MA Residents: Think Twice If You Want To Call Florida Home

I can safely say that I'm a northeastern kind of guy and have NO desire of moving south to Florida. Yes, I've been down there at some point in my life (three times to be exact) making a pair of trips to the Gulf Coast (Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Tampa-St. Petersburg) and once in the eastern part of The Sunshine state (Fort Lauderdale) as my appearance mainly focused on attending a terrific concert by The Alan Parsons Project and The ELP Legacy Band in January of 2022.

Which leads me to the next part of this article: I strictly want to be considered a "visitor" and NOT a permanent resident of Florida. The Tampa trip was taken during the summer in 1999 and NEVER again will I endure the steam bath that was experienced (more on that coming up) but if you are a Bay State resident hinting on relocating there, here are some things to consider before making the move down south.

THE WEATHER:

If you think the heat and humidity is unbearable in our neck of the woods, consider the fact that Florida in summer months has temperatures that reach the 100 degree mark daily with dew points skyrocketing to 80 which is "tropical" with a capital T. The only advantage is during winter months, it is tolerable, but when I was in Fort Lauderdale it was chilly with a low of 45, but beautiful during the day (temps in the low 70's, my kind of weather and that was in January). Summers are just too tough to take down there, I'll pass!

HURRICANES:

This is a state that constantly deals with devastating hurricanes and tropical storms. Imagine those who have to rebuild their entire lives every few years. That is reality!

As a property owner, you will be working your tail off to return towards a sense of normalcy as the experience would also be traumatizing in nature. Again, I'll take a pass on residing there!

REPTILES:

Probably the main reason, I would NOT call Florida home base. During warm weather months, alligators dominate this terrain in more ways than one. At some point, drivers have seen them crossing through interstate highways. UGH!

Plus the state has a surplus of snakes, lizards, iguanas, salamanders and other creepy crawly things that climb on their signature palm trees. I am happy to say that I NEVER went swimming while visiting as the thought of being an appetizer crossed my mind. For those who explore The Everglades, I say a prayer to each and every one of you as the swamps are full of alligators who are ugly and hungry at all times.

INSECTS:

During my days in the ol' hometown, I had to deal with cockroaches in my apartment and that was disgusting! Beetles (there's one pictured above) yes, they are also all over the place and with the tropical weather conditions in Florida, you will encounter a plethora of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. Again, I'll take a pass as I am NOT a fan of bugs!

BOTTOM LINE: If you're considering getting out of Massachusetts, I would be skeptical to call Florida my next home. After analyzing the pros and cons, in a nutshell: "NOT A CHANCE"

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of our sister station's web site, WPUR, Cat Country 107.3 in Northfield, New Jersey https://catcountry1073.com/nj-residents-moving-to-florida-are-in-for-a-very-rude-awakening/)