Possible move to Fl. Lot's of questions

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I've been in Florida many times to visit and now that housing is coming back to earth I am considering the move.

First my experience as a nurse. I have over 13 years experience including LTC, Emergency, Charge Nurse and Med/Sur and Tele. I have my ACLS. Currently I am on an observation unit also called decision unit where we get the ER patients to monitor pending discharge in 24 hours or admission. It is a Magnet facility with all computer charting including bar-coded meds. Basically I can hit the floor running anywhere I go.

I have a family with three small children 2-7 years old. I've been a boat owner and that is something I look forward to again. My kids love to fish and boat. My girl is into cheer leading and the boys will be ready for football, soccer and baseball this year. My wife loves to shop. Luckily she also enjoys having a job. She is a CNA, completed a medical assistant program 15 years ago and is currently working as a unit secretary.

Knowing how slow this forum can be my first question is for links to other forums for Florida nurses. I use City-Data and GreatSchools.net but getting specific info on hospitals is difficult.

My next question is regarding salary. I currently earn $41/hr doing weekend nights. My base for weekdays is $30. Basically I would need to make at least $32/hr including differentials to live comfortably. From what I've been reading that should be possible.

Now location. I have family in Venice. Englewood looks really good for us. It is near the beach and family. The schools are good. Does anyone have info about Englewood Hospital? Venice Regional? Charlotte Memorial? Fawcett Memorial? I'm interested in how they treat their nurses, patient loads, benefits and salary.

Now another consideration is the east coast. Specifically Port St Lucie, Vero Beach and Fort Pierce? What can you tell me about hospitals in that area and what the benefits, working conditions and salaries are.

Finally a question on health benefits. Do hospitals in Florida pay everything or is there always an employee co-pay?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Good luck to you.

Those areas don't pay that well and you might be disappointed. Those areas also have high census during the winter so now is the time to go when jobs are plentiful. Things slow down during the summer.

Usually there's a co-pay for benefits.

I'm a bit north in St. Pete. Good luck!

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Good luck to you.

Those areas don't pay that well and you might be disappointed. Those areas also have high census during the winter so now is the time to go when jobs are plentiful. Things slow down during the summer.

Usually there's a co-pay for benefits.

I'm a bit north in St. Pete. Good luck!

How about Largo or Clearwater? We've been to Clearwater Beach several times and love it there. I don't want to spend a fortune on a house and would like to stay below 200k.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Largo and Clearwater are nice, but congested. Stay away from Largo Medical and look at Morton Plant to work. Again finding the wage you desire might be a challenge. The housing market has indeed slowed down some, but finding a decent house less than $200K is still a challenge depending on the number of bedrooms and baths, but not impossible if someone is looking for a quick sale you'll get a good price.

The other downside to the county and some you're looking at his the high cost of hurricane/flood insurance. So look for a home with an elevation greater than 12 feet and in a non-flood zone. I pay my escrow over $500/month just for the insurance and taxes. Taxes aren't so bad and they have remained steady but insurance has doubled and tripled in some cases for us here.

Just being real so you're not shocked. It's very hard for a single homeowner, but not impossible. Good luck.

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I live on the east coast, Melbourne, 2 hours south of Daytona, 45 minutes north of Fort Pierce. What I can tell you about the east coast is that salaries for nurses, depending on your experience and your negotiations, new grads are at about 21 an hour. My friend has been an ER nurse for 15 years and just now makes 34 an hour. Housing is at a stalemate, meaning builders have slowed/stopped building in most areas. The houses, new 3/2 around 1500 sq feet, run around 200-275,000 if you are luck enough to find one in a good area. Insurance here is the killer. Most homes between 10 yo and newer, with size mentioned above, can run you between 1200-2500 per year, again depending on the age and area. The closer to the beach the more expensive. Taxes for the above mentioned home are around 1500 a year as well. So, living here is not cheap. The further south you go, generally speaking closer to West Palm and that area, the more expensive all the above mentioned gets. I am not discouraging you from moving here but that is just the reality of living here. Can it be done, sure. Can it be a lot to get used to, absolutely. I have a few acquaintances who are nurses, who moved here from up north and just couldn't take the pay cut. It started cramping the way they were used to living and moved up in the Georgia, North Carolina areas, from New Hampshire and Boston areas. They say the pay is higher, cost of living more reasonable.

Anyways, like Tweety says, not trying for the doom and gloom, but people don't realize just how darn expensive Florida is and that the wages are not meeting that nearly like it does in other states.

GOOD luck with your decision making.

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Thanks for the replies. Keep them coming. I am aware of insurance and tax issues. I have equity in my house and down money. I can afford the insurance and taxes but see that home prices still need to come down some more. I have done extensive research regarding the Florida housing boom and now the current bust. My main concern remains income. If I can pull in 60k a year with base and differential working 12 hour shifts I'll be OK. I figure I can add another 10 with OT and my wife can make 10-12 part-time.

