[silverct9a]

The only thing that’s apparent is that it’s clear you do not travel to pro sporting events in Miami/Lauderdale with any regularity and if you do, that’s even worse because your advise is faulty at best and misleading at worse. I have the best all season parking passes and I still run into parking and traffic issues.

Port St. Lucie is a BEDROOM COMMUNITY…practically anyone that earns above $40k/yr commutes to Palm Beach County for work daily - the traffic patterns all but confirms this. If PSL was so great, why didn’t they land the Brightline station? They have a population of 239k, and submitted their proposal yet the real contenders were Ft. Pierce and Stuart…*hint* they have no downtown area and it’s not that great of a place for someone who still has to work for a living that’s why.

PSL is literally for retirees and priced out young families…not sure why you’re adamantly trying to sugar coat this?

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Apparently you don't realize Stuart borders Port St. lucie and was mentioned along with Palm City as options. It's just 10 miles from the center of Port St Lucie to Downtown Stuart where the Brightline station is located.

There's also the criteria of preferred closer proximity to family in the Daytona Beach area. The Port St Lucie area equalizes both sets of the OP's criteria as a reasonable compromise. There are plenty of younger families in the area that would make great friends potentially despite the lesser than assertion because they couldn't afford the Miami area, or chose not to spend that amount for necessary living expenses.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by silverct9a

The only thing that’s apparent is that it’s clear you do not travel to pro sporting events in Miami/Lauderdale with any regularity and if you do, that’s even worse because your advise is faulty at best and misleading at worse. I have the best all season parking passes and I still run into parking and traffic issues.

Port St. Lucie is a BEDROOM COMMUNITY…practically anyone that earns above $40k/yr commutes to Palm Beach County for work daily - the traffic patterns all but confirms this. If PSL was so great, why didn’t they land the Brightline station? They have a population of 239k, and submitted their proposal yet the real contenders were Ft. Pierce and Stuart…*hint* they have no downtown area and it’s not that great of a place for someone who still has to work for a living that’s why.

PSL is literally for retirees and priced out young families…not sure why you’re adamantly trying to sugar coat this?

The issue often with joining a thread late is not going back to the OP's original post and completely missing the targeted intent. If you had you would have seen he works remotely from home and the spouse works for Home Depot and can transfer to any store, including the four in the Port St Lucie area so your daily commute point is moot. Yes, they would have to travel to see InterMiami games but not horrible in the grand scheme for pro sports game attendees. Once again the Brightline station is an easy 10-15 minute drive from PSL should they choose it over Stuart itself or neighboring Jensen Beach. The park/ride aspect to Fort Lauderdale on Brightline with an Uber to/from the game might be an attractive option versus driving.

[kidyankee764]

I’d suggest going with somewhere in Palm Beach County, like Boca Raton. You sort of get the Miami vibe with the suburban vibe mixed in one.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I’d suggest going with somewhere in Palm Beach County, like Boca Raton. You sort of get the Miami vibe with the suburban vibe mixed in one.

Yep, I agree with this. Between Miami and Space Coast... I would def recommend Miami for the OP. However, if they are open to other areas... Boca Raton or even Weston would be good options, probably better options unless their budget is $$$$ to live in a nice area of Miami.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

I’d suggest going with somewhere in Palm Beach County, like Boca Raton. You sort of get the Miami vibe with the suburban vibe mixed in one.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Yep, I agree with this. Between Miami and Space Coast... I would def recommend Miami for the OP. However, if they are open to other areas... Boca Raton or even Weston would be good options, probably better options unless their budget is $$$$ to live in a nice area of Miami.

With the caveat of much more congestion and lots of traffic, even when attempting to go to the beach. Since their location isn't job dependent a housing cost difference of 30%-40% more versus St Lucie County or Martin County might seem needless considering the desired components. An equally nice home minus the larger mortgage payment with a less struggle lifestyle might be appealing versus the status aspect.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

With the caveat of much more congestion and lots of traffic, even when attempting to go to the beach. Since their location isn't job dependent a housing cost difference of 30%-40% more versus St Lucie County or Martin County might seem needless considering the desired components. An equally nice home minus the larger mortgage payment with a less struggle lifestyle might be appealing versus the status aspect.

