Native Floridians?

elkpark · Apr 16, 2004

I am another native Floridian (rare species, as you noted!) However, I don't live in FL, for all the reasons you noted and others. I left the state at 18 and haven't lived there since, although my parents still live in the area in which I grew up.

nurseunderwater · Apr 17, 2004

OK....so we moved to FL when I was 5 in 1971.....palm bch county

I do remember the "real FL"....my uncle was a guide in the keys, now own a resturant called "uncles" in Islandmorada... Both my brothers are boat cptns...

I remember undredged beaches....white sand (not grey), boca raton as a small coastal town, snorkeling in the intracoastal before the boca hotel took over the rest of beach,

getting sandollars with my toes on the sandbar before the dredges came....oh, and the excitement about I-95 being turned into a 4 lane highway....who knew???

I go an see my mom now and again..... it's just not the same. too many people, too much $$$$, not enough peace.

I now live in texas.....dh job......I have heard that fort walton is still nice....maybe I'll get there before it changes too.

flowerchild · Apr 17, 2004

"......I have heard that fort walton is still nice....maybe I'll get there before it changes too."

Too Late! I was there last summer. Absolutely some of the prettiest beaches I've seen here but already built up and crowded and the areas near are slated for development plus new and wider roads. Big new stores, all the top stores, big $$$, golf courses, etc. Paper co and developers fighting state to use protected management areas to build the road through the forest. They'll get the OK as usual. The only places left are in the marshes if you want everything we had minus the white sand beaches but even places like Cedar Key are built up. And the flats go for miles before you can hit deeper waters. But it's what's left. Even in those areas a mobile home on the water is going for $200,000 and we're talkin many miles to the closest town.

This beach baby is heading inland. Sigh. At least I'll have miles, and miles of wide open, peaceful river to play on that is vastly protected and owned by the state for preservation, thus limiting the expansion of urban sprawl. I can always drive an hour to the beach. Shoot, it takes me almost that long to get there now on a w/e and I'm only five miles away!

nurseunderwater · Apr 17, 2004

another one.... jumping off the bridges on the intracoastal and "loafing" with the currents. wakesurfing behind my school pals boat and showing up for school with sand on my feet after a morning of dawn patrol in the surf.....this thread has made me wax nostalgic for the good ol days.... oh and going clamming near sebastian inlet when the water was still clean...... man, this is making me sad.

flowerchild · Apr 17, 2004

OH YEA!

I remember going to school with my bathing suit under my cloths, still wet, wet hair, and of course sand tween my toes. Teachers never thought much of it, good thing. We didn't have air conditioning in the schools then and the breeze would blow through the big windows on a nice day. The school my kids go to now, has NO windows. It's closed up tight, no wonder my kids suffer from RAD.

We used to take the boat out by ourselves as kids, we'd take a pack of saltines and some tobasco so we could eat our lunch off the oyster beds in the bay. Those oysters are LONG GONE, wouldn't eat an oyster out of Tampa Bay now.

I remember riding our horses down to Boca Bay to let them swim, then if we were feeling really bad, we'd ride them through the rich folks golf course, then run like mad before we were caught. LOL, we were just havin some fun.

I remeber taking our gigs and heading out for fish, big, huge schools of fish, it was so easy.

I remember my Great Gma cooking up Coquina Soup, Yummy. She made it so good. I'd bring home the Coquinas and she'd cook all day.

And, clams, so easy to find the key holes, they were everywhere. She'd make me clam chowder too.

When I was growing up, we didn't have much $$. Dad would net mullet. We'd have mullet, stew, fried, broiled, steamed. Not so fond of mullet these days though.

We made our own skateboards from skates and wood, and our own boards for the beach and behind the boat. We'd wax the one for the boat and my Dad would pull me behind the boat, I was 4, I'd yell, faster Daddy, FASTER!. Mom would be Yelling at Dad to slow down and we'd just laugh and he'd push the throttle forward. We flew.

