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If I had a dollar for every time someone on here said that where they live now gets just as hot as it does in Florida. I have put up dew point charts and explained the difference ad nauseum and people still wag their finger at me and tell me I am wrong.
All the darn time.
Yes, everyone knows that the heat lasts a lot longer than in, say, New Jersey. And it is even longer than most people realize, too. The sheer length is sometimes not understandable until you live in Florida for a year. But the dew point makes all the difference and people just don't get it. There can be the same temperature and humidity in another place but the dew point makes the difference between "hot as heck" and "the gates of hell."
So true. I installed a weather app on my phone after listening to all these "it's not that hot in Florida" that only consider the measured temperature. It confirms that the "feels like" temps in the middle of a summer day are typically around 110º for a 95º high, for months straight, not just a week or two now and then, and get even higher during the hottest part of the season. You wake up in the morning, the sun is not even up yet, and the temperature has only dropped to 82º. The dewpoint is at 79º so you walk out into what feels like a solid wall of heavy, hot, sodden air and immediately break into sweat. Like the whole world is a sauna. The sun is stronger here, too, since we are closer to the equator. I see tourists all the time burned this red ----> even in the middle of winter because they did not heed warnings about protective clothes and sunscreen.
I, too, had no choice about moving to Florida as my parents brought me here as a child. The heat is atrocious, and the bugs are enormous. Yesterday I stopped to admire a huge spider that lives on the stairwell outside, it had trapped a full-grown dragonfly and had it all wrapped up for later. It's not even the biggest spider I've ever seen here, some are so large that you can hear them when they skitter across the walls. The traffic is awful. Wages are much lower than the cost of living supports. Most people are transplants and spend all their time wailing about how we are doing it all wrong here, annoying the natives and established residents with their grousing. There is little support for local sports teams because people tend to support the teams from their home states instead. Tourists are obnoxious and snowbirds are only a little better. This is all true.
But for me at least, what is also true is that over time, although I did not grow to enjoy the heat, I can tolerate it much better than I used to. I still feel hot, but not like I'm going to lose consciousness any second. A good AC and stereo in the car makes the traffic easier to deal with. I grew to appreciate most of those tremendous bugs for their sheer weirdness. Although not palmetto bugs, giant flying cockroaches have no place in my heart! I like the huge birds we have here, the lizards sunning themselves everywhere, the bright blue skies of winter, and the violent summer thunderstorms. There is plenty to love about Florida even if you are not a beach bunny, but it's all in your mindset and attitude. If you endlessly obsess about what makes you uncomfortable or what you miss from home, you'll be blind to the wonders that are all around you. If you can move on, please do - for your sake and ours. Although many people who move away wind up realizing that they didn't recognize how good they had it until they move away, and wind up coming right back. If you can't move away, try to change your outlook on things. You might be surprised how much that helps. For my part, at some point I realized that I don't want to move away anymore. It ain't perfect, but to me - it's home.
i lasted 20 years before moving to Canada where now with a mental dysfunction toward hot days i now embrace cold rainy days, bonus points for cool misty days and winter is now my favorite season.
It's supposed to rain all weekend and I'm looking forward to it. We had a good storm yesterday afternoon. It swamped a lot of parking lots and a few roads. I sure wish it would hurry and start. I still see blue sky.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hiknapster
If I had a dollar for every time someone on here said that where they live now gets just as hot as it does in Florida. I have put up dew point charts and explained the difference ad nauseum and people still wag their finger at me and tell me I am wrong.
All the darn time.
Yes, everyone knows that the heat lasts a lot longer than in, say, New Jersey. And it is even longer than most people realize, too. The sheer length is sometimes not understandable until you live in Florida for a year. But the dew point makes all the difference and people just don't get it. There can be the same temperature and humidity in another place but the dew point makes the difference between "hot as heck" and "the gates of hell."
I'm from Missouri originally which is suffering through a record breaking summer for heat, but I remember well the 100+ days of a Midwestern summer and it really is miserable, but it usually doesn't last more than a few days (except this summer of course). Here the actual temperature only gets into the 90s, but it feels much worse than those 100+ Missouri days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KS76
Doesn't they have humidity in New York too? Or in Boston?
I am still in Europe, and here we have entire month with everyday temperatures 38-42 Celsius..
Well, soon I will be in Florida, I will share where the real heat is.
Yes, they have humidity and a lot of it in New York and Boston, but it doesn't last as long and they'll have breaks in it during the summer. Sometimes they even have pleasant summer weather. In Florida once May rolls around it's horribly hot and humid until the end of October. There may be a little break in the heat, but that's just because it's monsooning so you still get all of the humidity plus some. Also, you have to factor in the intensity of the sun. You can really feel the difference in the lower latitudes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DodgeGirl78
I will throw out the few negatives I have encountered.
Tourists with bad attitudes: Yes I live where you vacation, that doesn't mean I work for you, you are not my personal guest, I do not feel the need to kiss your butt. Either you have the mentality that we are the peons here to serve the tourists or you hate me because I live in "paradise" and you are jealous.
I once had a neighbor who had the best bumper sticker I've ever read. It said, "If it's snowbird season why can't we shoot them?"
I've lived in Broward, Collier and Monroe counties. I've loved a lot of it, but I'm finding that the things I dislike are quickly overtaking the things I used to love. I moved originally to Collier county for a seasonal job and ended up working 3 jobs in order to afford to live there and save some money so I could move on after the season was over. Then I moved to the Virgin Islands where I met my husband and started working on yachts. After a big adventure down there, we moved to Florida to continue that career. We now own our own business and Florida gave us that opportunity for which I'm grateful.
