#4 Have you heard of the alligators? What about the bears?
The alligators may not be a surprise since the Everglades are a popular tourist attraction, and people do know that many of these big reptiles live in Florida. However, did you know there are over one million wild ones that live there? Since they love freshwater habitats and they are more widespread than some people would think, they sometimes leave their natural habitats. You will find them in your local rivers, lakes, and other wild bodies of water, but you can also find them in your backyard!
Yes, people have had the “pleasant” surprise of finding a gator in their swimming pools and retention ponds! If you are moving next to their habitats, you may just have these surprise visits happen more often than not! While they do make for interesting photographs, you will quickly grow tired of it (not to mention how dangerous it can become).
And yes, bears have become an issue recently as well. This is because developers keep pushing the line and making more and more subdivisions as the population keeps growing. As a result, they end up doing construction work over the land that was once for wildlife, and that is how you get hungry bears scavenging for food in your trashcans!
Be careful out there! The wildlife in Florida is no joke and it can get quite scary (yes, even more than tax season)!
59 Responses
Well try living in Olympia WA
RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN
COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD
I feel this article is an exaggeration of the facts.
I have lived in 3 other states, all with their own issues and have been in FL for 20 years. Traffic is bad in the big cities. However there are still a lot of rural areas. Traffic in our area has increased dramatically since we moved here but so has all the amenities, shopping, restaurants, entertainment. It comes with the territory.
Weather, personally I’d rather have heat and humidity than shovel snow. In the summer you go from air conditioned car, to house to business. The sun shines most of the time and I spend my summer days at the beach or pool. All areas of the country have their own unique weather issues
Wild life? I love the wildlife. We do have a pond behind our house and I love watching the gators. We have had otters, deer, wild boar, coyotes and bobcats. I do not like the snakes. You respect them, they will not harm you.
As far as roaches , yes they are bigger here. But I do my own spraying and have never had a roach issue in the 20 years of living here. Fire ants aren’t fun but you can control them too. I’ve had more ant issues ( sugar ants) than anything. And we had ants in PA and IN too.
So all and all as a northern transplant I will take FL any day.
One thing you didn’t mention was insurance rates. Car and homeowners ins is very high. To me that’s the downside but worth it living in paradise.
Sounds like a lot of concessions people deal with living in Fla. ie: HEAT, alligators, bugs, poisonous snakes, roaches, HURRICANES. Watching your pets to make sure your pets don’t get eaten by gators coyotes or bobcats. Doesn’t sound like Paradise to me at all. Sounds like TOO much STRESS. My friend had to live in the parking lot of her condo for four days and nights when a hurricane hit. No electricity. Couldn’t use the elevators. She was leaving her car going to the bathroom several times a day, washing herself in the condo main floor bathroom and returning to sleep in her car. Plus being a senior was worried about robbery. She said it was HORRIBLE….. ALL motels, hotels were full. Traffic? I was in Ft. Lauderdale and the people driving did not use turn signals and cut you right off. I also saw so many tarps on the road early in the morning and wondered WHY until one lady I stopped her and asked her why am I seeing all these tarps. She said, Someone is DEAD from an accident. They put the tarp over the body so it doesn’t decay from the sun and people don’t have to see a dead body. That ruined my day and made me very sad and upset. I must have seen six tarps before 9 am that morning. Too many negatives than positives living in Fla.
I have a brother, his daughter and son and now their kids that live just south of Daytona Beach. I visited in 2001 for 3 1/2 months, and a few weeks in 2003. Everyone wanted me to move there, including a lady friend. I actually contemplated it for a while. But I had moved to Colorado in 1990, and still call it home.
The Governor would be my reason not to move to Flordia
Good we don’t like woke people like you anyway. Stay in your inner cities with high crime rates.