We used to hit the road, just for the fun of it, finding natural springs, hidden areas of nature, and anything else we could find. We'd drive for hours to have some REAL Catfish and hushpuppies. You could go anywhere, do anything, NOWDAYS, so many private, keep out, do not enter, do not breath on my land signs. Fences, etc. Just too many people

I remember getting caught on an island d/t summer storms and we'd make a lean to, or get under the boat and just peer out at the storm till it stopped, then make our way home.

We'd go to the woods and see plenty of fox, bobcat, etc. I saw a Florida Panther once in NORTH Florida, there are no more Panthers in the North these days. What a majestic animal to see in the wild.

We'd eat swamp cabbage, rattlesnake, soft shells, poke weed, etc.

It was all so abundant then.

Well, I did go scalloping last summer, and plan to do it again, kinda sucks that the nuke plant is always in view there though. Same for the crabbing. Still do that too but I have to drive for 2 1/2 hours to get where the pickins are still decent.

I remember going out Kingfishing, what fun! Dad would put me, this little kid at the helm and say don't go off course no matter what, just stick your head up through the center window so they can see you. You should have seen the faces of those other boaters when they saw a little kid in control, they'd get out of my way fast and we could keep our course! LOL.

Ah yes, the nostalgia. Remember when we all laughed b/c Disney bought all that SWAMP land in central Florida, the middle of nowhere? If you ever wondered why Disney has so many lakes it's b/c the drained the swamp and had to put the water somewhere. Too much of that has led to NO WATER for our faucets. Can't wash the car, my kids wonder why they can't play in the hose, my well smells like death-yuck-and to think we used to drink from our well, can't water the yard. Oh well, all in the progress of man.

They can have it, I'm outta here. Hoping to find a place where my children can run free, not worry about the child molester on the next street, where my children can ride horses for miles, where they can play in the water without worrying about high bacteria levels, where they can find wildlife, fish, mullusk, and just have some real kid fun.

I think I found it, we just bought a home on 12 1/2 acres in the country, on one of the largest pristine rivers in the state. 500 ft. on the water. Natural protected forests everywhere. And if I want to keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long, there will be no stuffed notherner to call me names!

Speaking of such, I've had it with being treated as second rate b/c I'm a real Floridian, for years, and it's gotten worse, people come build homes on pastures, then proceed to cut down, call names, to any "cracker" . I know, b/c I can act very refined and not show my accent, I'm a professional. They start talking, and I've heard what they say about me and my fellow natives. It's not nice, they have no respect for us. I let them run at the mouth and then tell them, then they say, oh not you. WELL, who else then? Give me a break. Superficial, they can have it.

Oh, and to finish our 40 years of living here, (in the county, not city limits) we were just fined $350 d/t my 71 Chevy sitting under the carport, hiden by lattice from view of the road! THEN, the state sends my hubby a letter stating he is being indicted on criminal charges for an inoperable vehicle, he must appear in court or an arrest warrent will be issued! They can fine us $500 per day or go to jail! We have NEVER been in any trouble with the law. This is so appalling to us. Of course the car is now up on our new property, I DARE someone to come onto our property and tell us we can't park it there under our new carport! Our current "wonderful" neighbors, not real floridians called to complain about the car, and this is after we spent $1000 on our yard with landscaping, painted the house, it looks great, but they just couldn't leave us alone long enough for us to get out of here. I just hope we get out of here before they realize hubby pulled the motor out of our race car and it is sitting on the car trailer, inoperable. I jsut can't live with others telling me what I can do and can have on my own property. It's not like the place is a dump! It's a beautiful home, clean and neat and well manicured. Give me a break! These old folks who come here just don't have anything better to do than to drive around and find any violation they can to report it. To top that off, this is a new law, we moved to the county in the first place so we could have our cars, and pets. Now they say I can't even have chickens or ponies here anymore. Can you tell I resent all of this? Well, I do, and for good reason, imo. SEE YA!

psychomachia · Apr 17, 2004

oh and going clamming near sebastian inlet when the water was still clean...... man, this is making me sad.

Along with the clams, we would go "oystering" at Wabasso in the Indian River...can't imagine anyone eating ANYTHING from there now.

