kansas.

Moses2013

Good one

indigogirl1976

I moved to clearwater, Florida 4 years ago to escape the recession and our lack of jobs in Northern Ireland. My husband got a decent paying job $50,000pa which allowed me to stay at home with my newborn baby. We now have a second child and I have been able to stay home and not work for over 4 years now. The things that struck me about this area (which is 30 minutes from at Pete) is the quality of life is very high. There are gorgeous parks and beaches. Great restaurants and bars. The people are really nice and there is a good sense of community. Like any other city there are areas I wouldn't go but overall I've never come into contact with anyone unsavory lol. I think this is a great place to live and raise a family and am very happy we ended up here as we applied for jobs all over the states. From day one I have always been amazed by how the recession really didn't seem to hit this area so hard. Jobs seem easy to come by. The shops are always busy and selling lots of stuff but I guess Clearwater Beach is a popular tourist spot and this keeps the economy somewhat buoyant.

We were able to buy a house in a really nice neighborhood for $140,000. Our property taxes and home insurance are quite low and affordable. I think you have to look out not to buy a home in a flood zone or the mortgage company will insist you purchase flood and hurricane insurance which puts your monthly payment up.

I think florida does have a future and I am happy to be part of it :-)