He’s the BEST AND PLEASE STAY wherever you live PLEASE , WE DEFINITELY DO NOT want you to move here THANK YOU
EXACTLY Charlie – That is why I am leaving Florida ! Also they didn’t mention the increasing taxes and astronomical INSURANCE costs !! My Home owner’s insurance has quadrupled in the last 2 years. This governor doesn’t bring that up while he is concentrating on running for Republican candidate for president – God forbid …
For me, the weather is the top reason to have NOTHING TO DO WITH FLORIDA. Bugs, I feel, are next. There’s a whole list of other issues, but those are the top two.
I spent a fair part of my childhood in Florida, moved to Colorado and finally to California, where I have spent my entire adult life. I spent a year in Massachusetts in the Air Force, and a year in the jungle of Thailand, which is much like Florida, weatherwise. Why they call FLA the “sunshine state” is beyond me. Outside of perhaps Thailand, I’ve never seen so much rain.
I absolutely would not, could not, live in the state of Florida. California is truly the sunshine state, although the sunshine is OCCASIONALLY broken by a weather event . . . which, admittedly, can be a problem from time to time.
On my list of states to live in, Florida definitely ranks worse than Massachusetts, Colorado or California. In fact, I would rank Florida about 45th.
Some of the reasons mentioned in the article are beyond human control (i.e. Hot weather and humidity, alligator, Hurricane, etc.)
I used to live in South FL in my younger days. Upon graduating from university in 1983 decided to leave the state in search of professional jobs in my field of studies. From what I remember it was often those retirees who were causing traffic conjestions trying to get to early bird dinner right during afternoon rush hour. 🤣
You forgot to mention the political climate. Florida has become an authoritarian state. No political party should dictate the rules and laws. There is no division between church and state. Look how quickly the state is dictating how Disney should be operated.
The arrogance and power grabbing politicians will continue to create laws that will make the KKK and their beliefs to be the natural landscape. I am a white male in my sixties and this is not acceptable.
Yes the Normal people in Florida and happy your not their neighbor–stay put Mark—-You would think by your sixties you would catch on to the normal American ways !!–Hope this was helpful?
I agree with you completely!
You got that alllllll right.
Read about fascist and how it starts. Florida is there now. Trans hatred, book banning, scapegoating, attacking bloggers. Anti semitism burgeoning. Rainbow Ron De Fascist is running roughshof.
YES! This right here! The reason why I won’t consider relocating to or visiting Florida.
So you think we should erase history defund police ,and throw God out the door and have drag queen parties for our children and kids should have the rights to change their sex well most of us in Florida don’t agree with you and what are you doing here if you don’t like it move to California .
Amen Mark! I grew up in Florida, but have been in Texas since ’77. I would move back to Florida in a heartbeat! Both of my sisters have moved back, but I’m married with kids & grandkids, so we just visit as often as possible, & I pray one day maybe it’ll happen. . I’m from the New Smyrna Beach/ Daytona Beach area. Yes, a lot of changes have taken place over the years, but it will always be home to me, even thought I’ve been in Texas (Houston area) longer than I was in Florida.
I am glad I live in California. Never really wanted to live in Florida.
well, some of us would rather not be exposed to deviants
You bet it is and the majority of us like it just the way it is, hence the landslide reelection of our Govenor. No one forces anyone to live here and unless it changed last Nite this is still a FREE country and if Disney would stick to entertainment and not politics than everything would be fine. KKK my ass – you are historically ignorant if you think any of this resembles the KKK
agreed!
I forgot to mention that as well. I feel the same way. I can’t believe the government here, it is almost becoming a dictatorship.
