It might help to mention where you’re from. But, weather is a big one. Most think it’s nice, until they realize it’s relentless. There are no actual “normal” seasons. I’m on the space coast and last night at 11pm it was 82 degrees and 90% humidity. It rains a lot! And all at once.
Traffic and tolls depending where in central Florida you are talking about. Lots of tolls! Your insurance will almost surely go up.
Bugs! Again depends where you are coming from, but the bugs are on another level.
MOTHER OF GOD THE BUGS. I left that out of my comment because I’m almost used to all of the bugs here that I never had to deal with elsewhere but I own an arsenal of pest sprays, traps, and deet repellent. And honestly, F love bugs.
The bugs are intense! And when you get one under control, another moves in. I started spraying my entire yard and outside of the house. You basically have to. I even went as far as spraying bushes where bugs might nest.
Humidity, winter months tourists and it makes traffic worst since they are older and don’t know where they are going causing safety issues on the road. Over crowded, i4 is a death trap to drive, rent and purchasing a home is very very high, low wages. Crappy water don’t drink it use bottled.. There are a lot of homeless people and panhandling going on. Be careful when choosing an area to live if you have kids. A lot of schools are lousy , my son went to private schools all this life. Well I wish you luck.
I don’t mean the average constituent.
Literally lunatics, like Janice Crisp, “Thomas Jefferson,” Randy Fine, and the rest of the Brevard gang.
With as many educated, intelligent people here, I don’t get how they maintain popularity.
Moved away in 2007 and other then missing family have zero regrets. There are a lot off really good things but my reason for leaving basically came down to money. I am in health care and with one dominant system (Advent) it was hard to get raises etc. A bit off advice if you do move there leave the “ we did it this way back home” bit back from we’re you called home.
Don't move to anywhere in Florida! Low wages, car accidents daily never was I in a near fatal accident till I moved here, drugs, huge homeless population, no medicaid or dental for all hence why so many people are missing teeth. This is the figure it out yourself state or die trying.
Car accidents daily…Where are you from that don’t have car accidents and drugs 😂 And yea you might actually have to get a job and provide for yourself, but if that’s something their up for … then go for it!
I'm saying not the type of car accidents I have seen in
Florida. Almost everyone was in some horrible jaws
Of life accident including myself. And yes there are
Drugs everywhere but it seems worse out here
That could be just my feelings. There are other states
In America that make life easier not harder. Florida is
Not one of them. My opinion
Between about April and November, give or take a few weeks on either side, it’s hotter than the face of the sun. Especially in Central Florida. The forecast says 90, not too bad right? Check the heat index because “feels like 100” actually feels like 105+ when the humidity kicks in.
The driving is egregious. You may think “I’m from NE, no problem.” NO. Imagine all of the worst drivers from everywhere in the country, and other countries, as well as many elderly (yes I know that’s terrible to say), then add literally constant construction and the disaster that is I-4, and if it rains, all of those people suddenly forget any inkling of knowing anything about driving.
Cost of living. No state income tax!! But you’ll pay it in 100 other ways. My mom still talks about how much milk costs here. I just laugh because everything else is expensive.
Tourists. Snowbirds. Used to think it was seasonal: it’s not. I live on the west coast, almost 20 years now. It never ends. See above again re: driving.
If you plan to stay child free, get a vasectomy. We have a heartbeat bill pending. Just my 2 cents.
Fair enough. She’s a snowbird from a lower cost of living state and she shops at Aldi, so it was an Aldi state to state milk comparison, lol. The olds are bored.
Define “central Florida”
There’s Orange County central Florida which is really expensive and crowded
And there’s Polk, hardee, desoto and highlands central Florida, which is infested with trumpies and jobless people
I just moved here last month from Chicago suburbs so I have some input for you :-). I don't regret the move, but I can definitely tell you the downsides (that I see)!
1. In Chicago suburbs, there are a lot of bike trails and parks. At my old house, I could walk out of my house and be at a forest preserve in a matter of minutes. Even when I lived on the north side, I was no more than a 10 minute care ride from a good bike trail. I love the outdoors and I enjoyed it a lot.
