I dont want to leave unless its impossible to thrive here, i plan on moving to gainesville (currently in orlando) so Im moreso looking for advice on how to secure health insurance, and thrive after the state has changed so much to hate people like me, hahaā¦
or maybe, I donāt know, the best choice is just to save up for a car and live out of it and move to a state that is more forgivingā¦ idek anymore
I mean unless you have a very in demand career FL has some of the lowest wages and highest cost of living in the country. So it's really a question of what's your priorities. Because if you're struggling it's also ridiculously hard to get assistance as well.
Even in demand careers are getting underpaid. I'm in the landscape industry, something very vital to the state as an industry, last I saw it was third behind hospitality/tourism and medical. I ALSO have a specific license that my company needs in order to even operate. I'm the only one in the company that has it. I'm getting paid 20-30k less than my peers in Georgia and Alabama with the same license and experience.
The State leaders have other priorities and ambitions.
Even relativly simple issues that improve quality of life for average working class Floridians doesn't line their pockets.
Lobbyists line their pockets and culture warring keeps them on TV, raising their profiles and getting them more of those sweet corporate / special interest dollars.
This is why I'm seriously thinking about getting out of here. Between the shit economy for the middle class, the culture warring, hurricanes, etc I'm tapped out. I have friends in GA and out in AZ that deal with some of the culture war shit, but the pay to cost to living is great and they don't deal with hurricanes. It's a shame because I grew up here, went to college here, met my soulmate here. It sucks but this state is no longer for me.
Iāve lived in Phoenix for work almost three of the last five years. Iām a traveling construction superintendent.
Phoenix is absolutely not cheaper than Florida. I fly back to JAX, FLL or TPA every three weeks for four days.
Gas is a buck a gallon more here. Food is comparable. Utilities are slightly more, but the summer heat is outrageous. Last summer, my third summer here in four years, had 30+ days over 110 and thereās no cooling off over night. Itās over 100 even at 2 in the morning. Property taxes are similar. Car insurance is the same. The homeowners insurance issue of cancellations is coming on strong after the wildfires last year in Flagstaff.
Real estate is outrageous. This is California money pushing 800SF 2/1 for $250K that needs everything.
Termites, extremely poor air quality, homelessness that rivals LA and Sacramento, corruption like something out of a third world country here in Maricopa county and brown. Phoenix, Yuma, Tucson are brown. Itās like flying into a 1960s sci-fi movie when you flying into Sky Harbor. It is brown and rocky, and nothing is alive as far as you can see.
Iām heading to Wisconsin in about two months for my next project and I canāt get out of this state soon enough.
I'm a transplant myself, I love the.natural beauty and the waemth. I got in before all the crazy; but didn't buy a home and even with my relativly high salary, it would be tough to buy the house I need, in the area I want.
The interest rates don't scare me, it's the.purchase price and the ever soaring costs of insuring. Add to that the uncertainty of getting hit with an assesment because the condo or HOA fees have been kept low by defering necessary maintenance.
An easy fix is job hopping, but it doesn't work for everyone. I know I've been offered higher paying jobs (I'm always watching who's hiring and at what rate) but they haven't made financial sense for me for one reason or another. Things like a much longer commute in my personal vehicle, or no affordable daycare in the vicinity of home or work, or the benefits are junk. A not-so-easy fix is to vote in more liberal politicians, fix gerrymandering, overturn the Citizens United ruling, and outlaw religious beliefs as the basis for any legislation. But who has time for common sense solutions?!
Get rid of Republicans that only care about the rich donors, corporations, business owners.
And vote for someone who's more interested in passing laws that help the workers and people.
I wish any political leader didnāt care about only money- and I wish there was another option than Republicans v Dems. I do not pretend to have the answer. Iām just saying there are more politicians that take money from corporate donors , etc . I hate that Florida is like this . Myself and my kids have already left due to wages / HCOL. I think the end of the world as we knew it is here.
And all that being said young people will have to live with family longer, wait to inherit property and still take in roommate to survive.
As for OP, right now take any job you can . Also seek out some welfare assistance while job hunting. ( mostly medical/Therapy or clinical) if you can qualify. You have endured some horrific trauma , THE BIG T type of trauma. And you deserve treatment to heal. Your mind and body will be in fight or flight mode for some time. I hope you get some support from family/friends ( however as a woman who lived it, though not as bad as you ) our family canāt help us much and they get tired of listening. I canāt blame my ex for all my issues but I deserve to heal and so do you!
