Why Does Everyone Hate Florida So Much??

Lstcats · Dec 29, 2008

GREAT pic. Oh, how I wish I was there right this minute compared to 40 degrees and cloudy. Why do people complain about the construction in FL? It is a great thing. We have terrible roads in and around Boston filled with potholes and cracks that don't get fixed. i live on a dead end street and had to go about 5 miles per hour days after the snowstorm because of all the bumps in the road and dodging the cracks and potholes. MA is known for one of the top states for the "worst" roads in the country. The freeways/highways in FL are awesome compared to here. I drove in Tampa just last month on a Friday AM about 6:45 AM and wondered where in the world is all the traffic and when I got downtown at 7:15 I paid $5 for parking for an entire day compared to $20-25 a day here. And, there was no one around in the garage next to the convention center. I was amazed.

lpnflorida, LPN · Dec 29, 2008

Hopes of catching a fish like yours is enough to keep me in Florida.... I love flats fishing

saarein · Dec 30, 2008

Sorry about the "sister" comment. I guess I didn't do my homework and look at your profile. As my kids would say "my bad"!!! Generators are such a blessing; we went out and bought a very large generator after hurricane season 2004. That's the first thing you should buy when you move here. I can't figure out why it takes so long to do road repairs or build roads down here. I can understand why it took so long up north. There's that thing called winter, but down here the weather is beautiful so much of the time.

csason · Dec 30, 2008

Hopes of catching a fish like yours is enough to keep me in Florida.... I love flats fishing

I was standing in 3" of water when that one hit.

Go to Indian Rocks..or any of the Gulf Beaches between the Skyway and New Port Richey this spring..

When it is hot enough and the wind is flat.. (look at how calm it is) and use greenbacks.. The guy

that I started hanging out with from Indiana, and I , caught eight or ten just standing there..

Sorry about the "sister" comment. I guess I didn't do my homework and look at your profile. As my kids would say "my bad"!!! Generators are such a blessing; we went out and bought a very large generator after hurricane season 2004. That's the first thing you should buy when you move here. I can't figure out why it takes so long to do road repairs or build roads down here. I can understand why it took so long up north. There's that thing called winter, but down here the weather is beautiful so much of the time.

HA. !! I guess I should put some sort of moniker under my handle that signifies the

rooster characteristics. I'm not sure where you are, but lately, it seems that road construction is ALL

that is being built around here.. in Polk, we were the 6th or 7th fastest growing area in the country..(U.S.)

when the boom was on, so now we have literally dozens of unfinished developments.

Road construction seems to be at a fair pace, even still.. glad to see some of our property tax money doing something.. :yeah:

katherinecm · Dec 31, 2008

I'm from Florida. I can't speak with any authority on nursing there since I am only a student, but my family has been there since it belonged to Spain. When my parents divorced when I was a kid I started going back & forth between the midwest and Florida, so I can maybe give some perspective on Northern/Southern thing. Brought up in the "nature coast" area west of Gainesville, also lived in Treasure Island (Tampa Bay area) and in Pensacola, Colorado and New York.

Rich, entitled people who are rude and extremely self-absorbed and who use their illnesses to get attention from others are just as annoying no matter where you are in the country. Get a thicker skin or ask a southerner to teach you the cold disdaining stare that has a way of putting people into their place. You kind of raise one eyebrow and purse your lips. If all else fails give them a lecture. No one is going to respect you if you don't know how to stand up for yourself, and it doesn't matter where you are in the country, people will take advantage of you if you let them. Learn to be bossy when it comes to patients if that is what they need. If you are at a place where they treat nurses like crap, try a different job. Try working at a magnate hospital or ASK around to find out where staff is happiest. There are crap jobs everywhere, even in professional fields.

My dad once made me promise that if I ever moved south of Orlando I would first learn fluent Spanish. At the time I had a cousin whose husband was stationed in Miami with the coast guard and she HATED it there, she felt trapped even living on base because of the high crime. In general with both visiting and living, everyone I know prefers the gulf coast. It's more relaxed and there are less tourists, and the tourists there tend to be middle or upper middle class and don't "put on airs" as I have heard some people phrase it.