I've seen homes that are bank owned or short sales that are listed for under 150k. I'm anticipating 2500 for insurance and 2500-3600 taxes. I've got no credit card debt and don't mind driving a used car. I just want a small used boat and to fish and hang out at the beach.

I actually have a friend who lives in Melbourne. She finished nursing school two years ago but I lost her number. I could handle 34. I wish I could contact her.

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Oh, I was going to mention this....a recruiter came to our school a few weeks back, from a travel agency. She has been coming to our school for a few years and they recruit students but require they have at least 1 year experience with a hospital before working for them. Anyhow, they have a LOT of people who work travel jobs but stay in this area. I don't know how aware of this area you are but with 50 miles of me in Melbourne there are over 30 hospitals. So, there are a many who choose to become "travelers" who can live and work in this area. They get the higher "traveler" pay, the housing allowances...etc.... I have been checking into this myself lately. It is a way to have a home here and still have the benefits of working as a traveler with the increased pay they receive in comparison to many permanent nurses in the same hospitals.

GOOD LUCK with your decision making process.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
........ My friend has been an ER nurse for 15 years and just now makes 34 an hour. Housing is at a stalemate, meaning builders have slowed/stopped building in most areas. The houses, new 3/2 around 1500 sq feet, run around 200-275,000 if you are luck enough to find one in a good area. Insurance here is the killer. Most homes between 10 yo and newer, with size mentioned above, can run you between 1200-2500 per year, again depending on the age and area.................

I've had my job for 15 years and the maximum in my salary rage is the $32.00/hour I make, and that's an RN III position as a permanent charge nurse. I do not get raises. The max for RN II staff nurses is $30.00/hour.

With differentials for working nights it's higher though, so the op might be able to meet his family's needs in Florida. I have a friend that gets a killer salary in Tampa General working "nightshift weekends plus one". Meaning three 12-hour shifts a week, but including every Saturday and Sunday. He says the differential is about 50% and he'll make $90K.

I wish my insurance was that low. It's about $4000.00/year this year and that's with a grandfathered rate of "only" 900.00 flood insurance. My mortgage company requires flood insurance. I was rezoned and got to keep the old rate. The new rate is a total of $6000.00 per year. I seriously feel like I'm being cheated and robbed. We were rezoned for no good reason because there hasn't been a flood in my neighborhood, ever. Prior, I didn't have to carry flood insurance, now I do. Why when there wasn't even a flood to justify the rezoing? I'll tell you why, it was for the greedy insurance companies to have more money. Don't get me started on Florida's insurance. The rates though are lower elsewhere. My sister lives in a non-flood zone in Tampa and pays about $1500 per year for fire and hurricane.

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Tweety,

I could DEFINITELY march my way into an MI if I got started with Florida's insurance and "rezoning" practices. A friend of ours has lived here for almost 30 years in a home she grew up in, it is almost 50 years old. Nice brick home on 5 acres and until 2 years ago no close neighbors. Anyhow, the millionaires moved in, about 5 new 3 million + homes, around hers. Because of that, her property value shot through the roof. She was paying like 10,000 a year for taxes, because of the size of the property. 2 years ago when the millionaires plopped down she got her "revised" taxes....are you sitting down? 52,000 in taxes for 1 YEAR WOT! She called us hysterical. She is retired, can't afford that, who the heck can??? She had to sell her childhood home.....which was going to be left to her children..... She got a considerable sum for the sell but DANG IT that wasn't the point, ya know. She lives in a condo on the beach and although lovely she isn't the same. She has yet to call it home. OH, the kicker is that of the 5 new homes, 3 are snow birds. They don't even come here that often and she loses her home.....tsk tsk....SHAME on Florida!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

nurz....that is so shameful.

My taxes are under a "save our homes" which mandates no more than a 3% hike per year in property taxes, but you can bet it goes up 3% a year exactly, but that's better than paying taxes on the inflated so-called value of the home. I'll never be able to sell this house because the next buyer, will have to pay the new rezoned flood/hurricane rates and the higher taxes and it's just not worth it for my modest 3-bedroom 2-bath middle class home. Plus if I sold I couldn't afford to buy a home in this town and would be in the shape your friend is in, in some condo/apt. somewhere unhappy about it.

Shame on Florida, I agree.

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Specializes in Oncology, Research.

SOH is great if you have owned your home for years and years. Those of us newer homeowners have it rough. I pay 4200 in taxes on a 3/2 1200sf home valued at 190K. Grated my millage may be higher than Tampa/Clearwater, but I think the OP should count on higher property taxes than they originally anticipated.

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Stay away from all of the hospitals in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda (Fawcett, Peace River Regional and Charlotte Regional). They're understaffed, for-profit facilities with a reputation for not taking care of their employees. The care at these places is mediocre at best.

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