Ok.. SEEMS LIKE FLORIDA PAY SUCKS. EVERYONE AGREE?

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Geeeeeeeeeesh .. I was hoping to move down there until I heard of what the pay is! WOW!! TIME FOR A PAXIL!

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

Supply and demand - too many nurses, not enough openings.

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Yeah pay in here in FL is not that great.

However,taxes here are much less than in other states and you wont spend anytime shoveling your drive way :)

Also I recall from your previous post that you needed 37.00 per hour just to "survive". You may wish to set up an appointment with a financial planner :)

Good luck to ya.

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It seems like the people who say the "pay sucks " are the "Staffers/conservatives" the ones who dont " float-pool " etc... thats why I posted this thread .. eh.

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OK I am just plain confused now LOL

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Supply and demand - too many nurses, not enough openings.

That is part of the issue, but not nearly the whole picture.

Florida is disproportionately made up of retirees on medicare, of underinsured/uninsured, and has a large number of forprofit facilities.

The forprofits understaff and penny pinch. The uninsured/underinsured have limited bill paying ability, and when they do have a problem, their inability to buy their meds, and get proper followup, frequently results in repeat admissions. The retirees invariably have higher rates of comorbidities, often over stay their DRGs. You also run the gauntlet of ...pt needs to go the Nursing Home....family/pt refuse NH, because they don't want that option...pt bounces back to hospital repeatedly because they cannot take care of themselves...and insurance limits payments for readmission for the same problems.

Add in the garbage of no state income tax..... a serious issue. In many states, state income tax helps pay for a lot of socail services and improvements. That money has to come from somewhere...thus higher taxes on everything else and limited infrastructure improvements/social services. Limited social services result in higher medical costs, due to care of the indigent.

This also means seriously jacked up fees, property taxes any many areas. I usually pay my Mom's complete house insurance. This year despite home values dropping, despite not having filed a claim in ages, despite having made substantial safety improvements, her house insurance went up over 80%, over last year.

To the OP - please review the hundreds of threads on Florida pay and staffing issues. You are not saying anything new. A few years back, there was a informal AN thread on the Nursing Salary Hall of Shame - Florida was a major front runner.

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Has to be the state I love the most too, and a place I'd love to live! :sniff:

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Not so much for me...the humidity is brutal. I have been on 2 vacations to florida, both times I couldn't wait to leave. :p

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My brother earned over $100K last year........in Manhattan. (RN)

I am not a nurse yet. However, my pay is $72K/yr. To have the same standard of living in NYC, I would have to earn over $147K! (And deal with the snow, et. al.). Doing the math in reverse, For his $100K income would need to be $50K for the same standard of living in Jax. That would be $24.04/hr. About what experienced nurses are being paid here. We don't have to pay $3000 for a 2 BR apt! In fact, vacancy rates have escalated so rents are dropping. I pay $1250/mo (PITI) for a 2000 sq ft home on a decent lot (built in 2008) - 4BR 2BA 2car garage and have police officers living next door and across the street. :D What would that cost in NYC if you could find it? My utilities last month were $255 for electric + water.

FL has no income taxes, but we do have ~8% in sales tax (depending upon city). NYC residents pay Fed Income Tax, NY State income tax, NYC income tax, 10% (or so my brother claims) in sales tax!

Products cost less to purchase here. Not to use a "sin" product.....but a pack of cigarettes in NYC is $10. Here $5. Our gasoline is usually .50 cheaper per gallon. We don't shovel snow. Our beaches are enjoyable for the majority of the year.

It really isn't about pay. It is about cost of living.....and QUALITY of living. OH! And the in-state tuition I pay for my nursing program is $72/hr! (We have been told it is the lowest in the country. With 4 of my 5 in college, that is HUGE!)

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I make 10 dollars an hour LESS than I did in Pennsylvania. However, I was able to purchase a new construction home, pay for my RN education, and still put money in my retirement and emergency funds. IDK, I think it depends on the person and their priorities. I live really well and with the weather and vast amount of activities I wouldn't live anywhere else :p

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What is the starting rate for a RN in Florida?

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

Um.

No the pay doesn't suck.

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