Wintersong

I know I'll get crap for this, but in the time it takes to type out a response about visas, people could actually answer the question asked. Or ignore the thread if they don't know the area.

Wouldn't BE be a much more welcoming place if people stopped making assumptions about others and simply treated questions on face value? The OP specifically said they're speaking with a lawyer about visas, so why not let her and her husband worry about that and just proceed to answer the question she has asked? Quite honestly, the responses so far have been really quite rude.

This is a good point. To the OP - I wish I could offer you some advice, but I'm on the other side of the country and have never been to Florida. Maybe if you give more info about the type of area you're looking for and which cities you'd like to be close to, some helpful folks might come along

Catrina

Wow: I came here thinking that some people may be able to offer some advice on their own experiences of the differences in different parts of Florida. However, what I am reading with only a few exceptions is nothing like that at all.

Thanks for trying force the issue to be about Visas, but thats nothing to do with what I am here to ask your opinion on. I don't know why there is a need for snarky & patronising commentary but I guess I shouldn't be so naive to think that people here where looking to be helpful and not flex there intellectual muscle about a subject that is irrelevant to my question.

So lets try and get this back on track one more time. Visa's are not an issue. We do not need Visa advice. Honestly. The advice we seek is about areas....

We are familiar with Florida but would like to know if you guys have any experience of different areas... pros and cons of living there versus somewhere else in the state for a family of 4 as mentioned previously.

We love the water/sea would like to be near it but not a deal breaker to be on the beach or anything; and within maybe 1.5 hours of Orlando. Hope that helps.

I would love to hear your thoughts based on your experiences..

Catrina

Thankyou, I thought I was going mad!!

I have just up loaded a comment with some info of what we are looking for, but are quite open minded. Thanks for your help!!

Bud the Wiser

1. Visas
2.Employment

by passing the above......

next consideration............ school zones.

Pulaski

Unfortunately for you we get a lot or dreamers here, who are dead-set on moving to Florida, and given half a chance will suck up a lot of BE'ers' time with questions only to discover that there actually isn'ta route to a visa for them, so it has all been a waste of time.

It sounds to me like your husband is talking with a lawyer about an E-2 visa, which is commonly refered to round here as the "visa from hell". You have NO permanent rights to live in the US, your children will age-out at 21 and be forced to leave the US unless they can make their own visa arrangements, presumably to return to a country that they barely remember living in, and when you sell the business, or if it fails, or even if the visa renewal is declined (which can happen if your business doesn't grow as planned and/or doesn't employ enough Americans) are forced to leave. This includes when you retire - you cannot retire in the US after owning a business on an E-2 visa.

Shirtback

Although I think the visa question *is* valid, I'm going to ignore it, as you have requested.

That said: Florida is a bit bigger than England. Without a clue or two, what/how would you advise *me* if I asked you "where to live in England"?

ETA: I see you've now added ~1.5 hrs from Orlando. That helps.

Pulaski

So, to location and relocation advice, what sort of school do you want for your children?

The Florida school system has a generally poor reputation, even as compared to other states, though there are some relative gems, so assuming you place any importance on your children's education, if you aren't going to send them to a private school you should focus on finding the best possible school district and look for a home there.

The address where you live pretty much determines the schools your children will attend, and unsurprisingly the best school districts have the most expensive houses. So while lookig for good schools and checking the school district boundaries is very important, as a general rule of thumb you are going to want to live in the area with the most expensive housing you can afford.

OR choose a private school, and then you can live wherever you like.

Catrina

If you ask me what the time is, I would tell you the time. Unlike here, where it seems I would first need to enquire about what kind of clocks you have at home, whether or not you have an understanding of the space time continuum and if you truly value the concept of time.

In all seriousness... if you asked me about places to live in England.. I would start with what I know about where I have lived and experienced and maybe... just maybe a valuable conversation may ensue whereby we all learn a little more about what you are looking for and what I can tell you about.

Catrina

Solid advice. Thank you. Is there a resource to look at for information on good schools?

tom169

What's your monthly budget for housing etc?

Are you able to afford a ghetto or a gated community?

Pulaski

Other than Googling the local school district data, City-data.com has city/suburb/community level data not only for schools but also other things such as crime data - which can be very interesting from the perspective of someone coming from Britain* (as I did 15 years ago). There are also links on realtor.com, the "estate agents'" web site - each house listing usually has a link to school and crime data (you should still verify that information independently as it could easily be wrong).

* You will find that crime data changes dramatically over a very short distance, with the quality of the housing be a very good proxy for crime data. Some areas have frequent shootings, but a mile down the road may be a haven of suburban bliss with a crime profile similar to, or better than most of the UK.

It is unrealistic to want to live even ten miles from any center of drug, vice and gun crimes, because those crimes are present in just about every town and city across the US. The greater Orlando area is no exception, and given that much crime these days is collected around the interstates and major highways, (Orlando has several such interstates, on the routes from Miami to all points north, from Atlanta to Boston) the Orlando area is certainly not short of crime hotspots.

Shirtback

You could start here School Accountability Report, or at any other of the multiple threads on both BE & Google, then ask more specific questions depending on which areas/schools you are interested in.

Wintersong

I have an internet friend, who I met on a "mommy" forum when we were pregnant at the same time, 11 years ago, who lives in Leesburg. She has a great quality of life by all accounts - they have a nice house, she's happy with the kids' schools, they spend plenty of time on the beach and at the lakes (Leesburg seems to be surrounded by water!) and they visit Disney (land? World? I can never keep them straight) quite regularly.

Sorry it's not personal experience, but it's the sum total of my FL knowledge and may be somewhere to start for you

Rete

She has been asked repeatedly about visas and her husband and their attorney are working on it.

She is NOT hear for advice on a visa but rather for information regarding different areas in Florida to live and raise children in. Isn't it at all possible for someone to answer her questions without having to discuss visas?

For the OP, I am slightly familiar with the town of Naples and Ft. Myers. Both are on the Gulf Coast. Personally, I love both those towns. Naples is a bit more expensive to live in then Ft. Myers but gulf coast weather is nice and there are so many lovely islands to visit for the day such as Sanibel and Captiva.

Catrina

That sounds fantastic and definitely somewhere worth visiting, thank you very much