I personally would HATE my life in Port St Lucie and I find it hard to believe someone moving from Orange County will like it there as well. Traffic in Boca Raton is nothing compared to Orange County as well. Also, since work is remote, there is no need to drive during rush hour. I used to live in Boca Raton and still have some friends there. I also have a friend in Weston right now, which is an upscale area with a large Hispanic population, once again, traffic isn’t bad. When you live in a good area, you don’t have to commute for daily life. When you live in a small town that doesn’t have anythinng, then if you want anything beside publix, you are forced with long commutes through horrendous traffic.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I personally would HATE my life in Port St Lucie and I find it hard to believe someone moving from Orange County will like it there as well. Traffic in Boca Raton is nothing compared to Orange County as well. Also, since work is remote, there is no need to drive during rush hour. I used to live in Boca Raton and still have some friends there. I also have a friend in Weston right now, which is an upscale area with a large Hispanic population, once again, traffic isn’t bad. When you live in a good area, you don’t have to commute for daily life. When you live in a small town that doesn’t have anything, then if you want anything beside publix, you are forced with long commutes through horrendous traffic.

Someone mentioning peace and quiet as a positive in their post likely won't mind the change to the PSL area versus more of the same in Boca or Weston. The premise that the PSL area (Port St Lucie-Stuart-Palm City and Jensen Beach) is a small-town environment offering "nothing" only exhibits two things, ignorance and snobbery given it's many good areas. Downtown Stuart is a gem of a commercial district with tons of desirable restaurants, bars and shops. There are a few grocery chains beyond Publix and Walmart with Sprouts, Bravo, Fresh Market, BJ's and Aldi as other options plus one of the better farmers markets in FL in Downtown Stuart on Sundays with all locally grown produce. There's a regional mall in PSL with dozens of national specialty retailers anchored by Dillard's and Macy's plus several typical outdoor centers with big box stores seen anywhere else. So little reason to have to drive long distances for anything else.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by RG1981

Good day, C-D friends.



I'm at the end of my rope with Southern California so we're ready to fly the coop and we're considering Florida because we have family there that can help us get set up.


Here's the info on us: I'm a writer/translator (remote work enabled, so not worried about job market) for a video game company, my wife works at Home Depot so she can transfer anywhere she wants without missing a beat, and we have two high-school age boys.


Points in the Daytona/Port Orange/NSB column:

• Our family is there, so it would be nice to have them nearby.
• Cheap and relatively quiet, particularly in Port Orange from what I gather.
• Uncrowded beaches, especially in New Smyrna.
• Easy-going, suburban lifestyle.

Points in the Miami column:

• My wife is originally from Chile and is not great at English. She would like to be someplace where Spanish is commonly spoken.
• EV charging is much easier to find, which is important because we have an electric car. (Insert California joke here...)
• World-class city with all sorts of great amenities, sports (we're soccer fans, so Inter Miami with Messi is a big plus), diverse dining options, etc.

So with all of that info, where would native Floridians recommend we check out? We're open to just about anything so all suggestions are welcome!

Daytona is cheap and redneck
Miami is transient and stupid expensive

My guess is neither will be ideal for you. Look into surrounding towns in the Volusia county area like Ormond Beach, Deland, etc. Port Orange is ok, lots of retirees.

[RG1981]

Originally Posted by StarryKnight1

I see you using the word “cheap” a lot, OP, and I have to tell you, nothing in Florida is “cheap” whatsoever.

If you do find a bargain on anything, it’s because there’s probably a long list of drawbacks associated with it.

I used it once as an accurate descriptor of the Daytona area.


Believe me, when you're coming from California, "cheap" has an entirely different meaning

[RG1981]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Yep, I agree with this. Between Miami and Space Coast... I would def recommend Miami for the OP. However, if they are open to other areas... Boca Raton or even Weston would be good options, probably better options unless their budget is $$$$ to live in a nice area of Miami.

Could you recommend a "nice" area of Miami. Because—no offense—I've spent a lot of time looking and can't seem to find any. The schools are kind of bad all over the area, even in the more expensive places.