If you're not someone who likes heat, forget it. It's not going away. If you don't mind it, you can get acclimated to 90 degrees and 100% humidity in just a few weeks. Turn off your air conditioner, wear less clothes. When you get hot in the afternoon, take a cold shower and a nap. Try sleeping naked with just a sheet. Flip your pillow over to get to the cool side. Make sure you're drinking enough water and eating enough salt. When outside, if your skin starts to feel warm, get out of the sun or you'll burn. You'll probably lose weight and develop a healthy glow.

Learn what insects (yellow flies, spiders, cow-killer ants, fire ants), snakes, gators, and other animals to avoid OR take a floridian WITH you when you go into the woods or swamps and have them teach you how to see those things. If you accidentally step in a fire ant hill, get into the nearest water immediately, even if it's a mud puddle. If you are allergic to bee stings, have an epi-pen with you until you know you're not allergic to fire ants.

When in a touristy area, be careful. Especially watch out for cars from Ohio and New Jersey. I have had about 25 near-misses from distracted tourists, and ALL of them had plates from those states. I don't know why. I never had such problems driving through those states. Also watch out when driving on the interstate in Ocala, it's deadly. Transients, crime, and drug addicts seem to mix more readily with the rest of the population in touristy areas for some reason.

To a southerner, all "yankees" are rude. This isn't a comment on someone cutting them off in traffic, there are simply basic social courtesies that they observe that yankees never notice. Things like always saying sir or mam, being genuinely kind to everyone no matter how poor or unworthy they look, speaking softly, opening doors, smiling at every stranger you pass, always respecting your elders, and I'm sure a dozen other things. When I go home and go out with my aunt, I feel like the RUDEST person on the planet because I am SO out of practice when it comes to being "charming." But when I went to college the first time in New York a girl who eventually became my close friend confessed that when she first met me I was so overly friendly she seriously wondered if I was hitting on her. She was from Pennsylvania. Along the same lines, my Floridian aunt HATED Hillary Clinton with a passion until I explained to her that she was not an incredibly rude woman from Arkansas, she was just a yankee. She didn't believe me at first, but when I explained that she was from Chicago, went to college in Massachucetts and then to Yale for law school suddenly her overbearing brusqueness was excusable.

The culture (at least in areas without a lot of yankees) is about 30 years behind New England when it comes to being politically correct in almost every aspect. If you are the type that identifies with the things the "Stuff White People Like" website makes fun of, you are probably going to think that Floridians are "the wrong kind of white people" and hate it there. It is a state that basically leans christian (southern baptist), and libertarian (again, can't speak for touristy areas or south of Orlando). This means that people will look down on you for doing errands or mowing your lawn on Sundays. You are expected to either go to church or sleep in and spend the afternoon at a Sunday dinner with your extended family and maybe have a fun activity like going swimming afterward. Even if you don't practice religion, it forms a basic part of southern culture. It also means that guns are everywhere, many are extremely pro-military, and people make comments (often of a sexual or racist or religious nature) that anywhere else would be considered RUDE. I've spent half my life in Florida and sometimes even I can't resist questioning comments like that. At least from family members.

That libertarian streak extends into a live-and-let live atmosphere when it comes to harming yourself. An alcoholic relative in the midwest was involuntarily committed to rehab with only one court date, another relative in Florida we were told would only be committed if they had actually caused harm to someone else, even if drunk driving was common. In another vein, my dad was the chief of police in his town when I was young, he knew the boys who lived down the road were driving when they were my age (9!) but didn't care because "they are good drivers. As long as they don't get on the highway they'll be fine." It does not extend into publicly questioning prayer or the ten commandments being posted at a courthouse. If you want warm temperatures and political correctness, move to california. I can only assume that "self-harm" thing extends into nursing.