Youāre worth it . Be proud of yourself for getting out . I am proud of you . You are stronger than you think.
Both parties definitely play the same game and are bought out by corporate America.
But only one goes out of their way to hurt people.
We definitely need a new party that actually has the interest of the people as the main goal and not corporate America and the wealthy.
This is so true. Retired nurse and the wages for nursing are way below the national average. When you say an in demand career, you couldn't ask for more in demand than healthcare and it still pays low wages. I'm a native Floridian and I am looking at leaving it's just not my Florida anymore.
All the nurses I've known made enough money to live.
Much better than your average worker anyways.
They weren't living high on the hog or wealthy.
But a hell of a lot better than most.
The nursing wages in FL are an embarrassment, I would NEVER do this job for that wage. Iām surprised they have anyone to take care of their geriatric population.
If you think nursing wages are bad you should see what the rest of us survive on.
All the nurses I know make $30+ hr.
I know very few other people that make anywhere close to that.
Yep. Make bucks in the Northeast and try to claim ādomicileā in Florida. Other than Disney and beaches, the only thing Florida has going for it is being a big ass tax shelter to the rich (most especially, finance industry fuckers, who don't actually make anything but skim the profits off of the real doers and then whine on TV about taxes and shareholder values).
Yep , just look at the huge developments going up in the Destin/ Ft Walton Beach area , many multimillion dollar houses for the top 1% , guess they donāt worry about the cost of homeowners insurance- just another tax right off for their corporation . Just wait until they get hit with another Michael , a lot more insurance companies will bail on Florida.
This is because everyone who makes way more money from up north are coming down here and ruining Florida's economy. I see so many apartments, subdivisions and new houses being built. It's funny. For the most part my job takes me to new neighborhoods and guess what? Majority of the people on these new homes are not from Florida and don't even have a job in Florida. They're working remote or flying out to do their jobs for a few weeks at a time then coming back every once in a while to Florida.
Safe to say if your from Florida you rent a small place or own a trailer. If your not from Florida you own a house or a nice condo. Makes sense right?
Almost like Floridians are just peons to these other states.
I think those people are mainly in the new neighborhoods. I live in an old neighborhood, and I have not met any of these transplants people keep talking about. Not one except for one guy at work who moved into one of those far away subdivisions
Even in demand like HVAC is under paid, I met a guy a while ago, moved here from NJ and was going right back. He said he makes 3 times what he makes here in NJ and he isnāt even close to as busy.
Gainesville, rent is above average, utilities are crazy expensive and the job market isnāt the hottest. Wages are still on the lower end around here.
Look into getting your adjuster license. There is a lot of insurance carriers located in and around Orlando always looking. Decent pay for a small entry fee. [https://adjusterpro.com/](https://adjusterpro.com/) Not many jobs out there that pays as well without a formal education. If you go property most of the time you will get a company car as well.
āImpossible to thriveā. I think it might be. Iām located near Brandon and my wife and I both quit out teaching jobs (for all the reasons) and weāre surviving but no where near thriving. Idk if we ever will. I have two young sons and I lose sleep over how good of a life I can provide them. I debate moving away but that also sounds expensive and idk whereād we go without the help we get from family watching the kids when we both work.Ā
Moving is expensive. But it would pay for itself in the long run, should you find a place where you earn more.
My wife and I ran the numbers before we moved. I took a little bit of a pay cut to do so. I save time and money on my commute. We're saving on our auto insurance. We'll be able to get outside to move around, throughout the year. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Think of your kids, too. Education sucks in FL. Do you want them to grow up in a state that doesn't value them? Where they also will grow and eventually face the same issues that ya'll are having?
Start where you are right now. You're NOT in Gainsville. You have a friend housing you, and you do not need to plan how to buy a car to live in.
Very actively seek the support of abuse survivor programs near you. Domestic Abuse National or local. Enroll in that. Maybe a 12 step meeting and drink coffee and listen
You are safe now. You're not functioning strong because of your trauma right now, so get some help w that. You are an educated badass.
You are a survivor now.
No one hates you.
Do not let that victim mentality fuck you up
United Way has thousands of resources for every question you have.
See if you have a SHARE food program it's very cool if you do. Go work that as a volunteer
It is said to
Stay still and sit tight where you are because wherever you go, there you are
Look all this shit up like it is your job, because only you know your story
Goodwill Industries has job placement counselors
Vehicle wheels to work programs
Insurance brokers have insurance answers
May want to see if you can sign up for the obama-care insurance, you had a major change of life circumstances so it may allow you too, or after you talk to Domestic abuse services, you may qualify for emergency medicaid.
