Why are Florida RNs paid so low?

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I know that as a NYC RN i get paid more money...my cost of living is almost similar then yours. (I rent, I have car, I pay taxes etc...) i lived in FL for 8 years prior to moving to NYC...I hope to move back to FL but it frustrates me. I just don't understand why nurses do not demand higher wages, and why they receive ridiculously low raises...It is really frustrating because we are all doing the same job. Some NYC hospital have phlebotomist,and have the same work conditions as Fl. Maybe someone can explain this to me. How is your work condition? Do you have a "voice" in your hospital? or are you expoected to accept what they give you? :eek:

according to bestplaces.net vancouver, wa is 6% higher col than orlando....and 18% higher than jacksonville.

payscale.com shows rn, asn, 1 yr gen exp in a gen hosp w/200 beds.... average in vancouver $24.99, orlando $21.83, jax $21.65.

like fl, they pay no state income tax

[color=#339999]washington

sales taxes

state sales tax: 6.5% (food and prescription drugs exempt) local taxes may increase total tax to 9.5%. tax is 6.8% on sales and leases of motor vehicles.

gasoline tax: 37.5 cents/gallon

diesel fuel tax: 37.5 cents/gallon

cigarette tax: $2.025/pack of 20

personal income taxes

no state personal income tax

retirement income: not taxed.

property taxes

property taxes account for about 30% of washington's total state and local taxes. properties are appraised at 100% of fair market value. a property tax exemption program is available for persons age 61 or older, or persons unable to work due to a physical disability. the property, which can include up to an acre of land, must be owner/buyer occupied.

inheritance and estate taxes

washington replaced the inheritance tax in 1982 with an estate tax which only matters if you have over $2m in estate value.

[color=#339999]florida

sales taxes

state sales tax: 6% (food, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt). there are additional county sales taxes which could make the combined rate as high as 9.5%.

gasoline tax: 34.4 cents/gallon

diesel fuel tax: * 29.6 cents/gallon

(local taxes for gasoline vary from 5.5 cents to 17 cents, plus there is a 2.07% gasoline pollution tax.)

cigarette tax: 33.9 cents/pack of 20 ($1.00 surcharge added on each pack in 2010)

personal income taxes

no state income tax

retirement income: not taxed. starting in 2007, individuals, married couples, personal representatives of estates, and businesses are no longer required to file an annual intangible personal property tax return reporting their stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money market funds, shares of business trusts, and unsecured notes.

property taxes

all property is taxable at 100% of its just valuation. every person who owns and resides on real property in florida on january 1 and makes the property their permanent residence is eligible to receive a homestead exemption up to $50,000.

inheritance and estate taxes

there is no inheritance tax and only a limited estate tax.

so the question is...how accurate and recent is the data? searching clark county's website....on of the main employers is southwest washington medical center and if you search their job openings, a staff rn starts at just over $30/hr. and the benefit package appears fantastic. (retirement! wow)

looking at property records between jax (because i don't know orlando data) and vancouver shows they have lower property tax...but although a house i picked off realtor.com was valued at $196,382 (prop tx $2465.85) -> they paid $277,000 for that house. i paid $200,000 for mine (same sq ft, i have a much bigger yard), the taxable value is $176,935 (and i have been to forgetful to file for the homeowners exemption...) my tax is $2968.77.

so in essence, it costs more to live there and you are paid more than you would need to make the transition.

it then is reduced to what is more attractive to you personally. i would never live in that area of the country! oh, it is beautiful...and it rains and rains and rains....and is "mild" (too cold for me) even in the summer.

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i think it depends where in florida your talking about. location, location, location .

here in the windermere/orlando area you will not find a house for 200k... you can find something for around 400k tho. But then again its a really exclusive area where your just a couple of neighborhoods away from tiger woods and the million dollar + homes...then 30 mins way you can go to kissimeee/stcloud area and get a mcmansion size home from under 200k..but the location is not the greatest.

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Specializes in Cardiology, IMC, CVICU.