Yes, there are hurricanes. Live miles from the coast, preferably in an area with some natural wetlands between you and the coast. Certain areas of Florida get less hurricanes than others, like the Tampa Bay area for some reason that has to do with currents. Buy a brick house in a high area, and suddenly hurricanes will be an enjoyable week home with family (like the southern version of a blizzard) only you don't die when the heat goes out. Have plenty of water, make sure your stove runs on gas, and keep some lanters around. Unplug things when there is a thunderstorm, even when you have a surge protector. My dad had 3 tv's get struck by lightening in one summer when I was young because no one was home to unplug anything.

I went from a rural area in florida to a medium-sized city in the midwest, so I cannot directly compare the schools BUT I can tell you that sometimes what ranks as "one of the top" schools in "one of the top" states in education often means that the school has abandoned traditional, tested ways of teaching in exchange for "new reading" or "new math." What that meant for my Florida school was that kids in my class did GREAT on standardized exams (3 got accepted to service acadamies from ONE small school in my grad year!), and in the north my "fantastic" school district had to re-teach kids to read and learn grammar in 8th grade because they never had a firm grasp on phonics or rules of grammar and were failing standardized exams. It also meant that when I went to college in New York I couldn't handle Calculus despite having taken pre-calc in high school from a man who had also taught for the University of Iowa. I could have written a computer program or programmed a calculator to find the answer but I had no clue how to figure those things out on paper when I had to show my work. NOT GOOD.

Other things you might not think of: Palm trees house palmetto bugs, do not allow them near your house or at the VERY least, hire someone to remove the "stems" so that there are less places for roaches to come from. Seriously. They come inside when it rains, avoid the sources of them and you'll see them way less. Those little green lizards you see basking in the sun are chamelions, tell your kids to catch them and put them in a different place so they can watch them change colors. They switch from green to brown in a few minutes. Super cool. Fruit trees attract rats, they are much more romantic on someone else's property. There are tons of poisionous and hallucinagenic mushrooms that grow all over, teach your kids to stay away from them and to not ever touch them with bare skin (hallucinagens can absorb through your fingertips). It's a great place to learn horseback riding, the soil is sandy pretty much everywhere so if you put your foot in a stupid place and get thrown you probably won't be hurt. Pay attention to the tide charts when you go to the beach, especially if you are the type to fall asleep on your float. Take meat tenderizor to the beach with you in case you get stung by a jellyfish, it helps to break down the proteins that form the poision. Vinegar smells terrible but also takes the heat right out of a sunburn. It should be a last resort though, because your skin WILL peel after using vinegar. ABSOLUTELY avoid swimming in the gulf at dusk and dawn. See all those people fishing from the beach? They're SHARK fishing. Avoid feeding times, especially with small children and floats/boogie boards. Instead ignore every bit of advice you ever heard about skin cancer and go to the beach from 9am to 4pm. Otherwise don't worry about sharks. Far many more people die each year from falling coconuts than from sharks, but you never hear people with a deathly fear of coconuts. I guess that's because deadly falling coconuts don't make for good movies.

woknblues · Dec 31, 2008

I'm from Florida. I can't speak with any authority on nursing there since I am only a student, but my family has been there since it belonged to Spain. When my parents divorced when I was a kid I started going back & forth between the midwest and Florida, so I can maybe give some perspective on Northern/Southern thing. Brought up in the "nature coast" area west of Gainesville, also lived in Treasure Island (Tampa Bay area) and in Pensacola, Colorado and New York.
*snip*

Excellent post. I was among the first to come on this thread and bash away, and am still impressed. Doesn't really change my mind, but if a newcomer to FL wanted to do it right, they should refer to your post. I do think that anyone can make whatever they want out of anywhere, it is just much harder to do in SE FL than anywhere I have ever lived.

regards.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Dec 31, 2008

Wow, Katherine, excellent post, so informative! :yeah:

I apologise in advance for going a tad OT, but I have a couple of questions. About that meat tenderizer -- you mean good ol' A1 sauce? I learned about hot water for treating sting ray stings from the news programs, but I never knew about the meat tenderizer.

