Dont move to florida

centralflorida · Jul 31, 2007

I moved here from Massachusetts and I actually really like it here. I am considering looking elsewhere once I graduate from nursing school (years from now!) because the nursing salaries are low, but I hope I can find a way to stay. The weather is fantastic, I personally prefer the occasional hurricane to blizzards or earthquakes, and if you're in the right part of the state there's a ton of things to do.

If you're in St. Augustine, I agree, it's a small city and there's not much to do there once you've done the tourist thing. If it were me, I would visit Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, maybe Miami, and see if you like any of those cities better. (With the warning that housing is expensive in Miami.)

The other thing about the pay here is - I know housing costs have gone up, but it's still cheaper to live here than it is in most of the states - California, Hawaii, New York - where the pay is higher.

Ronnie22 · Jul 31, 2007

Tweety is correct. My dad has several hundred acres in North Georgia, and has been selling plots to individuals for homes. He says 90% are from Florida. He also says the majority of calls for the land is from Florida. The reasons for the move from Fl. is: High insurance cost, gas prices, housing, and general living expenses.

Florida has had a dramatic rise in cost of living the last five years primarily driven by rising property costs, rising insurance costs of 30 to 100% per year, and increasing property taxes.
For the first time in nearly 100 years the county I live in is actually decreasing in population because the middle class has been squeezed out. They're talking closing schools due to declining enrollment. Something never heard of before.
Many retirees from the north have since moved up to cheaper places in the South. We call them half-backers. The moved to Florida from the north and now that things are bad they move where it's cheaper in North Carolina, Georgia and Tenn.
As a single homeowner with a middle class income I'm concerned that if my insurance goes up again I'm not going to be able to afford my home. But I also won't be able to afford anything else because a junky fixer upper home is still about $200,000. Home are mercifully decreasing in value this past year, but of course the city and county still want to tax you at the higher rate.
End of rant.

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Aug 1, 2007

I'm a good 2hrs from either coast, in the southern end of the state and the housing market just popped and popped hard, there are so many houses that have been empty and on the market for over a year, I'm hoping the decline levels off and stays that way for a few years so we can buy after I graduate, but where I left in MI was just as bad and the economy up there is still in a tailspin

bigsyis · Aug 3, 2007

What part of FL are you in?? I am having a horrible time trying to decide where to move. I am torn between FL (Orlando) and Texas (Dallas). I have family all over FL (that's a good AND bad thing!). I am a single mom, I don't mind being on my own (always have anyways), but I just thought moving to FL may be more fun for holidays and lots of family things to do for my little girl. However, I worry about the hurricanes (every year!) etc. In TX you can get such beautiful homes for so little! I currently live in Los Angeles (Yeah, EXPENSIVE!!!) so I am looking to start my new life after my divorce as a well paid nurse where I can become a homeowner eventually. Please give me more details about what you have had problems with in FL. I am trying to make a decision within the next month.
THANKS (and sorry for your problems:o)

I would say take the job in Dallas. Yes, you are still a good distance away from your family, but nothing like CA is. I like your independent-sounding spirit. Good luck to you! (BTW-I left FL 15 yrs ago, after having lived there for the first 40yrs of my life. I still go back to visit family. If they didn't live there, I wouldn't go back.)

Lainee · Aug 4, 2007

This sucks. I hope to move to Florida some day.

I work the weekend program in Philadelphia and make 40-43 dollars an hour. How can I go down there to 50% of that???

centralflorida · Aug 4, 2007

Nursegrrl - what is the cost of housing in your area? I'm in Lakeland - you can probably get a decent 3 bedrom house for about $175,000, especially now that the housing market is crashing. Rent for one bedroom apartment, $500-600, two bedroom, $700-900.

A two bedroom house up the street from me is renting for $750.

I'm just saying, the cost of living might balance out for you. And with the amount of experience you have, if you were working on weekends I think you would be making more like in the high 20s per hour, at least from what I've seen posted on the board here. Also you could check out agencies and see if they pay more per hour.

I am also considering looking at other states for more pay once I get out of school, but I do have to consider quality of life. I just love beaches and warm weather.