Well, for what it is worth, I am making more money here than I was in DC for the same position. I no longer pay state income tax and my health insurance costs, auto insurance costs and overall cost of living is less. Also, the hospital I was at in DC was a union hospital. The union had no real negotiating power and the hospital was forcing the employees into a strike just to keep the same current benefits they had. I actually made more money in Vegas than in DC. I had similar accommodations (2 br 2 bath apt, 1400 in a suburb of DC and 950 in upscale Henderson in Nevada). I will keep my Florida weather and skip the 3 blizzards in one year. Thank you very much.

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Specializes in Addiction / Pain Management.

During the orientation to my LPN the DON flat told us that a RN can make double her salary outside of Florida.

Every RN I've spoken to has confirmed this to me.

Why is Florida so crappy in salary? Too many bodies vying for the same position. Employers are in a shut up or else mode. Yeah the lack of organized representation exasperates this problem, yet walk out and you won't walk back in.

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I am currently in nursing school, live on the central gulf coast of Florida and have been told over and over again by the RN's at my clinical sites that many other states especially Kentucky, Ohio pay much better and cost of living is less..

Florida is not all it is cracked up to be, the heat is miserable, the cost of power is outrageous and the working conditions are awful.

I am sure there are pro's and con's to where ever you decide to live, I would not mind a change of season's, the ability to do outdoor activities in the summer w/out worrying about heat exhaustion.

Florida is a right to work state so employers are not held accountable and their attitude is obvious.

I do appreicate the websites posted on this link - I will be using to look for my new job upon graduation!!!

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Specializes in Cardiology, IMC, CVICU.

Okay so I just secured my first cath lab job in Florida (Kissimmee/St. Cloud/Celebration area). I have 3+ years experience as a nurse and only 10 months of that in the cath lab. My offered salary is a buck more than I was making in DC. My rent in DC was 1400 a month. My rent that I am looking at here in Florida is about 880 a month for a really nice place. I was an hour from my job in DC, I am 15 minutes from my job in Florida. I pay no state taxes (a savings of approximately 400 a month), my insurance costs are lower (auto - $100 a month savings, health, $174 a month savings). So, my move to Florida has saved me $674 dollars in overall bill cost and about $500 in rent (give or take a 20 here or there). That means my in-pocket savings are around $1,100 per month. I think I can handle the extra cash flow. . .

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WOW!!! FLmomof5 - you have way too much time on your hands! lol :D:D:D

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You know what, i felt it important to post this. During these economic times, we need to take a hard look at people's salary, state revenue and all that as it would relate to nurses. Wether u like it or not, nurses in south florida make way to much, and get more and more work stacked on top of them, thats a fact, so to just blurt out that asking for a better salary would "Bankrupt the state and drive business away" sounds kind of unreasonable. Businesses aren't driven away because they have to observe child labor laws, or because they have to pay a minimum wage. Second, i don't know 1 nurse who decided to go to nursing school to earn 18$ an hour, and i think we can all agree that something is fundamentaly wrong with that. I agree that a nurse should be held accountable for their actions, and should be expected to work to the best of it's capabilities, but to say it is unreasonable for a nurse to want a good, decent, and fair salary would bankrupt the system sounds wrong. BTW, if these hospitals have a problem with paying a decent salary, then let them leave, i'm sure a hospital will move in, service the community, but also service their employees in a fair manner. I like fair

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Cardiac is most recent.

It's not any better in Wisconsin either. Not only are GN's starting out at $19/hr. here but there has been a hiring freeze all year and massive layoffs so....if it were me, I'd pick Florida.

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Specializes in Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, NICU.

Im relocating to Florida (where im from) soon. I currently work in North Central INdiana and our starting GN salary was $19.50/hr. Thats pretty much fair around here. Down in Indy you can earn more, but COL is higher...What is the hourly for central florida? Anyone know? Labor/Delivery and NICU. 4years experience

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Yup. They know everyone wants to live in Florida and so they pay low wages. You're not alone. LPN's in Florida receive very low wages too. I guess if someone wants to live in Florida they have to take "a vow of poverty.":crying2:. I live in Florida and am looking for a 2nd job because my air conditioning bills are so expensive.

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