Real Florida Pros and Cons Revealed 2022

The Pros and Cons of Living in Florida

Here are 2 different pros and con lists of what it’s really like to live in Florida full-time. Why 2 lists?

The first one is the what we think it will be like to live in Florida when we move there for the pros (the perception), usually based on many 1 week vacation visits.
The second is how many of us will see living in Florida after actually moving to the Sunshine State, and living there long enough to learn the cons or downsides and the “honeymoon” ends (the reality).

The 1rst is a typical Florida pros and cons list written by someone trying to decide if they should move or not (aka the perception).

The Pros/Advantages (Some Perceived) of Moving to Florida (Before We Move)

In Florida it’s warm and sunny all the time. After all, they do call it the Sunshine State.
Florida has lots of beaches, I love going to the beach.
Florida has golf courses everywhere.
Florida has lots of theme parks. Disney, Universal Studios and Busch Gardens and more, wow.
Florida doesn’t have a personal state income tax. More money stays in my pocket and one less tax return to to hassle with.
I always have a great time while vacationing in Florida, it must be a great place to live.
In Florida, you can grow oranges and grapefruit in your own yard.
I won’t have to shovel snow anymore.
Florida has palm trees. I love when I see the palm trees as I drive into Florida.
I can swim all year, I’m going to get a home with a pool!
Did I say it’s warm and sunny all the time yet?
In Florida, I can bike, play golf, tennis, etc. year-round.
They don’t like shutdowns or mandates in Florida (currently), I can be free (this can be a pro or con depending upon your perspective).
In Florida, my home will increase in value every day.
There are real estate tax breaks available for residents that own their home.

The Perceived Cons or Disadvantages (Before We Move)

I’m drawing a blank. “Can’t think of a single negative except hurricanes, but everyone (everyone = the real estate agents and others who will make $$$$$$’s if you move to Florida, and $0 if you don’t) I talk to from down there, says they’re rare. Take it with a grain of salt. Moving TO Florida is what I have to do. This living in Florida pros and cons list sure made it clear to me. I’m calling the Realtor right now to sell the house and I’m going to start packing. I’m moving to Florida, wa hoo!”

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The 2nd Pro Con List: Here’s a typical Florida Pros and Con list from someone who’s lived in Florida for a while and the honeymoon is over because they know what living in Florida is really like (for them).

The Reality of the Pros/Advantages and Cons/Disadvantages of Living in Florida

The Pros

The weather during the winter is fantastic.

The Cons

It’s hot and humid all the time except during about 3 months during the winter, they should call it the swamp state.
I hate going to the beach. It’s hot, humid, like laying on sandpaper, the saltwater and sun are aging my skin. No wonder everybody looks old here.
The heat and humidity on the golf course 9 months out of the year have taken the fun out of it for me. The jack up the prices for the 3 months that are playable.
I’ve been to the theme parks so many times they bore me now. Wait hours in the hot humid lines for rides that last a couple of minutes. Large rude crowds, overpriced bad food. I hate when the family comes down and wants me to go there with them, again.
Did I mention it’s hot and humid all the time?
Because of no state income tax, the fees for a driver license, car registration, etc are higher. Pay by the hour to park at a recreation area that would be free back home? Less services, longer lines and hold times, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
When I move out of Florida I’m never going on vacation there again.
I’m so sick of eating the oranges in my yard. The ones that fall on the ground attract lots of bees and other insects. I got stung trying to clean them up.
I hate have to drag things in and out because of storms and cleaning up the house and yard after them.
When the real estate market turns into a buyers market, my house is worth less every day. It’s going down faster than it went up.
Everything costs more here in Florida.
Wildfires are common and the smoke blowing across interstates and other roads leading to crashes is not uncommon.
I’m so sick of paying people to maintain those palm trees in my yard.
I traded shoveling snow occasionally, for having to cut grass twice a week 52 weeks a year or paying $$$$’s for someone to do it.
My retirement community is in the middle of no where. What was I thinking.
Florida is surrounded by water. Way does my water and sewer bill cost a fortune every month?
Pool water is 92 degrees for months when I need it the most. I don’t want to take a hot bath in the sun when it’s 94 degrees outside with 95% humidity!
Did I say it’s hot and humid all the time yet?
That air conditioner never seems to shut off 9 months a year.
When real estate prices shoot up, my taxes go up faster than my retirement/wage income does. I’m losing ground.
When the weather finally becomes nice enough to be outdoors, the state’s population triples and the traffic is even worse than usual, you can’t find a place to park, the lines at the grocery store or to get into a restaurant are ridiculous, etc.
No one wears a mask and everything is open (currently). This of course can be a pro or con depending upon your perspective)
The hurricanes that tear houses apart, cut all the trees in half, flood homes and leave you without electricity and AC for weeks when the heat index is 100 every day.
The mosquitos, fire ants, large flying roaches, snakes, alligators and more can really creep some people out.
It seems more and more, tornadoes like to visit the state and destroy things outside of the 6 month hurricane season when the weather is supposed to be nicer.
Every year during winter when the weather is terrific, there are more and more snowbirds and tourist that make it difficult to drive, shop, eat out, park, go to the beach, etc.
For some reason, Florida seems to attract some really strange people and when you read about some of the crimes they commit it really makes you wonder.

