thinking of moving to Florida. Some input/advise would be appreciated..

[shoc13]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking of moving from California to Florida for the following reasons (plz provide any input):

Positives
1) Thinking of buying property outright for $250,000, so I will free up current monthly home principal paymt (saving approx $15,000 per yr)

2) From what I read, property tax is free for Quads (saving another $4-5,000 per yr)

3) Used to be a cop out here in Ca and alot of my friends will be retiring in 5-10 yrs, so really no reason to stay here (considering the financial mess the state will be in for the foreseeable future)

4) Property prices are depressed right now, which makes it an ideal time for a cash buyer


NEGATIVES:
1) No family / friends out in Florida (thinking of buying the property as a vacation home at first to allow me to transition)

2) Not sure where to buy. Was thinking of Cape Coral just because property prices are amazing

3) Hurricanes, etc - obviously I will get complete insurance coverage for the house to protect my investment (does anyone know what the avg cost would be?)

4) The humidity during the summer.


SOME QUESTIONS for those living in Florida:
1) In CA, we get discounts on our gas/electric bills to help offset the additional expenses we incur. Does FL offer the same or any additional benefits?

2)Any opinion on Cape Coral? Any other place I should be looking at?

3) I currently have Kaiser Insur in CA and prob need to change (need to look into). Is there Kaiser Perm down there (I know Im asking a lot lol)


My plan is to buy a place sometime this year. Any input/advise/opinions/questions would be appreciated. Obviously there are many things to consider from financial/physical/medical/social/etc. I'm looking for input to help me with things I might not have thought about. I'm also looking for contacts out in FL to pick their brains regarding their knowledge of the area, etc


Thxs ,

Shawn

[shoc13]

Bump .

[TAM63]

My best friend lives in Cape Coral - she seems to like it. She's not disabled though, so I don't know about a lot of that stuff. I'll ask her about hurricane insurance. I know she's needed a few new roofs over the past years.

When there is a hurricane, they do leave their home, and go inland.

[shoc13]

Tam63,

Thxs a lot

[swh2007]

I live in that area and sent you a PM. There are a lot of new commercial developments and I think it's probably OK from a HC standpoint.

[Foolish Old]

Shawn - I live in the Florida Keys, which is quite a bit different than the mainland. I have been up and down both the east and west coasts of Florida, and liked much of what I saw along the water. Inland is a mystery to me - but there's a bunch of it. I strongly suggest that you spend time in any area that you like before making a purchase.

I don't know much about Cape Coral - but I was generally impressed with SW Florida. I'm just too much of a country boy to live in some of those developed areas.

I'm a para who doesn't meet income guide lines for tax relief. I'm pretty sure Quads pay no property tax. You can get a lot of information from http://www.myflorida.com/ - it's the portal for everything Florida.

Hurricanes are a consideration, but if you educate yourself on the reality you can assess the risk. It's pretty manageable, and the Florida system of emergency management is stellar.

I think I pay about four thousand annually for all property insurance, including wind - which is a separate policy. I don't insure anything but the structure (no contents) and my house is around the median appraisal for homes in my area.

I like heat and humidity - but summers on my island aren't any worse than what I experienced up North.

Florida doesn't offer the geographic diversity of California, but it still has great regional differeces in weather and culture. Spend some thime here and you'll soon get a feel for where you want to live.

If you want to check out the Keys, http://www.fla-keys.com/ is a good starting point.

[swh2007]

I love the Keys and would live there if I could. If you want the sort of the same lifestyle for around $250K, check out St. James City near Cape Coral.

The search and housing cost all depends on whether you want to live on the water and, if so, what you want to do on the water. You can buy a lot of off water house, or fresh water house, for $250K these days in Cape Coral.

[PMR DOC]

I lived many years in florida and know the whole state very well. Currently, I live in San Diego. No offense to people in florida, but I would never move back. I know of a fantastic PMR doctor in miami who specializes in SCI. His name is Dr. Ron Tochin.
Best of luck,
Brad Marcus
www.MRKLab.com

[Foolish Old]

I lived many years in florida and know the whole state very well. Currently, I live in San Diego. No offense to people in florida, but I would never move back. I know of a fantastic PMR doctor in miami who specializes in SCI. His name is Dr. Ron Tochin.
Best of luck,
Brad Marcus
www.MRKLab.com

Could you be talking about Dr. Ronald B. Tolchin, DO? If so, this is the second time he's been recommended by a CC member. Small World Dept. - I looked up his number yesterday and started to dial to make an appointment with him, and then hung up and put it off (as usual... I save docs for when I'm 3/4 dead). If this is your guy - I'm going to make the appointment.

[shoc13]

Thxs guys for all the help. I appreciate all the input here & via pm. I'll definitely be following up w the offers of info & will keep u guys updated as the process goes along.

I'm currently looking @ 3-12 mth process.

Again, it is much appreciated that u took the time to help out

Shawn

[Crashbang]

hi shawn-
here is the link to the faast florida spinal cord injury resource center:
http://www.flspinalcord.us/
you'll find some good information there.
best wishes on planning your move.

[Sue Pendleton]

Might talk to a tax advisor too. Florida has no income tax but does tax intangibles over a certain amount. You could probably counter any tax there by buying various Florida state tax free bonds.

[Norm]

I just got out of Florida 3 years ago. After three Hurricane hits in two years & I lost half of my Roof on the last hit. I was done. No electricity for a month each time because all the electric lines are above ground & the poles were broken in half. I couldn't take the sound of wind for months. I was shell shocked. I use a power chair & hospt bed. The generator I bought ruined the bed motors because the current cycle wasn't powerful enough. Lost use of my bed for weeks. Neighborhood looked like a bomb went off everything destroyed. All Nursing service is halted during a hurricane, which is nuts. In some cases you are forced to evacuate to a shelter & sleep on a cot. Insurance dropped us. It cost me $6000 a year for insurance the final year I was there & they dropped us as well. I didn't pay property taxes for 15 years but it wasn't worth it. If I were walking I could deal with it better, but not in this chair. People are out of work for weeks sometimes. Price gougers etc. Long lines to get food & water. Tap Water is not drinkable. It like the fall of civilization. Go to Arizona its safer there! Sorry for the grim picture but that’s what I went through.

[roller]

Hey there, I have to agree with PMR DOC.

I was born and raised in Ireland and moved to U.S. early nineties and picked Florida as it was warm, flat, cheap and accessible! Perfect! But I have to say, if I ever had to live in the south ever again it would only be in the lower Florida Keys. The main problem is the 8 months the year when the humidity just sucks the life out of you and you can become a prisoner to your home and the A/C. I live in San Diego county for past 3.5 years and only wish I'd moved here right off the bat! If you do go, keep it very coastal.

Cheers, Roller

[Patton57]

I wouldn't underestimate the over-bearing humidity in Florida, especially as a quad.

I can handle hours of exposure in California's 100 degree heat versus only 30-60 minutes in the 85-90 degree heat and 100% humidity on the East Coast.