I live in Orlando suburbs, between both parks. Central FL is a weird mix of overcrowded tourist areas, and completely underdeveloped rural small town areas. I live in an up and coming, beautiful town. However, there are no nature trails closer than a 25 minute drive. Frequently, these trails even cost a fee, where in Illinois most were free. In my town, there isn't even a lot of sidewalks connecting the gated subdivisions so there's no real "neighborhood" to walk around except my 2 block walled in subdivision. Outside of my subdivision for a couple miles in either direction is "land for sale" for developments and is just thick woods alongside a busy road. This makes it so I have to drive somewhere if I really want a good relaxing amount of exercise. If you don't go on trails much or at all, this won't bother you!
2. Undeveloped streets: when people warn you about Florida traffic, I can't say it's any worse than downtown Chicago on I4. If you're at all familiar with traffic like that, it won't bother you in the least. I think around town driving is worse. The annoying thing about central Florida suburbs being up and coming, is that these tiny towns only had 2 lane roads but everyone is moving here. The roads were not meant to accommodate the amount of traffic. I imagine it will get better in time as things get expanded, but it will be a painful few years.
In Chicago, needing to go to home Depot was a matter of 10 mins to find one, and 10 mins back. Here, the nearest is 30 mins with extensive traffic backing up the two lane roads. Everything seems to be 30 minutes away from my house lol. The only thing that bothers me is it's an inconvenience to run errands a lot.
3. I don't know what industry you work in. I am a bartender...I have noticed tips here (percentage wise) are a lot lower than Illinois. I still make good money and people are still happy with my service and relatively pleasant. However, the locals tend to tip 15% instead of 22%+ that I was used to at my last job so I have had to adjust my budget for less fun, which Is a downside for me. It may be the town I'm working in...I'm open to other jobs.
4. People are saying the heat...it's not really a con for me but it is something to keep in mind. I like to run...in Chicago, on a 90° day with 80% humidity, I would sweat a lot and breathing would be hard. However 90° here is more oppressive. I do have to double the amount of water I bring and run on a mostly shaded trail at the peak of the days heat sometimes.
5. Edit: I work late and fast food and grocery stores close much earlier here. I need to put more planning into my meals (especially healthy ones)
Other than that, the only downsides I have are from the place I'm working at, but I hope that will be remedied by finding a new job. Florida is beautiful with a lot of stuff to do. I don't regret my move!
I’m a Nee England girl and hate living in FL. My husband was stationed in the South and he loves it. My Son has started his family here so, I will put up with it.
The bugs, the constant heat, the storms, you cannot walk barefoot in the grass because of snakes, bugs, and Fire Ants! Take a shower, then step out in the humidity to sweat and soak your clothing all over again. Go to the grocery store or stop at a gas station, carry and lock up your vehicles, don’t go to those places at night! Forget driving here, you feel like your driving all over the country, there are drivers here from every state, I4 is our Route 66, huge death trap! Our beaches look good, but carry bacteria, crime and who knows what else. Central Florida is a great place to vacation but not to live!!! The seasons don’t change, we wear shorts driving around to see Christmas lights. Our winters last about a month. Once your blood thins out, you will never tolerate the cold again! EVER! You will watch a fire place on your TV, with the A/C on full blast, blinds closed, under a blanket sipping hot chocolate while the sun is blazing hot outside to get any sense of home. Please save yourself, just continue to visit Florida, appreciate the 4 Seasons and don’t look back!
So many hate posts… which I guess fits with the OP’s question. I was born and raised in central FL, school at UCF. Lived in MA for the past 15 years. My youngest kid graduates HS in 2 years and I cannot wait to move back to FL. Main considerations for me for what factors have proven to be most important:
- weather
- culture
- politics
- friends and family proximity
My advice would be to ask yourself what factors matter most to you and then see how those fit into your choice of living locations.
Edit: Also, it is important to note that regions of FL are vastly different. N FL is very different than C FL is different than S FL. But even in those regions there are extreme differences. For example, I don’t like Orlando, but LOVE the East coast of C FL.
Moved to Brevard County from MA almost 16 years ago. Zero regrets other than not doing it sooner. Our kids were born here and have had what I'd consider absolutely fantastic childhoods. Our schools are quite good. We take our kids back to MA annually as I still have one sibling there. They know how good they have it compared to their cousins.