And it seems that growing up in Florida was a "wild kingdom" of sorts...every kind of snake and critter would eventually pass your way while trampsing through the woods. I remember seeing beautiful Eastern Indigo (aka Blue Indigo) snakes as a kid, but I hear they are pretty rare these days.

I also remember what beach is supposed to look like - less people, no condos, and free parking...

...too bad my kids won't experience what I did...

Su360 · Apr 18, 2004

Hi Floridian,

I am from Michigan now moving to Florida. I moved down briefly when I was 21 only to have to come back. My sister and Husband moved down 25 yrs. ago and now my parents and 4 brothers and sisters reside in Florida.

I feel awful that the commercialism has made such a change in the environment. I try to avoid the busy areas and will be living in Sanford instead of Orlando. I have a love for Florida deep in my heart. Have been coming down for short visits for 30 yrs. Hopefully you won't have to move far from the place you grew up. My hope goes out to you. Love your State....

Best wishes. :rolleyes:

Hi!
Just wondering if there are any other native Floridians here on this BB. I was born and raised in Florida. It is a rare occasion to meet other people, especially my age (over 35), who are born here. Lots of transplants and people claiming to be Floridians but when you talk to them you find out they were born elsewhere.
I hear so many people putting Florida down for so many reasons, and then I think, the ones who complain, are NOT really from here but from up north somewhere. They are the ones who have made the laws, made the state the way it is, raised home prices beyond what most natives could ever afford, clogged the roads, etc. So why all the complaining? Geesh.
I remember the REAL Florida, abundant wildlife and sea life, no traffic, inexpensive housing, NICE, FRIENDLY southern folks --- where did they all go?
I was born in Pinellas county, raised on St. Pete. Beach, my Great Grand Parents owned the first motel on that beach, my Gma and Mom always lived on the waterfront, we could go fishing anytime and bring home dinner. Boy, are those days gone. The motel we owned is still there, it's sale value is over 2.5 million, our families waterfront homes in the half million range. WOW! But, the value of our homes is not worth what we have lost in quality of life. Our air quality is so bad that it's hard to breath all the exhaust, the noise levels of cars, sirens, etc is so bad that there is NEVER a moment of peace and quiet. The lights are so bright that you can't see the stars anymore. The beach so crowded, it's just not relaxing and enjoyable. The fish are depleated, no more fresh oysters, no more living from the sea. Going out in the boat is crazy! There are so many boats with crazy captains zooming in all directions that it's very dangerous to go out.
So my only recourse is to move away from the area I grew up to love and know so well b/c what I loved and knew, is no more.
Just venting.
I don't expect much response from natives b/c we are so few but just thought I'd give it a try. Anyone else with similar experiences in Florida?

nrcnurse · Apr 20, 2004

I'm a fifth-generation Floridian. My mother's family has a county named after them (Hendry.) I'm in Tampa, and have spent a lot of time on the gulf. Beaching, fishing, picnicing, digging for coquinas (I remember the stew!!) and sand fleas, and fiscally supporting the Coppertone company.

Yep, things are pretty sad now. Too many people, not enough water. Lots of work in LTC, though.

pedineuronurse · Jun 6, 2004

not only a native floridian here; but an actual real life native miamian, we actually do exist

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2004

Fourth generation Floridian here.

I left and hope not to return. The influx of people and unrestricted growth have ruined the state.

I put down much of the bureaucracy and lousy pay in Florida, because I have now seen much better, elsewhere.

Just my opinion.

snuggy · Aug 16, 2004

Third generation Floridian here, and my children are the fourth. I grew up on the Gulf-side (Hernando County, about an hour north of Clearwater) and most recently lived in St. Augustine Beach in St. Johns County on the east coast. (pedineuronurse, I have 5 immediate family members who are also native Miamians.)

We moved out of state just about a year and a half ago, and have no plans to return. While I do miss surfing every day and living on the water, I do not miss much else. I think that the over-crowding and urban sprawl has really ruined much of what was truly a place of unspoiled natural beauty. I really didn't care for how it has been turned into a "Little New York/Jersey" over the last 20-25 years especially.

Ah well, such is life. Now I live in a gorgeous Michigan town, where everyone goes away and drives horribly in Florida each winter. :chuckle