I’m thinking of applying to a company in Ft. Lauderdale, but I’ve never been there (nor have I been anywhere in Florida for more than a couple days at a time while attending conferences). If anyone could let me know something about the area and its culture, I’d be most appreciative.
A tad less expensive than Seattle, bad traffic, hot as hell, humid, rains, floods …
It’s a mish mash of cultures and identities. Decent beaches in some spots.
I like it.
Like Mynn said, it’s a mish-mash of cultures. So there’s something for just about everyone. There are a bazillion restaurants of every conceivable type, tons of shopping (if that’s your thing), lots of movie theatres (even a couple good artsy-fartsy ones). Driving sucks, frankly, and the public transportation probably isn’t up to Seattle standards, but I’ve never been there. Plenty of clubs and live music.
It does get hot in the summer, but the winters are mild and the spring and fall are beautiful. There’s the beach and ocean, of course. but other than that, not much nature nearby, it’s all built up for miles in every direction (except east).
What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?
I guess I’d say I’m mostly into the “urban culture” thing. I devote a lot of attention to the indie music scene–that’s the primary thing I do for fun. Other stuff includes things like independent bookstores; art-house films; the ballet; dining out; occasional forays into fringe theatre; museums; shopping (in non-chain stores, natch); stuff like that. I occasionally like to get out into nature, but it’s not a real focus of mine. I also like the pan-Asian Pacific rim cultural swapping that goes on in the PNW.
Unfortunately, thanks to my Scandinavian background, heat, humidity, and beaches don’t do a whole lot for me.
Ditto to what Mynn said. I used to live about a half hour north of there, and hated it. I was raised on the West coast of FL, and it wasn’t too bad. Simply loathed the whole South FL thing, though. So did my SO, who is from Oregon.
More specifically, here’s the things I didn’t like (if you can live with these, then I guess you wouldn’t be too bad off):
WAY too much traffic (and high car insurance…All those people who do not speak English do not read it either. Hence, some, uh, interesting interpretations of the traffic rules can come into play. That causes accidents, which ups rates in the area, of course)
Extremely high crime rate. The nightly news tends to show an extremely high body count 
Very hot…which I think tends to contribute to the extreme rudeness we both encountered there on almost a daily basis
Tourists…tourists…and more tourists (Hey, remember not to get in their way while going about your daily business…you’re ruining the vacation that you OWE them, dontcha know!)
It’s a pretty transient state…thus, a good place for people who need to “get lost”.
You never know when the FBI is gonna show up with guns and bust your next door neighbor…or co-worker.
(Case in point: I lived about a mile and a half from the motel where the two main Sept. 11 hijackers were living. Shopped at the same grocery store. Worked about half a mile from the now infamous AMI Building also. MANY other examples, but I digress)
Sorry for the semi-rant…but as you can probably tell, I would rather sandpaper a bobcat’s ass in a phonebooth than live there again.
Oy. Thanks for the replies. Looks like I may want to think again about that application. I thought visiting Florida briefly was a kind of hellish experience; looks like greater exposure might not improve it…
I would have to agree the SE part of FL sucks. Too crowded, too many crackheads, just too much everything. There is that high-tech corridor to the NW of Lauderdale, 20 years ago that wasn’t too bad of an area, not sure how things are there today though. Hey, you get some great bagels down there though 
The tech job market still sucks down here, I’ve been looking for a full time regular software job for over a year and a half. Still lots more people looking for jobs than there are openings.
But I don’t this is much different than most of the rest of the country.