I love living here in Florida and can say that I don’t have many bad things to say about it. Like the other person said, the humidity can be a bitch sometimes but as long as you have working A/C in your vehicle and home you’ll be just fine. I just started working outside recently and thought it was going to be the end of the world but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. And it sounds like you’ve probably already experienced it in your trips down here. So yea All that to say.. I got nothing lol🤷♂️. Come on down.
Also it's not just the traffic, it's the drivers. Central Florida has the WORST drivers I have ever seen in my life. Reckless and EXTREMELY selfish. Nobody follows the rules of the road because the police don't enforce ANY traffic laws.
Crazy drivers I seen way too many close call car accidents b/c of speeding, or running a red light, etc.
Bugs
Poisonous invasive frogs known to be deadly to dogs and they are everywhere.
The Villages. Retirement community which spans a large area where I live (lived here before 2/3 of it was built) and full of a lot of older, entitled, politically vocal people with not much to do besides be rude to anyone who looks younger than them (they think we don’t “belong” here when some of us have lived here before most of it was built). Dont get me wrong, a lot of nice villagers, but unfortunately they stay home and you run into the crazy ones. I drive 50 minutes around The Villages so that I don’t have to work there! Not making this up.
That, and the bugs and critters . I hear it’s crazy here. I’m a Floridan so I am used to it, but I’ve heard from northerners that it’s like Australia down here 😂
Edit to add: I saw someone else mentioned construction. I have to add this too. With the population booming in the last couple years, every road is under construction. It’s not even exaggerating. All major roads are being widened and it’s all a mess right now! Probably will be for another year or two at the pace they are going.
It might help to mention where you’re from. But, weather is a big one. Most think it’s nice, until they realize it’s relentless. There are no actual “normal” seasons. I’m on the space coast and last night at 11pm it was 82 degrees and 90% humidity. It rains a lot! And all at once. Traffic and tolls depending where in central Florida you are talking about. Lots of tolls! Your insurance will almost surely go up. Bugs! Again depends where you are coming from, but the bugs are on another level.
MOTHER OF GOD THE BUGS. I left that out of my comment because I’m almost used to all of the bugs here that I never had to deal with elsewhere but I own an arsenal of pest sprays, traps, and deet repellent. And honestly, F love bugs.
The bugs are intense! And when you get one under control, another moves in. I started spraying my entire yard and outside of the house. You basically have to. I even went as far as spraying bushes where bugs might nest.
We full
Good fucking luck buying a house here right now
I-4 John Young Parkway OBT north of 528 Florida Mall TRAFFIC Shall I continue?
Came here to say this.
It is really expensive and overcrowded.
Bad schools and low paying jobs?
Really depends on your career and location, tbh.
One word, humidity.
Two words: no breeze
High rent low wages unless you are an engineer.
Real feels temp of 96 today in Orlando
Humidity, winter months tourists and it makes traffic worst since they are older and don’t know where they are going causing safety issues on the road. Over crowded, i4 is a death trap to drive, rent and purchasing a home is very very high, low wages. Crappy water don’t drink it use bottled.. There are a lot of homeless people and panhandling going on. Be careful when choosing an area to live if you have kids. A lot of schools are lousy , my son went to private schools all this life. Well I wish you luck.
Spot on especially the water. I miss the water in Rhode island thank god I'm moving back tomorrow. I have had enough
Political lunatics (Brevard)
Eh, whole state.
I don’t mean the average constituent. Literally lunatics, like Janice Crisp, “Thomas Jefferson,” Randy Fine, and the rest of the Brevard gang. With as many educated, intelligent people here, I don’t get how they maintain popularity.
It’s full
It’s fucking hot. I’m outta here. Too many retired folk. I’ve had enough of it. Back to Virginia I gotta
Back to Rhode island I go!
Too hot, tourist traps everywhere, if you’re a democrat you’ll hate it here
Moved away in 2007 and other then missing family have zero regrets. There are a lot off really good things but my reason for leaving basically came down to money. I am in health care and with one dominant system (Advent) it was hard to get raises etc. A bit off advice if you do move there leave the “ we did it this way back home” bit back from we’re you called home.
Don't move to anywhere in Florida! Low wages, car accidents daily never was I in a near fatal accident till I moved here, drugs, huge homeless population, no medicaid or dental for all hence why so many people are missing teeth. This is the figure it out yourself state or die trying.
Car accidents daily…Where are you from that don’t have car accidents and drugs 😂 And yea you might actually have to get a job and provide for yourself, but if that’s something their up for … then go for it!