I couldn’t disagree with you more that Florida is an authoritarian state. I lived in California from 1997 – 2018. I retired there and moved back to Hawaii, where I was born and raised. About authoritarian state…try California! My son and family moved to Florida two years ago and my wife and I have visited them a few times and enjoy our stay there. The weather in Florida is hot and humid, but like Hawaii, still pleasant and bearable. Yes, there is traffic, but Hawaii has major traffic too…It is all relative. Floridians have to deal with hurricanes on both the gulf and Atlantic coasts, but it is a trade off. Would you rather deal with snow, freezing weather or hot humid weather? I prefer the heat to the cold any day. What has not been discussed is the homeless problems. You would not believe the problem with homeless people in places like Oakland, SF and Sacramento and in Honolulu too. When we visit Ft. Meyers, Florida, we don’t notice the problem there. Of course, I cannot speak of other places in Florida, but I do not believe it is anyway near the homeless problems that exist in California and Hawaii. As for the gators, snakes and insects, i.e., roaches, ants and mosquitoes, the netted back pool and lanai areas helps to minimize the insect nuisance, we have to understand that we are invading the natural habitats of the gators and snakes and we need to be mindful and protective of their needs. My concern is the problem of the python snakes invading the everglades and killing off the native wildlife, including the gator population.
I appreciate your comment and you are 100% correct!!
I totally agree with you!!
Not sure who you are.
Disney stuck their political mite where it should have remained impartial… once it did the governor said “We could eliminate the special benefits you receive for being impartial” Disney said “F- the people of FL we dont agree with parental rights”. So the legislature said OKAY…we dont believe in special benefits for political hacks”
Many in Fl actually think it is better if Parents have rights, than school boards allowed to dictate (Note:that was authoritarian).
Many feel it is rightif they are allowed to protect their family… If you dont value my possessions more than your life…no worries on either side.
He’s the BEST AND PLEASE STAY wherever you live PLEASE , WE DEFINITELY DO NOT want you to move here THANK YOU
Please stay where you’re at we wouldn’t want to upset you the way we act and the way you live sounds like two different worlds. You’re much better off where you’re at Have a Great Life
Live in Florida and am trying to move out for my retirement. I have been here 37 years but it is now a totally different place. I love Ft. Lauderdale where I live but is now too crowded and too expensive. I do not care for other areas in Florida that are more rural and cheaper as you had better be right wing or they will make your life miserable. I live in an ordinary home-nothing special and hazard insurance was eight thousand dollars last year and am told to expect forty to fifty per cent increase this year. That is absurd and people need to be warned about this before they move here. My family now is in the north and are not coming back to Florida so perfect opportunity to get out
all these things are true and getting worse i lived in sanibel. naples and orlando for 20 yrs. The roaches (palimetto bugs they call them are huge, heat and lighting storms from may to october are dailky around 2pm everyday. do not buy a covertible. My suggestion go down in dec to mid april and get the hell north. Also those months traffic can be horrific and move close to the coast if affordable for you the prices are sky high now anywhere near mid to southern florida coasts. more than doubled in the last 10 years good luck, move elsewhere
Florida What is so terrible about the heat? Everything is Air conditioned or relax by the pool. Cheaper to live here and you don’t slip and fall on the ice! . I am 94 lived here for 33 years. My husband passed away in November 2019 at age 92.. Health insurance much better and saves us a lot of $$$. There are pros and cons where ever you choose to retire. If you do move anywhere make sure its a gated community and be sure to buy home owners insurance have had many leaks from apartment above or better yet buy a 4th floor in an elevator building. Dinner, dancing, shows movies! Who’s complaining? Oh yes hurricane season that is sometimes pretty scary! But you learn soon enough how to prepare and pray it never happens!
try it if you are unhappy you can always go back just save your winter clothes!!!!
I’ve lived in Florida for 40 years and there is some truth to what you say. Traffic is a real problem and we have the worst drivers in the country here. They recently added two more lanes to I-95…by making the old lanes narrower, so you feel like you are inches away from the lunatic next to you. The palmetto bugs are pretty disgusting, but harmless. There are lots of tornados, but they are small ones and don’t do a lot of damage like the big ones in the Midwest. And yes, the tourists clog the roads and restaurants during the winter. It gets hot and humid during the summer, but I play golf year around and don’t have any trouble with it. Not everyone likes Florida, but for those who do it is a deliverance from the cold, and gloom of the Northeast where I came from. I would never go back.