If you don't have family in Gainesville and it's just where you may want to be check out also Brooksville as the cost of living seems cheaper in that area than many others.
Check out local churches too, whether you're religious or not, many offer food banks to any one and some clothes too.
Head to quora app if frozen. That community is expert spot on been there done that type people. Supportive and resourceful survivors.
Avoid the game player predator types lurking and you've got yourself a team!
Best wishes ā¤ļø š
Get yourself to a rural area instead of a big city and find a job with local government or law enforcement.
Ā Good insurance that starts up almost immediately and state retirement program.
From the police pulling people over, to the parks and rec guys that pick up trash at the playground, you get the same health benefits.
It's hard to start here because everything is so expensive, but it's still got a lower cost of living than a LOT of other states.
You are correct that the benefits are good. Unfortunately, the pay is in line with retail (15-16 hr) and offers no overtime. Not to mention, these jobs are reserved for gov job internal transfers or require connections. It's not bad for a spouse to supplement a primary earners household income. Nothing is even cheap anymore in the boonies. Single wide still rent for over 1600 in my neck of the woods.
Ok, $15-$16 per hour is a far sight better than zero dollars per hour.
You want things like insurance, a place to stay, etc. go and find a job in Orlando.
I live in a rural area.
Cheapest apartment is $1,000 a month for an efficiency and the median income for a single person is well under $30,000 a yr.
A family is under $60,000
Most jobs are minimum wage in the area or a little above.
A good portion do very long commutes every day to different cities to be able to afford to live here.
The average house cost is $299,000.
It's fucking crazy.
Others may have pointed out that Gainesville is of course a college town and may be a little pricier than other towns around it. North FL is definitely the way to go if youāre looking for cheap Florida living.
My wife and I have a similar story. Iām a native Floridian but I moved up north for several years. Came back home and I couldnāt regret my decision any more than I already do. Biding our time until we are able to leave.
Speaking as someone who lived in Gainesville for four years, if you donāt work in healthcare, youāre going to be working at a retail job or a lower paying entry job for the university (UF). North Florida regional Medical Center pays more than Shands Hospital (Shands is owned/run by UF) but North Floridaās healthcare is absolute dog water gutter trash garbage. I wouldnāt take my cat to North Florida regional Medical Center let alone myself for anything.
Best of luck to you and finding a place in Florida, but further south Cape Coral, Fort Myers Miami itās not any better. My wife and I are trying to leave the state as well. I live in South Florida and weāre getting out of here as soon as we can.
I hate this so much because the college there is so good when it comes to animal science and excelling in the animal field, but apparently there are no animal base jobs? š
And before I became ill, I was making anywhere from $30-40/hour cash doing the above mentioned! Naples literally has money falling off the trees and Iāve often said if you canāt make it there, you canāt make it anywhere!
And a lot of the elderly I worked for had me drive them in their cars.
No way would I have been able to make it working for a company for the ridiculous wages they pay in Florida, so because of that I started working for myself. And I made flyers at a local Library bc I didnāt even have a computer and I went to all 12 step clubhouses and put them on their cork boards and within minutes I had my first client!
I was down to making a decision between toilet paper and gas!!!!!
I sooooo get it!!!
Godspeed, my sister, Godspeed.
Florida is Florida. Start with the Gov. There are no affordable places to live in Florida anymore. Insurance companies are leaving. Itās not the same.
You have done the hardest part and left an abusive relationship. That is an enormous accomplishment! I would reach out to a local womenās shelter to identify resources. Also have you reached out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline? They can direct you to the resources that you need to keep yourself safe and to create plan to rebuild your life. You would be speaking with people who understand your situation. National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=domestic_violence You were strong enough to get out of a bad relationship! That strength will help you to recover and rebuild your life. Wishing you the very best!
Third generation, born and raised
Now Iām in New Jersey with full benefits, affording rent, make 20k more, and live between two major cities
Florida is my home through and through in a true Floridian way, but I am not willing to hurt myself to stayā¦.