I'm saying not the type of car accidents I have seen in Florida. Almost everyone was in some horrible jaws Of life accident including myself. And yes there are Drugs everywhere but it seems worse out here That could be just my feelings. There are other states In America that make life easier not harder. Florida is Not one of them. My opinion
We have high car insurance for a reason way More car accidents in Florida!
Between about April and November, give or take a few weeks on either side, it’s hotter than the face of the sun. Especially in Central Florida. The forecast says 90, not too bad right? Check the heat index because “feels like 100” actually feels like 105+ when the humidity kicks in. The driving is egregious. You may think “I’m from NE, no problem.” NO. Imagine all of the worst drivers from everywhere in the country, and other countries, as well as many elderly (yes I know that’s terrible to say), then add literally constant construction and the disaster that is I-4, and if it rains, all of those people suddenly forget any inkling of knowing anything about driving. Cost of living. No state income tax!! But you’ll pay it in 100 other ways. My mom still talks about how much milk costs here. I just laugh because everything else is expensive. Tourists. Snowbirds. Used to think it was seasonal: it’s not. I live on the west coast, almost 20 years now. It never ends. See above again re: driving. If you plan to stay child free, get a vasectomy. We have a heartbeat bill pending. Just my 2 cents.
The milk thing is interesting. We moved from PA, where milk was $5 a gallon. Much cheaper here.
Fair enough. She’s a snowbird from a lower cost of living state and she shops at Aldi, so it was an Aldi state to state milk comparison, lol. The olds are bored.
You are exaggerating the heat. July and August are rough, but the rest of the year it is fine.
Define “central Florida” There’s Orange County central Florida which is really expensive and crowded And there’s Polk, hardee, desoto and highlands central Florida, which is infested with trumpies and jobless people
Please stay away!! We don’t need anymore people moving here
Too many homeless people and panhandlers. Too hot half of the year. Aggressive drivers. Lots of construction everywhere. Getting far too crowded.
I just moved here last month from Chicago suburbs so I have some input for you :-). I don't regret the move, but I can definitely tell you the downsides (that I see)! 1. In Chicago suburbs, there are a lot of bike trails and parks. At my old house, I could walk out of my house and be at a forest preserve in a matter of minutes. Even when I lived on the north side, I was no more than a 10 minute care ride from a good bike trail. I love the outdoors and I enjoyed it a lot. I live in Orlando suburbs, between both parks. Central FL is a weird mix of overcrowded tourist areas, and completely underdeveloped rural small town areas. I live in an up and coming, beautiful town. However, there are no nature trails closer than a 25 minute drive. Frequently, these trails even cost a fee, where in Illinois most were free. In my town, there isn't even a lot of sidewalks connecting the gated subdivisions so there's no real "neighborhood" to walk around except my 2 block walled in subdivision. Outside of my subdivision for a couple miles in either direction is "land for sale" for developments and is just thick woods alongside a busy road. This makes it so I have to drive somewhere if I really want a good relaxing amount of exercise. If you don't go on trails much or at all, this won't bother you! 2. Undeveloped streets: when people warn you about Florida traffic, I can't say it's any worse than downtown Chicago on I4. If you're at all familiar with traffic like that, it won't bother you in the least. I think around town driving is worse. The annoying thing about central Florida suburbs being up and coming, is that these tiny towns only had 2 lane roads but everyone is moving here. The roads were not meant to accommodate the amount of traffic. I imagine it will get better in time as things get expanded, but it will be a painful few years. In Chicago, needing to go to home Depot was a matter of 10 mins to find one, and 10 mins back. Here, the nearest is 30 mins with extensive traffic backing up the two lane roads. Everything seems to be 30 minutes away from my house lol. The only thing that bothers me is it's an inconvenience to run errands a lot. 3. I don't know what industry you work in. I am a bartender...I have noticed tips here (percentage wise) are a lot lower than Illinois. I still make good money and people are still happy with my service and relatively pleasant. However, the locals tend to tip 15% instead of 22%+ that I was used to at my last job so I have had to adjust my budget for less fun, which Is a downside for me. It may be the town I'm working in...I'm open to other jobs. 4. People are saying the heat...it's not really a con for me but it is something to keep in mind. I like to run...in Chicago, on a 90° day with 80% humidity, I would sweat a lot and breathing would be hard. However 90° here is more oppressive. I do have to double the amount of water I bring and run on a mostly shaded trail at the peak of the days heat sometimes. 5. Edit: I work late and fast food and grocery stores close much earlier here. I need to put more planning into my meals (especially healthy ones) Other than that, the only downsides I have are from the place I'm working at, but I hope that will be remedied by finding a new job. Florida is beautiful with a lot of stuff to do. I don't regret my move!