Friends of ours go to South Carolina in the summer, because they can’t stand the heat in Fl. So, what’s the use of living in FL if you have to escape in the summer.
Florida Sunshine is beautiful and weather is just great everyday and we miss the tropical weather
just like HAWAII and we love Cruising and being doing it for 20 years. We both are retired and always
dreaming to move here and finally did it and so many places to go just to drive and enjoy the beautiful
beaches,restaurant,just wonderful to be here. We have chosen HOMESTEAD after we have seen other
places in a gated community.We are fortunate with the home that we wanted and convenient close to almost everything. We finally did it and we are enjoying every minute of it.Goodbye California.
I live in Florida for 40 years do us all a favor and go some place else.
The glory days of Florida are now gone. Overdeveloped, outrageous traffic that doubles Dec-April. Crowed beaches, no parking, scary politics. Super expensive homeowners Insurance, over priced real-estate, with high taxes. The old saying” FLorida is great if you are waterfront or adjacent the rest is a mosquito infested shit hole! Cant touch anything waterfront for less than 3 million $. I spent 15 years there as a snow bird (3 months ea. year) when it came time to retire I figured I can do better as the thought of living there year round made me cringe. And the wild life and insects are formidable. Pythons, Alligators will snatch a small child or pet right out of your yard! Expect to flee Hurricanes each year. POWER OUTAGES ARE COMMON. Can take weeks to restore services afterwards. ( this especially true for internet) All that for no state income tax and warm winters. You will want to keep a home somewhere else much further north to escape all that heat/ storms. Great for a visit but wouldnt want to live there !
Heat in Florida is no worse than a typical hot, humid summer in New Orleans. Last year, on the first day of autumn, temperature was 96 degrees.
New Orleans has massive mutant cockroaches that fly, so nothing Florida has can top these.
Be there in 4 years or less.
Unfortunately, no one likes very expensive cost of living in corruption filled New York State anymore. People and their families moved out of the NYC and 5 borrows to Long Island for lower taxes for over 60 years now, along with newer bigger homes, more property, less traffic, fresh air, clean water, lower property taxes, countryside settings, safer roads, opportunities galore, better schools for their families to say a few but again unfortunately most of that is completely gone.
The politicians now and in the past have ruined everything that us decent law abiding good hard working Americans had here and made this now God Forsaken Place into a hell hole.
Everything we moved here is gone for good……..
I speak to everyone and the feelings are mutual.
Plus these last non businesses politicians that running our country are only adding to destroying the rest of USA, everything our military fought for over the decades single handedly….Going away, gone.
Unbelievable and terrible how the greatest country in the world, “The United States of America” is being controlled by a bunch of self interest unintelligent politicians these days…..
By the way NYC has rats the size of full grown cats, there are snakes here, cockroaches , plenty more and very terrible weather here too. This state has the worst depressing gray skies too many times..
To the ones that disagree take care and take a hard look around, soon the rest of our family will be getting the heck out of here and not going to every look back.
Short Version, very short.
Our beloved country has tripped into some kind of bizzaro world I’m not transphobic but if I feel the need to attend a drag event i can get in my car and go but i don’t feel the need for them to take their precious time and go to our grade schools and have a heart to heart about the lifestyle and how Great it is to our children
We’ll be moving there soon! Have been visiting Fl every year for several years now from Puerto Rico where taxes went from 0 to 11.5% on everything you buy- even for delivery. We also have hurricane season but, try going 7 months without power! Try waiting 18 years for running water 2 days on, 2 days off! Try waiting 25 years for full water service and 30 years for a street post light. Everywhere there’s an invisible traffic rope causing backups. Gawkers stop to see everything. They’re now in Fl. Waiting 5.6 years now since hurricane Maria for roof repair. Temp is 74 daily-90s. Only dif is we’re surrounded by trees for breeze. Will take Fl any time where there’s gov. accountability. None in PR. Even “sales” items are limited in big box stores to 3-10 for 70k in a township! Only issue are gators and bears. At least no more pickups with 8’ tall blaring speakers for every event even in rural areas-backed by the police! See ya soon!
