Fort lauderdale in the 1980s (Miami, Orlando: fit in, insurance, tornadoes)

[BorninPittsburgh]

I moved to Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood area (Pembroke Pines near University Drive) in 1984. I moved away in 2007. Homesick - miss it very much.

[SoFlaGuy]

A few updates and memories:

Mercedes Cinema is gone. I drove by the other day and they just demo'd it. I remember they used to be the lowest priced theater around.

Castle Park and Grand Prix! They were as good as DisneyWorld I tell ya for a kid my age. Was trying to figure out what is on the land Castle Park used to be? Is it the 595 ramp? Going down 595 towards 441 you can still see the tollbooth to get to Grand Prix.

Lakes Mall, I saw Empire Strikes Back when I was 9(?) and overheard someone say how Darth Vader is Luke's father. I was so confused!

The "Strip", with its four lane parking lot, but that was the point, wasn't it?? Birthplace of boomcars and for hearing your Jam Pony tapes!

All Books and Records on Oakland Pk Blvd. They moved over to a place in Sears Town later, but they closed there too. It's such a shame to not have a place like this to go to anymore.

[Cruzincat]

Nards? Disco Sucks!

[jupitermadcat]

Yeah memories, Fort Lauderdale was a great place to grow up for me in the 70's

[Nanny Goat]

Used to vacation there and we'd stay w/ my husband's friend in the 80's. Loved it, only area/city in Florida I liked.

[LA33301]

hey guys wondering where everyone moved to? why did you leave ft. lauderdale?

[harry chickpea]

Rural north Alabama.

Why did we move?
It was near the end of the housing boom and I clearly saw the crash coming.
We saw the hassles that even those with good insurance had when homes were damaged by Wilma.
We knew home insurance rates would be rising and policies canceled.
We were taxed by the city on our satellite tv receiver reception - sorry, that is just plain wrong.
We were told that we couldn't use our own irrigation well except during very limited times. Also wrong.
They cut down our citrus trees without our permission. Also wrong.
They ticketed me for a tree removal in the swale that FEMA and the city were responsible for and had improperly stump ground. Also wrong.
We had water bills that were sometimes topping $100 a month.
We knew that if things continued, we wouldn't be able to continue to afford our house.
Car insurance rates were too high.
The van needed regular repair due to the constant excessive heat.
I was sick to death of never seeing anything but coral and sand and flat land.
Sitting at the end of a Peninsula makes land travel problematic. (I refuse to fly anymore)
I was tired of a**holes in Publix who blocked everyone with carts in the middle of the aisles then copped an attitude.
I was tired of the insane drivers.
The iguanas were becoming huge pests.
I was tired of maintaining the pool.
The constant noise of planes and trucks and motorcycles was grating.
We had already seen everything we were interested in in the area.
Moving north would put us closer to family.
By moving, we had a chance of eliminating a mortgage from our lives.

Also, some of the changes were minor and unrelated to the south Florida experience but factors in our decision anyway.
Our favorite pizza place closed.
Our favorite Chinese food delivery changed owners.
The nearby WinnDixie which used to be great went downhill, then closed.
The local health food place closed.
A number of movie theatres in the area closed. Those had been potential retirement or part time employment for me.

It was time for a change. There were things that we liked, but those lost out to the things we didn't.

Nothing stays the same, and recognizing when it is time for a move can be important. I used to vacation in the Ft. Lauderdale area in the mid-1970s and would have loved to have lived there starting back then. It took ten years to actually move to the area and we had close to twenty good years before many of the things on my list began happening. I don't regret those years, and I don't regret the move out.

[LA33301]

good reasons i suppose. FLL has changed since 1970s for sure. i live near 17th st causway, upscale condo and agree about people here, and at publix. unfortunately, FLL has so much diversity some say it's a cesspool. to many people from many cultures living in one area created anger, hostility, resentment, maybe? i moved here last year after early retirement pinelllas county. had friends here. after few years, have some regrets about moving here. peace/luck

[MrClose]

Originally Posted by LA33301

good reasons i suppose. FLL has changed since 1970s for sure.

70's?

You outta see the changes since the 50's!

Yep .. I was born and raised in Fort Liquordale!

[alexanderkay]

You are correct, it was where the best buys is not loctated. Friday night was toga night beer wine and sheets! When it closed down they turned it in to so kind of kids place like a chuckie cheese.

There was also another roller skate place on oakland park blvd just west of dixie highway, the building is still there and use to house the Goodwill store!