Next -- I have a nice big palm tree by my house and your post explains why I keep seeing the occasional bug in my laundry room. It's too gorgeous to get rid of, so I'll just deal with the buggies as they come. (Although I honestly thought I'd pass out the time I reached for a Q-tip in the bathroom cabinet and there was one staring at me at eye level from inside the package.)

Next --- fire ants. *shudder* Someone told me that they don't like Avon Skin So Soft. Any truth to that?

katherinecm · Dec 31, 2008

About that meat tenderizer -- you mean good ol' A1 sauce?
...
Next --- fire ants. *shudder* Someone told me that they don't like Avon Skin So Soft. Any truth to that?

No, I mean el-cheapo dry meat tenderizer in a salt-shaker type dispenser that consists of mostly of an enzyme extracted from papaya that breaks down proteins, sometimes with salt and msg. It's in the spice section of most grocery stores and sometimes convenience stores near the beach carry it. Leave it in your beach bag and check it occassionally to make sure it hasn't caked up due to the humidity.

I've never heard about fire ants and skin so soft, but it does repell some other insects. Swallowing B-vitamin complexes and avoiding eating sugary foods and especially bananas may help with mosquitos too. I think the only way to avoid fire ants is to watch where you step. You can try boiling water, poisioned bait, or calling an exterminator if they are in your yard, but there's basically no getting rid of them.

saarein · Dec 31, 2008

If you get stung by fire ants and you can stand it use bleach and warm water. When I first moved here the dog and I stepped in a whole mess of fire ants. She had the good sense to get away from them right away, but I didn't know why she was jumping away from me until I felt the horrible pain in my feet and looked down and could barely see my feet! The lady next door brought out a pan filled mostly with bleach and a little bit of water. The pain dissipated within 30 seconds. My feet were covered with small raised blisters from the bites, though!

csason · Dec 31, 2008

Wow.. It's been a while since I've heard someone other than close friends and relatives refer to cow killers.. That and stinger nettles.

Great post.

When the refugees started their influx into Florida from Vietnam, my Dad was amazed at them begging him for the green ones, but being a typical southerner, he was glad to help them out..as long as they were not haughty..(very important to learn Southron to fit in..) They love to pickle them.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2009

Of course, this is the point in the conversation where the discussion tends to disintegrate to
name calling.. oops, So, I'll just say, I would love it if all the people who don't like Florida
would just leave.
BTW, Someone should tell my deceased grandfather who wrote a book on veterinary medicine
that is still in use, that Floridians have low IQs..

Not to mention, one of my cousins, whose research/translation skills enabled searchers to find several treasure ships.

I am one of those native Floridians, that have the "If snowbirds are in season, why can't we shoot them?", bumper stickers on the car. Not to mention, in restaurants, when someone insists on saying, "That's not the way that we do it up North" - the common mental (occasionally verbal) response is, "Why don't you go back there, then?"

In all the time that I travelled up North, I never expected them to change to please me.

Lstcats · Jan 1, 2009

:tku::clphnds::yelclap:

i can't begin to tell you how much i appreciate your post. finally, someone said everything we needed so matter of fact and without personal bias. just the facts. i so appreciate it immensely. :yeah:see below for my comments.

:onbch:

in general with both visiting and living, everyone i know prefers the gulf coast. it's more relaxed and there are less tourists, and the tourists there tend to be middle or upper middle class and don't "put on airs" as i have heard some people phrase it.

:coollook:glad to hear this because tampa bay is where i want to move to.

if you're not someone who likes heat, forget it. it's not going away. if you don't mind it, you can get acclimated to 90 degrees and 100% humidity in just a few weeks. turn off your air conditioner, wear less clothes. when you get hot in the afternoon, take a cold shower and a nap. try sleeping naked with just a sheet. flip your pillow over to get to the cool side. make sure you're drinking enough water and eating enough salt. when outside, if your skin starts to feel warm, get out of the sun or you'll burn. you'll probably lose weight and develop a healthy glow.