What this article says is completely true and it failed to mention the lack of professionalism that exists in terms of mechanics in general, I’m not saying everything, but there is a lot of problem with mechanics.
I can absolutely vouch for these 6 reasons to NOT move to Fla. I lived there for @60 years, both in North & South Florida, & finally moved to a cooler climate. The
main reason for my move was the incessant heat & humidity. As I got older it became unbearable.
this article is crap, except for the traffic problem in central and south Florida, I have lived here 40 years and seen ONE alligator, we have AC to combat the heat and humidity and the bugs and insects stay outside just like any other state!! yeah we have hurricanes every 25-30 years depending on where you settle and there are too many tourists in central/south Florida, hence the traffic problems!!!!! this is a great state with good and not so good attributes like every other state! I have been all over the world and the states and only ever found one place better – Rome Italy and if you can retire there you can retire anywhere!!!
I’ve been in Florida for over 10 years now and I am so sorry I moved here for all the reasons you mentioned! It’s all true and these facts are valid. In addition, it is very hard to get a Dr appointment, you wait for a long time. Every thing takes a long time so you wait for any thing to be done.
I lived in Florida for 30 years and it was a love/hate relationship. The only items I really miss to this day are the ocean, flowers & fauna. The concrete jungle is taking over that though,
The matter where you move to there you are! If you’re the type that looks for something to hate you will find it.
I was born in South Florida in the 50-60’s era…Drastic, drastic changes evolved between then, and the time I was raising my own family. English is NOT the first language once you get south of Lake Ocachobee…unless you speak spanish, and/or other latin/south of the equator tongue, finding a job to support yourself and your family is nearly impossible…
Everyone is living crammed together…and now on top of one another….multiple level buildings/homes were once “banned” by engineers….sand foundation & hurricanes are the reason….most, if not all trees in South Florida never get taller than single story roof tops….hurricanes control the heights when they blow thru…and the hurricanes WILL EFFECT everyone, at one time or another (or multiple times) you “exist” on a peninsula… there is only so much land & it has been built upon from coast to coast, and from the ocean @ Key West to the northern border @ Georgia…..There might be no “State Tax” on income, but the State makes up for it as all their other taxation & Cost of Living expenses are @ 200-500% (+) and/or higher…much, much more for EVERYTHING… It had become unbearably out of control for me…Housing costs thru the roof (if you could find it)…..and then, “IF” you could get Insurance for your Car, Home or any other Property, you would need to sell off one of your “first born” child’s kidneys just to establish “real” coverage by a “real” Insurance Company, or you were stuck, paying thru the nose, buying what was less than even basic coverage, at exorbitant prices, as the State of Florida created their own State run Insurances….. State of Florida Government can’t succeed in adequately running their Government….so they take on Insurance Coverage?.. …my thoughts were WTH?… this was the State of Florida’s brain-child answer/solution to the massive exodus of most of the “real” Insurance Companies. Very, very soon after Hurricane Andrew, there swiftly happened, nearly instantaneously, an abrupt, hasty, “packing & gettin outta Dodge” of most Insurance Companies….they pulled out, running north, beyond the Georgia line without ant intervention from the State…surviving the hurricane turned out to be the easy part….Trying to survive the monetary torture of financial survival afterward was insane…at that time, I made a conscientious decision to bail outta there a.s.a.p…in 2001, Florida became nothing more than a glance in my rear view mirror…it was the best decision I ever made in my life.
Think twice….maybe more….before “leaving” the mainland of the United States !
Certainly sounds like it’s time for you to move to California.!!
A lot of great comments on actual experienced events. But ass usual, there is a noron making a comment based on talking points that has no factual basis. Florida is not dictating what Disney should do. Disney was stepping out of their realm and trying to dictate to the State what to do. Not good. And the moron should worry about states like California and NY that have the KKK mentality. That’s why people are moving from NY and Cali to Florida.