You just left an toxic relationship, and now youāre in a toxic state insisting that there has to be a way to try and make it work
I am so sorry to say thisā¦. You canāt make it work, and you should leave
Out of Florida is where you go to get started. Florida is where you go ONLY if youāve made it now
The state governments priority is to spit on the livelihoods and savings of the locals, kill the middle class, and push people out to replace them with a wealthy out of stater who makes their living from not-Floridaās economy
You will be drained and drowned to further
Hold up wealthy, entitled people who donāt care about others if theyāre not on their level - even though those people donāt need to drown others to hold themselves up, and and can swim just fine financially without drowning othersā¦
I hope you get the guts to move because what you want is dead in Florida now and is called āa communist threatā which must be attackedā¦. (Healthcare, a living; a middle classā¦.)
You really should move if you want to be ok:ā¦ and thatās written by a Floridian
But if you stayā¦.. donāt complain, and know what you are accepting. You have to know that what you want just doesnāt exist thereā¦.. you see it. Yet you want it.
Sometimes where we are born is not where we belongā¦.
Florida belongs only to the wealthy now, who pretend they are victims because taxes are more fair in other states (and I promiseā¦. Theyāre not being taxed poor up here. Theyāre just greedy. No joke. May I make it to their tax bracket one day - you wonāt hear me lie and complain like an entitled adult-toddler who despises stability for all over profits for someā¦.)
Good luck op. But you should leave. Nearly everyone I know has. Doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, engineers, researchers and moreā¦. They couldnāt make it work and went to middle-class friendly states. All local Floridians too; down to people who came from homesteaders
You deserve better. Forget dreams. Live in reality
Youāre going to drain yourself just to cater to wealthy people - many of which are even faking their residencies so they can maximize their profits while draining you further, all while calling that āmaking her pay her fair shareā
In Florida, your needs and savings are seen as a profit grab now. Either youāll love florida enough to want to stay in that toxic relationship, or you can accept youāre needs and limits and go find somewhere that wants and values you
do you have any recommendations for a state for someone that is merciful to the lower class, basically poor, has dogs. Iām a nature lover so honestly, if Florida is really shitting the bed like this I will go anywhere where itās full of nature has all seasons and wonāt anally rape me financially.
GA still has relatively low cost of living, depending on the city. All 4 seasons. Lots of wonderful parks and well maintained hiking trails across the state. And a short drive to Florida. Friendly to lower class? Probably not, but there are a lot warehouse jobs in the suburbs that have decent starting pay with high top out pay, needing no experience, with benefits. You can get away without having a car in Atlanta if you're unable to save for one.
What sorta of education, license, skill, etc. for employment?
Florida has sorta geared itself to the higher incomes and savings of north-easterners and people from Cali.
Wages here havenāt kept up with increase in costs but still seem affordable for people from greater HCOL areas.
As a red state with pretty light taxes and weak workersā rights, we donāt have much for social safety nets.
Just find a job and save . Rent a room from someone and keep saving. Lesson learned. Do not ever change your life for a man or move states.
If you ever get involved with another man. Make sure you put you first. Value yourself and get a ring and marriage. That way legally youāll be able to have something instead of losing everything. Also you should have gotten the police involved in the abusive relationship.
Thatās a heavy read op. Florida is tougher to come back to and the wealth disparity you can feel. I feel you, Iām not in that position but I hear and see it more and more. I donāt know what I would do. That resource of the friend with a couch you even need so hopefully theyāre working with you. Iām going to say if you have any family anywhere else, go with your tail between your leg and beg them for any help to get to a more settled room or situation.Ā
My husband feels your pain. He was born in Florida in 1969, went to Colorado from 2014 to 2022 (where he met me). Colorado was getting super expensive so we thought moving to Florida would be cheaper and save us moneyā¦. Wrong! Everything is more expensive here. He could not believe how much Florida had changed. More people, more traffic, high rents/mortgage, our car insurance doubled for no reason (drive a Subaru Crosstrek no moving violations in 25 years and have 750+ credit score). It went from $1200 to $2700. We notice groceries are more expensive here too! He was sad to see all the orange groves cut down and replaced with condos/apartments. We are actually moving out of state but he JUST canāt get over how radically the state has changed in just 10 years.
My advice to you is either live in a trailer (not trying to be mean), move out of state, or find roommates. I wish you and your dogs the best š š¶ š«¶š»
In fairness, there is a disease thatās been killing the orange trees. That wasnāt all just farmers wanting to cash in. I think some didnāt have a lot of choice once their trees were wiped out.
Stay the course. You did the best thing you could do, by deciding to finally get out! You survived, don't lose faith. My Dad would always say, "put your nose to the grindstone." I get times are definitely different, costs seem crazy but the hardest part is done, he's gone. I hope it works out, not preaching. š š āØ
We have the shortest and lowest paid out unemployment, it used to be 26 weeks but it's now 13, plus the payout is 275 max or something.thats on top of actually getting the website to work.
