Thinking about moving from PA to Florida (Dr. Phillips area of Orlando)
 

Thinking about moving at age 55. I've been in banking for the last 30 years but would consider making career change (small business commercial lending). Still have to work and make a living. Do not like winters in NE PA and love winter in FL. Not sure if this FL area is too congested for me - I don't mind some traffic but not every day heavy traffic - or should I be considering another state. I enjoy outdoor activities such as biking. I guess I'm worried about moving from smaller market banking environment to larger metro area. Also, if my family moves, I would want good schools for future grandchildren. Environmental quality is important, as is the quality of people around me. Like I mentioned, I don't like long cold winters and would enjoy being closer to beaches. Looking for quality family living in a safe area. Any suggestions or ideas and constructive thoughts are welcome. Thanks for your consideration.

I live in South Florida and I have no children but from what I've seen, if people have the money and are willing to spend it on private education there are plenty of "good schools" available. And those graduates are getting into the best schools, too, apparently.

You hear a lot of comments about school quality here in Florida and I'm sure you'll hear more.

Assume you know about the average temperatures in Orlando in both summer and winter. I also assume you are aware of some of the costs associated with living in Florida.

No state income tax or inheritance taxes but the property taxes (assuming you will purchase a home) are probably a lot higher than what you may be used to. A general rule of thumb seems to be to figure your first year's property tax will run around 2% of the purchase price since things are re-assessed when they go through a sale.

You can get homestead exemptions eventually. Residency requirements are pretty straight forward.

Hazard/property insurance rates are also probably a lot higher than you are used to, particularly due to the windstorm issues. Auto insurance rates perhaps higher as well.

Utilities? Hard to say since there are numerous utility companies. I am not sure about Orlando in the winter but down where i live we rarely, if ever, turn on the heat and just about everything down in South Florida is electric although natural gas service is available and perhaps cheaper.

Traffic? In Orlando? Lots of visitors obviously but expect someone more local to Orange County will comment.

if my family moves, I would want good schools for future grandchildren.

Everyone goes with you? Do they have to work also?

Might need to go and see if you even like the area.

Closer to beaches? hmmmm. ;o) Orlando is in the middle of the state.

You may hat PA in winter - but I would not consider moving to FL until you have spent a summer there.

Two sets of my uncles/aunts retired to FL - and both left every summer since it was so unbearable there. One came back to Long Island to daughter and SIL every year from June through Sept, returning to FL in Oct. The others did a circuit ever summer to various family members, from VA to Boston to NY to Chicago - again spending the worst 3/4 months out of FL.

I can;t comment on specific areas in term of traffic/crowding - but if schools matter to you I would definitely do a lot of research via website with detailed statistical school data before finding a place. My mother had one neighbor that moved to FL for 2 years as required for a job - and they put their children in a private school since the public ones in that area were significantly sub par (in terms of obvious things like courses offered, teacher qualification and eventual college acceptances - both % going to a 4 year college and where they were accepted). Luckily they were able to negotiate a cost of living increase to cover the private school costs.) I would get info on what your current local schools look like and try to find a match in FL.

>>Closer to beaches? hmmmm. ;o) Orlando is in the middle of the state.<<

All things being relative, it's a lot closer to beaches than northeast PA.

However, Orlando wouldn't be my top choice as a place to live.

There are a LOT of attractive places to live close to beaches south of NE PA!! And more attractive beaches maybe!! Just sayin'--actually maybe the same as you. Why Orlando. But to each his own.

What Gretchen said. If I were looking to move to a metro area closer to the East Coast beaches I'd move to Wilmington. Or, possibly, Savannah or Charleston. And what nyt said in spades. I live in NC, and am seriously cnsidering a move to the Pacific NW to get away from the summers.

I'm not sure why people here are "just sayin'" when we all know they love it in Charleston and believe me, it gets hot and humid in South Carolina, too.

Seriously, a lot of people are going to tell you how hot it gets in Florida in the summer. Apparently when it is 90 degrees and humid in Florida i somehow feels hotter than when it is 90 degrees and humid in Pennsylvania.

We heard all of this, also, and we moved from Northern Virginia
where it gets hot and humid in the summer.

Where we live along the southeast Florida coast we generally have ocean breezes which mitigates the heat and humidity somewhat. But it does get hot and sticky.

Here's something else to consider: this past winter between November-December 2013 and May 2014 I think the coldest it got in Fort Lauderdale was one very early morning it dropped down into the high 40's for about an hour.

We do not shovel snow, scrape ice off the windshields, wear heavy winter clothes, etc. You really need, I think, to figure in a LOT of factors before you make a move.

