I went to Jr. High and High School in Miami Beach, then spent about 8 years in Gainesville, at the University of Florida. If you mentally divide Florida in half (north/south), then Gainesville would be smack dab in the middle of the northern half., two hours from Orlando.
I thought South Florida was great (but I now like Southern California better). I think your enjoyabilty level will be more determined by how you like your job and the friends you associate with than the local climate and customs, but I suppose everybody’s comments will give you a reasonable idea.
Some additional comments to those already posted:
As far as the weather, realize that pretty much everything is air conditioned. You will typically go from your air-conditioned house or apartment to your air-conditioned workplace, etc. However, in the two minutes between your front door and your car, you will begin to sweat heavily and your glasses will fog up! Those rainshowers someone mentioned in the summer are pretty consistant. Not sure how it differs on the coast, but in Gainesville you could almost set your clock for the hour or hour and a half rainshowers every late afternoon. The rest of the day was dry and clear.
One advantage (possibly) of not claiming yourself as a resident has to do with your inquiry about speeding. In my experience, those with out-of-state driver’s licenses are more likely to get a break from the cops who pull you over for speeding. Not guaranteed, of course, but the state does rely a great deal on tourism, and when I’ve had an out of state license, it was my impression that the police would more often give you a warning rather than write out a ticket. Because so many people vacation or live part of the year in Florida, Florida is far more lenient than other states in allowing you to keep your out of state license. Just don’t admit to the cop who pulls you over that you are a permanent resident, if he asks.
If you like fishing at all, you’ll find you’re heading for a great place == salt water fishing from a low pier is a LOT more fun than fishing freshwater, because there’s so much more to see and do. You can throw out crab lines and catch crabs (fresh blue crabs are incredibly much better than … anything). You can use a throw net to catch small fish and shrimp. You can use the shrimp and small fish as bait on your fishing lines. Don’t go out to the big public piers that will leave you twenty feet above the water, try to go to a marina pier that’s just a foot or two above the water where you can see the fish and shrimp and so forth swimming by.
I’m wondering why Bosda thinks the beaches are dealiy at night as well.
Stetson University in DeLand is a private university, but I believe they have a fairly good law program. That might be closer for you than Barry.
Don’t freak about the big roaches. They’re part of life here. (It’s the tiny ones that mean you have a dirty house.) We also keep the flour and sugar in the fridge.
You don’t mention if you have any kids yet, but PLEASE look closely at the public schools. We have a horrible overcrowding problem with the schools, and a private school or homeschooling may be a better option. All schools are rated based on the FCAT (and that’s a whole 'nuther discussion I’m not going to get into) and we do have some F schools around.
One is Jones High School. There was a recent blow-up because the new principal, brought in to raise the school’s standards, told the band members that if they couldn’t maintain a C average, they could not go play in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
And, you guessed it, about 30 kids didn’t get a C average. The parents screamed, the school board blinked, and the principal was forced to allow them to go.
There are some good schools around here, but you have to find them. Research heavily before you decide on your kids’ education. In my area, Lake County, they built a new high school. It was already overcrowded by the second year.
Get an E-Pass for the toll roads, or you’re going to be spending a lot of time stuck in I-4 traffic.
I just realized my post may have been a bit of a downer. Actually, I love living here in Florida. I love wearing shorts in November, and love being able to grow all kinds of flowers, and I love that the tourists pay a lot of our taxes.
I also want to second richardb on the air-conditioning, especially in your car. Sitting in traffic in July with the windows rolled down, hoping for a stray puff of air, can make you miserable.
I’ve never of heard about the beaches being dangerous at night in my area, Boca Raton/Delray Beach. I’ve taken dates on the cliched “moonlit walk on the beach” several times, no problem.
Sure, it’s all of Florida. Doncha know they have a Morning Beach Body Report where they tote up all the dead people found on Florida beaches overnight?
Gotta have a cite here, Bosda. I’m sure people get killed on the beaches on occasion, but the notion of rovers slitting throats on beaches all over Florida going unreported is gonna need some backup.
In response to Ivylass’ question, no, we don’t have any kids yet. We’re hoping to start right away, but we’re anticipating that the AF would move us before our kids are old enough to attend school.
Hey, what time is sunset down there at this time of year? I’m hoping that since FL is much further south than Philly, you get significantly more sunlight in the winter. Me, I’m sick of seeing it set at 4:30.
I am a block from the beach and I am always down there at nite. No danger here- but I wouldn’t go to the boardwark on Daytona Beach during the day, much less at nite.
Watch out for the wildlife- ants, roaches, lizards, beetles, wasps, squirrels,possums,armadillos,raccoons, snakes,deer, etc. You will see lots of roadkill. My personal devils are those giant yellow grasshoppers-ewwewwEWW!!