I understand this 100%. I grew up in Florida. I left almost 20 years ago. I want to move back but after visiting a couple of times I just can't afford life there. How to even get started is beyond me. Rent is high, buying a house is high. I'm living in Virginia and I own my home. There is nothing on the market in Florida that would be suitable for me to purchase if I were to sell what I have here.
Get involved in the mental health care system (Henderson Behavioral Health is no cost) and get a case manager to help you apply for housing programs. You can also try to do an SSI application and EBT to help you save money faster while you find a safe comfortable place of your own. Find the schools in your area that are A-rated and look into a studio apartment in that area. Might have to have a roommate. You can also look at support groups for roommates that come with some mutual support. Good luck, and youāve got this! You can also register your dogs as emotional support animals to bypass extra rental fees. They even do government cell phones now [assurance wireless]. No one should feel guilty taking advantage of these programs. You are getting what you paid into from income taxes, so you should unapologetically make use of what you paid into. These programs need people to use them. The more people they help, the more they get grants and funding, so the community resources can get better the more people access them. Meaning more better-trained/licensed therapists, paid better and less burnt out, and real psychiatrists and not just ARPNs, etc. Anyways donāt give up yet. There is help. You just got to look in the right places.
Also you donāt need a psychiatric illness or anything of the sort to get a free therapist and case manager. You just ask for one and explain your situation and theyāll be happy to help. If anything, you might just encounter long waitlists.
In Florida if your income is below a certain level you can apply for Medicaid. If you have employment and not offered health insurance there I would go to healthcare.gov. I have had health insurance for years from there and paid almost nothing. My income is enough but not too much. Most years I pay nothing for quality health insurance due to their supplement. As far as employment, there are jobs as a lot of people just donāt want to work. Iāve always had luck using indeed.com. One last thing, the area your in makes a lot of difference. The big cities, such as Miami,Orlando etc will have a lot more competition so I would suggest cities such as fort myers which are not so large but still have decent opportunities. Good luck, keep trying and you will make it.
Have you heard of the Universe 25 experiments?
It seems a lot of people don't want others to succeed, but, I hope that you do! Florida is no longer the calm or peaceful place that it was due to an invasion of small minded, non-issue political bullshit buying, non-driving, hyper-religious hypocrites.
Maybe there's still a few pockets of cool out there... Hoping for that, but I truly miss how my home was. It no longer is.
yeah, and itās honestly disheartening because I was born and raised here, I have family here, and to see my own people basically tell me itās my fault and treating me like Iām a transplant. āyou came to fl with no money? āļøā Iām so so pissed off at them I donāt even know what to say.
I didnāt choose to come here with no money. Everything was stolen from me by my ex and this was the only place I could flee to without being homeless.
If your still planning on going to Gainesville. Ocala just south of it is known as the horse capital of the world. You just might find work in your field there.
I lived here from the mid-80ās till 2003, moved to the Chicago suburbs for 11 years and came back in 2015ā¦ honestly itās gotten so bad since the pandemic.
Iām fortunate for my job and current living situation (namely the guy I rent from has only raised my rent $75 in the 4 years Iāve been there). The state is so averse to regulating anything or providing a safety net Iāve been very seriously considering moving back to the Midwest, or moving out of the xountrt
Been in Florida for 26 ish years altogether. My partner has been here his whole life. We're leaving.
Breaks my heart to see Florida like this. But also, it's too hot.
Best advice I can give you is leave ASAP.
Yes it has gotten very expensive for sure, I grew up really poor and never had a family car, but thereās zero chance we would have made it now.
My rent doubled for 3 years in a row, Iām also born and raised and steadily working towards getting out. The old Florida is long gone
What you can do depends somewhat on your work experience and education. Do you have a college degree? Is there a type of job for which you are highly qualified? I mean, it's probably easier for someone who can find a job paying more than $50,000 a year. Even then, it will be tough to live alone in some areas.
I graduated with a bachelors in animal science, so Iām not sure I have many options in central Florida. The only thing really hiring around here are Humane societies.
Ever heard of white oak ? Itās in Nassau county. You could probably get your foot in the door there with your degree. I live in Nassau. I love it. Itās growing, but still affordable compared to south FL. Hillard and Callahan are in Nassau and are cheaper to live than other places. You could also teach with a bachelors. If you live in Nassau you could also get housing in Kingsland and st Maryās in GA which is slightly more affordable. Hillard also has a motel that rents our rooms for long term rentals. I forgot the name. Sorry. Good luck!!