And then there’s this… Note: video takes about 3 seconds to start.

Here’s 2 more lists for you

20 Reasons you SHOULD move to Florida
20 Reasons you SHOULD NOT move to Florida

20 Reasons Why You SHOULD Move to Florida

The following can also answer questions such as “what are the advantages of living in Florida” or “why do people move to Florida?”

In no particular order…

- 1. If you don’t like winter sports or cold weather, Florida is one of the best places to be in the US weather-wise, from about December to the end of March, for warm weather.
  2. Almost everyone loves living in Florida the first few months or years.
  3. Almost everyone you know who doesn’t live in Florida will envy you, especially after they have to shovel snow.
  4. After the winter “season” and the snowbirds leave Florida, the price of a round of golf drops considerably.
  5. You can golf, bike, ride your motorcycle, swim or do any other outdoor activity that doesn’t involve snow or cold temperatures, all year long.
  6. You can grow oranges and grapefruits in your yard.
  7. You can wear shorts and flip flops anywhere in Florida all year long and fit right in.
  8. You can go to the beach for a day from just about anywhere you live in Florida.
  9. Florida has some of the cleanest air because it’s just a thin sliver of land with two massive bodies of water on each side that provide air flows that constantly blows the pollution from the state, out to sea.
  10. You can get a break on your real estate taxes just because you live in Florida.
  11. Florida residents are often offered “Florida resident only” special discounts on theme park admission.
  12. You can buy a home on a waterway where you can keep your massive boat right in your backyard and leave right from there and motor to the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean.
  13. You can grow a palm trees right in your yard
  14. You won’t have to pay for heat during the winter in much of Florida.
  15. You won’t have to fill out a personal state income tax form every year.
  16. Because the roads don’t freeze and thaw, you’ll hit far less car rattling potholes.
  17. You can get a tan without even trying.
  18. You can buy beer at almost every gas station, convenience and grocery store in the state.
  19. You don’t have to worry about having your car inspected for every year and Florida did away with emissions inspections and testing years ago.
  20. While living in Florida, you’ll meet people from all over the US and the world because nobody that lives in Florida was actually born there (OK, that’s only about 95% true).

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20 Reasons Why You Should NOT Move to Florida

The following 20 reason will also answer the question “why do so many people move out of Florida?”

Florida is hotter and more humid than where you moved from, and it doesn’t end when summer does.
While almost everyone loves living in Florida the first few months or years, a very high percentage of people eventually find Florida was a big enough mistake to go through the huge expense and hassle of another long distance move, just to get out. Chances are much higher than you think, that this will happen to you also.
When a hurricane or tropical storm is heading toward your new Florida home, you’ll envy the people back home who don’t even know it’s happening because they’re at a picnic.
You won’t play as much golf in Florida as you thought because of the aforementioned heat and humidity most of the year will take the pleasure out of it. When the weather finally turns cooler in the winter, golf becomes too expensive, crowded and slow due to a huge influx of snowbirds and tourist, to want to play often.
Trying to do anything outdoors in Florida most of the year involves sweating profusely and may also involve fighting off swarms of mosquitoes, biting flies, biting fire ants, etc.
You won’t have to shovel snow in Florida, but your yard will require a constant fight to keep it from returning to the overgrown jungle it was meant to be.
No matter how much someone weighs, their physical conditioning or their age, wearing a speedo or bikini is acceptable daily dress in Florida, even if you’re hours from the beach.
As a resident of the “Sunshine State” you’ll learn that there aren’t really as many old people in Florida as you thought, it’s just that many younger people look that way due to sun damage.
Water at Florida’s beaches isn’t always as clean as it looks and the beaches can be closed because of high bacteria counts.
When Florida real estate prices shoot up, so will your real estate taxes.
The more often you go to Florida’s theme parks, the less of an enjoyable escape they’ll become.
If your dream is to move to Florida and buy a boat, you’ll learn that the two best days in a boat owners life is the day they buy their boat, and the day they sell it.
You’ll learn that those palm trees you just had to have in your yard, will require a lot of dirty sweaty work to keep them looking like they do at the Florida welcome center.
The house or condo you buy in Florida will be worth more, then less, then more, then less and so on, than you paid.
To make up for a lack of a state income tax, things like car registration in Florida, a drivers license as well as other fees and sales taxes will probably cost a lot more than where you moved from.
With over 20 million residents and 100+ million tourist a year, driving and parking just about anywhere in Florida can be maddening. It’s even worse in the winter months.
To avoid the Florida sun’s damaging rays, you have to wear a huge hat and dress like it’s winter or constantly grease yourself up with sunblock. Can you say “premature wrinkling”.
Drivers can buy beer at almost every gas station, convenience, grocery an corner store in the state, and many do. Then some DWD (drink while driving).
There are no annual car inspections for safety violations in Florida. After you see cars losing parts while they’re passing you doing 100 mph on the interstate, you’ll know why you have to sit in traffic jams so often due to an “accident”.
Some climate scientist say Florida will be underwater in the future. Learn how to swim.

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Ron Stack “That Best Places Guy”

Want to be certain if moving to Florida is right for you or your family? You’ll know after reading the Florida Move Guide.

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