I'm also thinking of doing the travel nurse thing during the summer - leaving Florida for May through September, go work somewhere that it pays better, dodge hurricane season and afternoon thunderstorms every day. Then come back and enjoy the great weather October through April.

boos-mom · Aug 5, 2007

The pay here is much lower than what I made, fresh out of school in 1993, in New Orleans. The cost of living here is higher, but I think that patience is a virtue in this case- it might take some reform and some protesting from us- but I see it happening.

Just as an aside, are there nursing unions in Florida??

traumahawk99 · Aug 5, 2007

i'm in florida, with no plans to go anywhere as a nurse. first year as a nurse i made 100k. i worked insane hours, but it was worth it. there is plenty of opportunity here :).

the taxes and insurance are huge issues , i have to agree. i live in the tampa bay area, and it's escalated phenomenally. housing is out of reach for many working families. when taxes went up, the government blew every dime of it like an uneducated lottery winner (sheer buffoonery, but that's another issue).

fortunately, i'm grandfathered in on taxes with the save our homes cap. and since my house is paid for, i don't have to insure it (i don't, screw the insurance rip off!). the bottom line is i live here for around $800 a year plus utilities, so there is no need for me to consider moving. my house has been here for 50 years, and it will be here when i'm dead, so i don't see why i need to hand an insurance company $3,000 a year.

centralflorida · Aug 5, 2007

Oh, I hope I can make that kind of money too! Any tips? Once I'm done with school I plan on working nights, weekends, overtime...and if I could make that kind of money I'd definitely stay in Florida.

As for the insurance...yikes. I'm not that brave. You at least have smoke detectors and an alarm system, right?

traumahawk99 · Aug 6, 2007

to make money in this business, you've got to be flexible, available, and willing to work nights.

what does a manager in charge of staffing want? they want no drama, no call offs, good quality work, etc. just put yourself in their place... what would you want? if you become that person, you'll find yourself used constantly. i'd take 2 jobs.. one in a hospital, and another as a prn for a large 250+ bed nursing home. you'll find it's no trick at all to get 70 hours a week if you want to work.

yeah, i've got a smoke detector. my house is concrete block... i don't see it burning down. i can do construction myself, including building a house from the ground up. since i'm on the highest spot in the county, even a major hurricane storm surge wouldn't come close to flooding my house. i think i'm 17 feet above that even. so now we're down to wind damage.

i have a much better chance of getting killed driving than losing my house. for those odds, i'll self insure. what happens to insurance money? it goes for administration and profit payouts in a good year. then insurers whine when they have losses. i've chosen to be exempt from that system, and i'm not the only one.

now, if you live right on the beach, etc... you'll get clobbered if you have no insurance and anything happens because those properties will be under water. the problem with insurance is people who have houses high and dry are forced to subsidize those who build in foolish locations prone to damage.

centralflorida · Aug 6, 2007

Thanks, Traumahawk, that's very helpful information. Are there any other things that bump up your hourly rate? Working for an agency vs. working as staff? Any particular certifications or advanced training that are helpful once you're an RN?

traumahawk99 · Aug 6, 2007

nothing in particular.. a certification might help, but working the night shift will usually bring a nice differential. you aren' t going to go agency until you get some experience, probably at least a year. however, you can work prn somewhere!

iinitally, i took a job in long term care. i make more money in long term care because it's easier to get the hours in, and the hours are not as intense. several .times, i've made 3,000 in one week.

burnout is a factor, however. now i'm working 36 hours in a hospital on the night shift, and doing prn in a large nursing home. all i've got to do is make 1400 a week for the rest of the year to make 100k this year. that's gonna be cake.

in the long run, everyone wants to get off the floor, including me.

just hop out there and work :). be flexible, don't fight with other nurses, don't start writing up your cna's, etc.... no drama, always willing to come in and help, never call off.. and you'll get there. some coworkers will be angry/jealous that you're working so much, as though it's a scam. they could do it themselves, but they don't want to, and they don't want you to either. that's a part of human nature and you'll surely run into it. so be prepared.

it's very easy to make at least 80k in this business working nights. and that's a lot more opportunity than you'll see in other industries. most folks don't make anywhere near that.