I spent one summer in FL. Being from central CA. Each time I stood up getting out of my car, I’d go black from the heat. Normally I love heat and humidity but it was unbearable. The mosquitoes ate me alive daily, you don’t see them, so you must wear Deet daily. (Natural bug sprays were like seasoning for them). Takes all day to drive across any town and they don’t know how to time stop lights right. Mold – Live with it.
I would move back to Maine in a second if I could afford it. My husband wanted to play golf every day and he did. For 9 years until he became ill and passed away. Now I am here in the throes of all you mentioned and will be until I leave this earth. Now going on 33 years and I still wish I was in Maine.
Thank you for your information, I was going to follow my friend and her husband there but no way now, the things that was name as unpleasant is unacceptable for living purposes for me.
As we all know some people like the cold weather and others like the warmer weather. As for me I’m retired and have the option to relocate to any state I may see fit at any given time. And like any other states, Florida has its pluses and minuses. I prefer the cold weather but can tolerate the hot weather also. However, the one thing that would prevent me from moving to Florida at this time is the current political atmosphere. In my view the current governor does not show it cares much or at all about the welfare of the people who live there and seems to be more concern about his own agenda than the issues that affect people’s lives. Leaders come and go and to me it has nothing to do with political affiliation and to me is about good commonsense leadership. who knows I may relocate there some time in the unfordable future, but at the moment that would be a good reason for me not to do so at this time.
Unfortunately, every place you live has weather, insects, and other people infringing on your space.
In addition, every state has corrupt political people who think “good government” is government that gives them a leg up, and law enforcement is something that you read about in the newspaper.
If you like morning sun, and an absence of snow Florida = can be heaven. It has a few disadvantages – such as no income tax and a great number of old people who seem to clutter I 95 whenever you are in a hurry, but, its biggest asset is it is NOT New York, Chicago, Los Angeles et al.
Lived in Florida in Orlando area and love it. Everything is high priced everywhere much more so than Florida. We go other places where family is and be glad we are in Florida. Richard
Ah. I live in South Georgia. We have those same problems (well, maybe not the traffic so much). If I decide to move to Florida, I’d move to someplace similar to where I currently live.
Never in a million years!
Your Governor is an over reaching power hungry person who is only interested in ruling not governing.
If it’s not his way it’s the highway.
Horrible leader !
I grew up in New England and have lived in California for the past 60 years (initially courtesy of the US Air Force and later due to marrying a California girl). I have spent time in other places like Texas and Colorado. While there is some truth to what was said in the article, it is typical of this kind of thing. It starts out with a perspective and then finds facts to support it. Like New England, California, Texas, Colorado, and probably every other state, country or region, Florida is not one place, but many. Florida has attractions that few other places have, such as its many and varied beaches. I am sure it is an amazing place for boaters. Even the everglades with the gators and other wildlife can be a fascinating area. Even though it is unlikely I will ever leave California, I am sure there are many places in Florida in which I could live happily, except for the fact that my four children and ten grandchildren are in California. I have friends who live in Victoria BC but spend a few moths each year in the western US, It works for them. For most people the primary considerations for where they should live are and should be family (and maybe friends) and economics, preferably in that order. Sometimes economic considerations may be overwhelming, but family usually comes first in my experience. I am not a big advocate of uprooting to move to “paradise” which it seems to me exists only in imagination and fiction. Several people I know moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, at least partly for economic reasons. That is not such a major relocation. My own move to California is something I probably would never have done if not for my Air Force service. Still, it is hard to not love California, in spite of some of the criticisms (mostly from people who do not live here). With some definite exceptions, most places turn out to be more about what you make of them than about things like climate, recreational opportunities, taxes or whatever. My advice would be to stay at or near where you live now (or where your career may take you) and visit other places if and when you can.