BUT, we're looking to relocate for many reasons. Some of them are negative to Florida, but others are positives of the places we're looking to go. I'm sure wherever we wind up will have negatives as well, but I guarantee one of them will not be a Florida-like summer.
The traffic is awful. Wages are much lower than the cost of living supports. Most people are transplants and spend all their time wailing about how we are doing it all wrong here, annoying the natives and established residents with their grousing. There is little support for local sports teams because people tend to support the teams from their home states instead. Tourists are obnoxious and snowbirds are only a little better. This is all true.
e.[/quote]
Being from NYC and NJ Florida's heat and humidity is Nothing really....People make a very big deal out of it, Now we lived in NC Charlotte in fact in 07-09 now temps there are 96 plus with horrible humidity and honestly in my opinion the Heat in NC is worse than Florida Heat....The bugs are nasty we live in South Florida I think they were worse on the West coast of florida from what I remember all the vacations to my family in St Pete alot of years ago now those bugs are awful..We happen to love Florida's weather and the rest of what Florida has to offer....
I too am a former NYker. Brooklyn. Yep, gets awful hot and humid there in NYC for sure. NJ too.
Tropics = bugs.
South = hot.
For those who can't stand it, there is always someplace else for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swimmom32
Being from NYC and NJ Florida's heat and humidity is Nothing really....People make a very big deal out of it, Now we lived in NC Charlotte in fact in 07-09 now temps there are 96 plus with horrible humidity and honestly in my opinion the Heat in NC is worse than Florida Heat....The bugs are nasty we live in South Florida I think they were worse on the West coast of florida from what I remember all the vacations to my family in St Pete alot of years ago now those bugs are awful..We happen to love Florida's weather and the rest of what Florida has to offer....
Generalization is probably unavoidable in a topic like this who's intent was to have people research some other factors before making the big move down to Fla, motivation for the theme was people who have made up their minds that they are moving to Florida no matter what and have no clue what its like to live and work in Florida and think Florida is just one big beach paradise where they are going to spend hours everyday just frolicking in surf and sand...I realize a topic like this can walk a thin line between bashing and constructive advice.
Doesn't they have humidity in New York too? Or in Boston?
I am still in Europe, and here we have entire month with everyday temperatures 38-42 Celsius..
Well, soon I will be in Florida, I will share where the real heat is.
Yes New York and Boston do have humidity, its just not as humid for as long as it can be in Florida.
Maybe it is probably unavoidable (generalization), but I really don't believe that people quit jobs, careers, give up local family and friends not to mention a secure atmosphere where everything is familiar, pack up and move to Florida.
I also don't go with the thought of people thinking it is "one big beach paradise". FL is just like anywhere else in the U.S. as far as day to day life goes. We all work, eat, sleep, shop, breathe, no matter where you are.
Florida has a lot of benefits. Warm weather year round, great beaches, wonderful activities available no matter where you live, and perhaps a better quality of life, depending on where you are coming from.
I have really never met anyone who took a relocation to Florida, or any place else for that matter, without knowing what they were doing. Not to say there aren't people out there who would try to pull it off without any research or backing, however, I would think that those people are in the minority.
People relocate all over the world every day. Florida is just one of the destinations.
Or is it your thinking that Florida some how controls peoples minds to make them move here?
It always makes me laugh though when people who talk about how it is, how big the bugs are,
etc etc. Dag folks, this is the tropics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101
Generalization is probably unavoidable in a topic like this who's intent was to have people research some other factors before making the big move down to Fla, motivation for the theme was people who have made up their minds that they are moving to Florida no matter what and have no clue what its like to live and work in Florida and think Florida is just one big beach paradise where they are going to spend hours everyday just frolicking in surf and sand...I realize a topic like this can walk a thin line between bashing and constructive advice.
Well let me compare apples to oranges (lol). My family is originally from NYC. My dad moved us down here in the 90's with his real estate business. He made a great living and (amid some protest) we did make the most of moving to Florida. I was a teenager so of course I wanted to stay in NY. I was so bored the first few years that we lived here. But when I became an adult, I realized that my parents made the best decision ever.
I LOVE Florida more than the average person, I think (especially for a transplant). Life seems slower, more relaxed and everything does seem 'sunnier'. I make a nice living but when I'm not working, I try to enjoy the perks to the fullest. I still feel like a tourist when I take weekend trips to Orlando, Miami, St. Augustine, etc. I woudn't have considered myself a 'beach person' before coming here, but since I've been in south florida, I'm there at least once a week. It hasn't gotten 'old' yet. Maybe one day it will. I don't know...
We all know nothing is perfect- LOL Goodness knows that stories I have about certain parts of this place. That's life. However, when I've gone up to NY to visit family and friends, I can't help but say, I couldn't imagine myself living here again. It seemed so gray and gloomy...traffic is horrendous...people are just oblivious to each other. It's just depressing (Ok, no offense to anyone). But that's my honest impression.
I see topics every day posting about moving to Florida and the usual list goes something like,
,We hate the cold so we are moving to Florida
Wheres the best place to live in Florida?
Must be near the beach
Must be safe area
have the best of schools
plenty of jobs
Affordable housing etc.
This doesnt sound to me like people who have really done much research on their upcoming move so i thought i'd keep em honest with a few things they may not have considered in their research .
Another issue i might warn them about is coming to Florida with no actual proficiency in a given job,the job market is tough and if you going after no experience necessary jobs you maybe living in your car sooner than you think..
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even in the middle of winter because they did not heed warnings about protective clothes and sunscreen.