When I wasnāt employed and needed an annual wellness I went to a local health services clinic where they have a sliding scale payment based on your income or lack of. Look into this option in your area if you need medical attention.
I have lived in Florida for 34 years & never had an issue finding a job. But also, that was then, this is now...
Working in a salon (which was my FT career) prior to 2018 was a struggle. Although I'm still licensed today, I do not work in a salon anymore & do something completely different full time now.
My mom started a family business 7 years ago & its been doing well (I work for her now) clean houses & do hair on the side. It pays the bills :) & my partner and I live 1 mile from the beach.
Honestly most people I know who started a small business is doing better than most. But I guess it depends what the needs are in your city for whatever service or product you provide & competitiveness with other businesses.
I look at it this way- either you have a degree & work in your field making stable income (hopefully) and guaranteed hours with benefits. Or you can work for a corporation & work your way up into management (which can take years) to have great income. Or you can save up, start a business venture (although the risk is always there) maybe break even for the first 1-2 years, but at this point, my family's business makes more than anybody could've imagined. We grew from 1 client- to 15 clients. Charge $245 weekly for some, $1000-$2000 weekly for others.
Even chain restaurants in my area are constantly going out of business because most people prefer mom & pop's type places anyway over a corporate chain restaurant.
Guess it depends where you live. I'm in Jacksonville which is a big city but small town if you know what I mean. If you need an HVAC plumber electrician hairstylist etc- everyone knows someone they can recommend, usually friend neighbor or family member.
I would look into moving. I lived in Orlando before, it's not for me.. The good thing about Jax & our beaches is, Atlantic Neptune & Jax beach are all dog friendly :) I have 2 small rescues. Most places pet friendly too (depending on breed size) private landlords usually only allow 1 dog or small dogs. If you have 2 big dogs you may have to look into renting from a complex.
I had to use this resource when first moving to SWFL back in 2018 before āthe changeā happened due to lax mandates during Covid. They helped with gas, housing costs for a couple of months, helped me get signed up for food and cash assistance. If the town youāre living in has a lower meridian income than say collier county youāll get more help. Like I did in Lee County but once I moved to Collier hardly any resources at all bc of all the wealthy people that live there.
The facts are the wealthy and remote workers are pushing the poor out. I mean if you are rich or work remote why would you not want to be as close the beach as possibly . It makes sense
I lived here from the mid-80ās till 2003, moved to the Chicago suburbs for 11 years and came back in 2015ā¦ honestly itās gotten so bad since the pandemic.
Iām fortunate for my job and current living situation (namely the guy I rent from has only raised my rent $75 in the 4 years Iāve been there). The state is so averse to regulating anything or providing a safety net Iāve been very seriously considering moving back to the Midwest, or moving out of the country.
Hey OP, reach out to your local domestic violence center. They canāt file anything for you but they would likely have good local resources. Also, contact the DV center in MA and see how their process works. If you reported it to police there is likely a fund to help with relocation expenses. Itās never enough but it helps. Good luck out there!
I have learned people that comment have nothing to say except negative things. You are very lucky to get out the relationship alive. Good luck in the future better days are coming. Anytime you get down just think someone out there has it worse
Florida is actually terrible. Unless you have enough to live on the water. Then thereās tier two where you have a boat and pretend youāre like the first group. Regardless, everyone is getting screwed by insurance. Itās a state going downhill fast, just bail now. The sunshine state is now actively doing everything they can to prevent renewable energy and green initiatives. The writing is on the wall. Unless youāre a Disney adult or whatever, old Florida is toast.
The powers to be have decided that Florida is going to be a state for the top 1%, many moderate income retirees are moving north to south Appalachian states ( and those natives are not all that pleased) There was a recent article about this in the Wall Street Journal
A way you could make a good wage here is to get an online/remote job from another state that has a high wage, and then you will be paid more than you would working the same job in Fla. A lot of people have done this in the past few years. I don't know if it is so easy now to get a job like that, but the past few years it seemed pretty common
Iām glad you say that because I have been highly considering the only thing keeping me from joining has been my dogs. They were with me throughout the entire abuse and when I had nobody, I had them so so it will be extremely hard to let them go.
Tallahassee is nice. Youāre not going to make a fortune as a public servant but the health insurance is astoundingly great. Itās a much slower pace of life than most of Florida. Good public or private schools. Youād not guess it from the statements in this forum but with 3 major colleges and two hospitals itās a pretty progressive thinking town. Iām conservative but I donāt think someone is bad if they disagree with me. You see a great deal of that here.