:di loved reading this. i do love the heat and some very practical ways to help when it is so humid. i wanted to :cry: when i read the last part as i do want to be healthier (i have fm and some oa and have had 2 very bad years and cold kills me).

when in a touristy area, be careful. especially watch out for cars from ohio and new jersey. i have had about 25 near-misses from distracted tourists, and all of them had plates from those states. i don't know why. i never had such problems driving through those states. also watch out when driving on the interstate in ocala, it's deadly. transients, crime, and drug addicts seem to mix more readily with the rest of the population in touristy areas for some reason.

:nono:i agree about ocala. 275 and 75 really scared me enough so that i wouldn't drive back to my aunts at nighttime from tampa. lots of construction and poor lighting (she lives in summerfield). one thing that bothers me is that the speed limit is 70 which i think is too high because then peoople go 80. and, get right up on you:uhoh21: no beeping though:up: and expect you to just move over to the next lane when you are already going 70+.

to a southerner, all "yankees" are rude. this isn't a comment on someone cutting them off in traffic, there are simply basic social courtesies that they observe that yankees never notice. things like always saying sir or mam, being genuinely kind to everyone no matter how poor or unworthy they look, speaking softly, opening doors, smiling at every stranger you pass, always respecting your elders, and i'm sure a dozen other things.

:yeah:wow, this was great to read. i've tried to tell so many people how it is up here in the north and how rude we are. as you said, i find it so different in fl where men actually open a door for you and everyone smiles and yes the sir and mam thing that we don't do in the northeast. i am a better person in florida and so want to change my life to be the best i can be. i :bluecry1: when i think about how it is here compared to how i could be living in fl.

the culture (at least in areas without a lot of yankees) is about 30 years behind new england when it comes to being politically correct in almost every aspect. if you are the type that identifies with the things the "stuff white people like" website makes fun of, you are probably going to think that floridians are "the wrong kind of white people" and hate it there.

it sounds like there is still racial bias which i have heard. i am amazed that when i go to tampa bay area that there are many whites and few hispanics and mostly african american. i am not used to that. i am used to many hispanics, asians, portuguese/brazilians, africans from africa, and more.

it is a state that basically leans christian (southern baptist),

:wink2: one of the big draws for me to move there is the huge christian influence. too liberal and difficult living up here as a conservative christian and, voting republican at that. not sure i can take much more of it. :rolleyes:

this means that people will look down on you for doing errands or mowing your lawn on sundays. you are expected to either go to church or sleep in and spend the afternoon at a sunday dinner with your extended family and maybe have a fun activity like going swimming afterward.

and, it is the opposite up here. if you go to church on sunday or don't do certain things like work you are an outcast. i live in a building with 40 units and to my knowledge i am the only one who goes to church on sunday. it is very sad to see over 100 people on my street not go to church.

yes, there are hurricanes. live miles from the coast, preferably in an area with some natural wetlands between you and the coast. certain areas of florida get less hurricanes than others, like the tampa bay area for some reason that has to do with currents. :yeah:this is great news for me...

other things you might not think of: palm trees house palmetto bugs, do not allow them near your house or at the very least, hire someone to remove the "stems" so that there are less places for roaches to come from. seriously. they come inside when it rains, avoid the sources of them and you'll see them way less.

so, now i know why my aunt has cockroaches in her dishwasher which didn't phase her in the least. i got used to them...now they are no big deal. she has a palm tree right in her front yard over her house. i never knew this about palm trees. i did see a palmetto bug in the pool where i was staying. i just thought it was a huge cockroach. i got out of the pool and saw it and told the pool attendant. he came over picked it up and threw it in the garbage. i couldn't believe it. i would never have touched it but it wasn't interesting to learn about the huge flying cockroaches. now, it doesn't phase me. and, what are fire ants??? can someone tell me?