One more thing: when you live in an area where some of the politicians would like to turn the place into some sort of right-wing religious utopia, the heat can seem even more oppressive.

>>There are a LOT of attractive places to live close to beaches south of NE PA!!<<

Of course there are.(!!!) I was addressing your comment that Orlando wasn't "near" beaches. It's 90 minutes away from a beach. Traveling 90 minutes from NE PA put you somewhere near the white-sand beaches of Harrisburg.

"would enjoy being closer to beaches."

"It's 90 minutes away from a beach."

If you are moving partly in order to be closer to a beach, why would you not move a lot closer than 90 minutes, when there are good opportunities to do so?

The Doctor Philips area is nice but very congested. I would rent before buying. It is always hotter in Orlando than it is on the coast. If I could buy again it would be New Smyrna Beach. Close to airports, train, Orlando but old town vibe and beautiful beaches. I would never live in Orlando but maybe the Lake Mary/Heathrow area. I don't think our summers are bad but live on the coast and everyone has A/C. Our electric bill is never over 150.00 a month and we have a big house but well insulated. It is cheap living in paradise but we do have our good old boys also. It is hit or miss wherever,

>>If you are moving partly in order to be closer to a beach, why would you not move a lot closer than 90 minutes, when there are good opportunities to do so?<<

Idunno. Assume your question is for the OP. There could be a 100 good answers -- real estate prices, access to employment opportunity, tax structure, etc.

90s and humid is dreadful anywhere - but it happens many more days in FL than in PA.


If the OP like hot weather - and I know some people do - more power to them.

But he doesn't seem to have done a lot of research in terms of the key things:

Job opportunities and salaries
Real estate prices and taxes
Proximity to a beach (I wouldn't want to be 90 minutes - and grew up in NY 20 minutes from gorgeous Atlantic beaches)
School quality - assuming entire family would move and continue to live there
If children are adults or almost so what are the opportunities for their (prospective?) careers in the same area?

I wouldn't do it for anything - but I love having 4 seasons - and summer even here is my least favorite. And I want to be in a place that is as blue as blue can be - red really scares me for a variety of reasons.

I live in SE PA, and I expect I'll be closer to the beach, and have a more Florida-like climate right here...in a decade or so.

~Liz

I'm also confused about needing schools for future grandchildren....

I lived on the east coast of Florida for four years. July and August are too hot for my liking. The warm ocean water is nice, full of sharks, but nice.

Agree with flpab about traffic in the Dr. Phillips area. It has gotten steadily more congested over the years until we finally moved to another area in Central Florida. IMO, it's just a traffic nightmare anywhere around Kirkman/Turkey Lake/Sand Lake Roads - endless cars from stoplight to stoplight. A lot of that is local traffic, but it's also right at the tourism area, so throw in a bunch of people trying to get to attractions and having not a clue which way to go.

Still, it's not as bad as some areas of South Florida, where some family live (Ft. Lauderdale/Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton).

Suggest you look at some of the more outlying areas, as earlier suggested, and companies offering jobs that don't require driving into Orlando itself.

tjm,

I currently live in Dr. Phillips and can answer any specific questions you may have. As far as traffic in Dr. Phillips, yes it can be heavy at times but compared to other areas of Orlando it is not bad at all (traffic on Kirkman can get bad but I pretty much avoid that road). The schools in Dr. Phillips are some of the best in Central Florida. There is a huge variety as far as restaurants and entertainment right in your back yard. I have lived in Orlando area for over 40 years and I have to say that Dr. Phillips is one of the more desirable areas to live.

In your situation, I'd be looking at someplace near Newark or Wilmington Delaware. It doesn't snow much there and you have good access to the Delaware banks and good transportation options including Amtrak.
I moved out of central PA 9 years ago to central Oregon.
I had my chance to live in Melbourne FL when my parents lived there. There are plenty of better places to live in the winter than any part of Florida.
When it gets bitter cold with a lot of snow here in Oregon, I head for Arizona for a couple weeks.

If you are still thinking of moving to Florida please consider SW Florida. Being you would like an active area this area abounds with outdoor activity. Biking, Fishing, Kayaking, Boating, Golf, Beach, Tennis and so much more. This is a fantastic, family friendly area. I would suggest Naples, Estero or Fort Myers area for you. Marco Island may be a little too sleepy for you. The traffic is higher "in season" (Jan, Feb, March) but certainly not as high congested as the Orlando or Miami area. Out of season is fantastic. The summer is not all that bad (in my opinion) as being near the beach keeps the breeze and air moving. SW Florida's mean temp. is 75 and the sunsets can not be beat. I moved here with my family from NJ and could not be happier, we have replaced shoveling snow with sand. I will be happy to give you more information.