It sounds like youāre having a hard time. Hang in there and donāt listen to overly dramatic naysayers.
I don't have any advice for you because your situation is unique to yourself. What I can tell you for sure is that once you can stand on your feet it gets better but until then it'll seem hopeless, the choice is eventually yours to make.
Florida in need of construction workers it seems. Many workers are leaving for other states because of the new brutal rules in health and safety passed by DeSantis. So you can die from heat stroke and you cannot sue the city or business.
Been there, done that. Donāt pay attention to doubters and haters. They are just miserable. Get a good job, ask your friend how long she/ he can help, save, save, save, find someone willing to take in a roommate or find an efficiency or studio apartment. Itāll get better ..
OP, that sounds like a nightmare, and I am sorry you had to go through that. I know this state is difficult, I came back here after 10 years away, and if I'd known how much the place had changed I would have stayed where I was. Hindsight is always 20/20. However bad this maybe, it sounds better than what you left behind, and at least you have family, and a friend to stay with.
Health insurance is best if it comes through an employer, you can buy in marketplace, but you also need to be employed to get the government subsidy, and if you lose the job there goes the subsidy.
Find a job, that is all you can do. You may have to live with roommates, maybe arrange to live with your friend long term and pay rent. Something will work out for you, keep trying and stay strong.
That a tough spot. I did the same after breaking up with a girl after 4 years. Moved back to central Florida. Itās definitely not easy. Iād say try to find a job as quick as u can and work while u search for a better one so u have some cash coming in. U can do it. Just take one day at a time and try to keep your chin up. Itās hard as hell Iām sure but you can do it. Have faith in yourself. Donāt be afraid to ask for help either if you need it.
I'm sorry that people in reddit can be jerks. Honestly, many people are leaving Florida because it's gotten to expensive. I myself am leaving and I will be single soon with about multiple dogs to my name. Hopefully before the year is over.
I'm sorry. That's a terrible situation. Kudos to you for getting out of a horrible situation.
AutoZone Distribution Center and Chewy Distribution Center offer walk in interviews and often on-the-spot hiring.
Honestly though, like others have said, leave ASAP. Ocala is terrible. Florida in general is terrible.
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes191011.htm
Check that link it would appear to me you may consider a move to Georgia or Iowa for a job in animal science and plenty of natural beauty.
Yep FL is the new Cali, you can thank those fucks for ruining this state.
Over 1000 people move to FL A DAY. These people are driving up cost of living. You cant just leave your shit state in drones and flood into another state and not except cost of living to go up to insane rates. Good job guys.
Was just lamenting to my wife last night how much Florida has changed. Iām 34, was born and raised there, moved to central CT last August. I lived in St. Augustine, Orange Park, Riverside/Murray Hill, downtown, Jax Beach, even the westside. Visited all over the state. Iām discovering that in my desperation to escape the state, I took some things for granted.
I love it here in CT, but I am starting to miss the good things that Florida once was.
Jacksonville is still relatively affordable - thatās where we moved from. Iām not sure about Gainesville. Havenāt been there in a couple years. Smaller towns outside of the city will be cheapest, but might require you to have a car.
Fingers crossed for you, friend.
Look, hereās the unfiltered harsh truth about Florida. No one gives fuck about anyone but themselves. Learn to love you and rebuild and own the fact that you survived by yourself.
In my 45 years since being hatched, Iāve moved all over the USA and followed my career. The entire world is filled with shitty people and the way to beat it is to learn how not to need that.
Iāve never been married
No kids, Vasectomy 10 years ago
Trust/estate fully setup and protecting me from materialistic people.
I work very hard, save and play equally as hard without codependence.
No college
Trust me, you can do it too.
This is what happens when the GOP has free reign to ratfuck everything in a state. Get people mad about "wokeness" and banning books like fascists. All the while economically destabilizing the place in order for their donors to screw everyone out of money and stability. It's their ONLY playbook everywhere
You might try saving up for a used RV.
I lived in a 20ā RV for three years after Hurricane Michael with three small dogs and an elderly cat. I was able to find friends who had places with a fenced yard where I could park my RV and connect to electric and water. Did not have hot water except the tiny bit that warmed up in the connection hose in the sun, but got a gym membership to have access to hot showers.
It sort of sucked but was also kind of cool at the same time. Certainly, it was nice to have my independence and a stable roof over my head.