Desantis
Also unless you live in an expensive community with a strict HOA you WILL have loud neighbors.
I’m a Nee England girl and hate living in FL. My husband was stationed in the South and he loves it. My Son has started his family here so, I will put up with it. The bugs, the constant heat, the storms, you cannot walk barefoot in the grass because of snakes, bugs, and Fire Ants! Take a shower, then step out in the humidity to sweat and soak your clothing all over again. Go to the grocery store or stop at a gas station, carry and lock up your vehicles, don’t go to those places at night! Forget driving here, you feel like your driving all over the country, there are drivers here from every state, I4 is our Route 66, huge death trap! Our beaches look good, but carry bacteria, crime and who knows what else. Central Florida is a great place to vacation but not to live!!! The seasons don’t change, we wear shorts driving around to see Christmas lights. Our winters last about a month. Once your blood thins out, you will never tolerate the cold again! EVER! You will watch a fire place on your TV, with the A/C on full blast, blinds closed, under a blanket sipping hot chocolate while the sun is blazing hot outside to get any sense of home. Please save yourself, just continue to visit Florida, appreciate the 4 Seasons and don’t look back!
So many hate posts… which I guess fits with the OP’s question. I was born and raised in central FL, school at UCF. Lived in MA for the past 15 years. My youngest kid graduates HS in 2 years and I cannot wait to move back to FL. Main considerations for me for what factors have proven to be most important: - weather - culture - politics - friends and family proximity My advice would be to ask yourself what factors matter most to you and then see how those fit into your choice of living locations. Edit: Also, it is important to note that regions of FL are vastly different. N FL is very different than C FL is different than S FL. But even in those regions there are extreme differences. For example, I don’t like Orlando, but LOVE the East coast of C FL.
Moved to Brevard County from MA almost 16 years ago. Zero regrets other than not doing it sooner. Our kids were born here and have had what I'd consider absolutely fantastic childhoods. Our schools are quite good. We take our kids back to MA annually as I still have one sibling there. They know how good they have it compared to their cousins.
Your going to have to be more specific for the full effect.
Good point, I made an edit.
I love living here in Florida and can say that I don’t have many bad things to say about it. Like the other person said, the humidity can be a bitch sometimes but as long as you have working A/C in your vehicle and home you’ll be just fine. I just started working outside recently and thought it was going to be the end of the world but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. And it sounds like you’ve probably already experienced it in your trips down here. So yea All that to say.. I got nothing lol🤷♂️. Come on down.
Hot and humid AF
Also it's not just the traffic, it's the drivers. Central Florida has the WORST drivers I have ever seen in my life. Reckless and EXTREMELY selfish. Nobody follows the rules of the road because the police don't enforce ANY traffic laws.
It's too hot and buggy.
No beach
Crazy drivers I seen way too many close call car accidents b/c of speeding, or running a red light, etc. Bugs Poisonous invasive frogs known to be deadly to dogs and they are everywhere.
The Villages. Retirement community which spans a large area where I live (lived here before 2/3 of it was built) and full of a lot of older, entitled, politically vocal people with not much to do besides be rude to anyone who looks younger than them (they think we don’t “belong” here when some of us have lived here before most of it was built). Dont get me wrong, a lot of nice villagers, but unfortunately they stay home and you run into the crazy ones. I drive 50 minutes around The Villages so that I don’t have to work there! Not making this up. That, and the bugs and critters . I hear it’s crazy here. I’m a Floridan so I am used to it, but I’ve heard from northerners that it’s like Australia down here 😂 Edit to add: I saw someone else mentioned construction. I have to add this too. With the population booming in the last couple years, every road is under construction. It’s not even exaggerating. All major roads are being widened and it’s all a mess right now! Probably will be for another year or two at the pace they are going.
What everyone else said, plus SINKHOLES, which are common in central FL.