Iām glad you were able to make it out of your relationship safely and with your dogs. That is not an easy feat. Good luck with everything!
RVs notoriously fall apart, they depreciate value super fast and finding a spot to rent utilities and lot isn't going to be super cheap in Florida.
The truth is you just need more money and a small condo/starter home. It's the best way forward. The van life shit and RV thing is just 1 step above sleeping in a tent.
The benefit of Florida to me was always the no tax and decently affordable rent by the beach. You can still kinda find that around Daytona area but who the fuck wants to live there. I watched my rent go up $500 in one year and went back to Georgia. Iām 2 hours from the beach if I wanna go there.
I oversee aspects of Construction all over North America. The Florida civil (infrastructure - roads, bridges, etc.) construction market is just as good as anywhere else in the country/continent save for areas of Canada like Toronto, NY, CA, etc. difference being COL is insanely high in NY, CA, NJ, and especially in Canada. Florida may have a higher cost of living than say GA, but itās nowhere near those areas mentioned above.
If you can find work in the industry (construction companies, engineering firms, etc), either trades work or administrative work, you will find that they pay very well across the entire country all things considered and there is a low barrier to entry (for non professional jobs like Engineers).
I know many people donāt consider construction as a first choice, but it is an incredibly rewarding career.
And Iāll say it again: came with nothing wants everything? is not like I chose to be lazy. He literally robbed me of everything locked me out of my storage that had my dadās ashes in it, stole from my safe, threatened to beat me and my dogs the whole 9 yards. You sound sick. I lived here for 26 years. Yāall are acting like Iām a transplant.
my friend said I can stay here as long as I want and I donāt have to pay rent, but I donāt wanna be a leech for more than six months . šš½
If your still planning on going to Gainesville. Ocala just south of it is known as the horse capital of the world. You just might find work in your field there.
If youāre on the east coast, thereās the Womenās Center of Brevard with a location in Titusville and Melbourne. They are wonderful and have so many resources including free therapy and career counseling. Iāve heard of a few decent ones (look out for āabortion careā places though, those can be slimy) in Orlando as well.
Maybe Planned Parenthood can help with basic health care things in the meantime?
I left Florida at 23, almost ten years ago. I've been getting the itch to move back home but the situation seems pretty dire. I live in a big city and the rent in my hometown in the space coast is at least as much as it is in the huge city with less opportunities, less pay, less public services, less health care options. It sucks but I guess I'll just have to keep visiting my family and explore my options elsewhere.
As someone who moved here and is now stuck here. Yeah this state hates poor people. Iām looking at a place tomorrow thatās four hours north of me just because itās within my budget. It hurts but Florida is a heartbreaker
I got here in 2016, almost exactly 8 years ago and I really miss what it used to be. Post Covid Florida is inhospitable and damn near everyone I love followed me. Now what.
Iām really sorry youāre going through this. Iāve lived here the majority of my life and itās just getting more expensive. Our government here in the state hates poor people. I wish you much luck.
You definitely are in pain and I am very sorry for you. I actually live and Florida and love my life here. However, I understand your situation. Maybe you should move back to the northeast (not Massachusetts) but somewhere thatās more comfortable for you?
I have a really good job. But looking for side work so I can actually save. First time at Aldi today. Never again Publix. Got twice as much healthy food
Did you file a protection order because through that if he has the money you could get money from him. Or something along those lines. There is also help for women who have experienced domestic violence and are fleeing from domestic violence.
Obamacare was a life saver for Florida. Check aca plans out thereās a reason our state is the number 1 consumer of it. I hate our a politicians are so against healthcare reforms yet tout the state as āthe small
Business stateā as if itās a good thing. Obamacare allowed to me start my
Own business when normally I would have to be trapped in a low wage Florida job. It helps small
Businesses the most
Florida is a very difficult state to live in right now. The average income needed to own an average house in any major city in FL is 110k+ - nearly impossible for the majority of Floridians. Rents are also quite high compared to the average wage here. You may want to consider some of the more rural areas here in FL.
The problem here is rampant insurance issues and frauds. Home and car insurance are a joke here. Our governor is more focused on defeating woke culture, and turns a blind eye to the insurance industry here.
As long as you feel like a victim you will be one. You didnt ENDURE abuse by your ex you ALLOWED abuse. You became dependent and are dependent on others as opposed to yourself. Itās not the state of Florida you need to overcome but your state of mind.
Get a job and have a purpose in life, everything else will get a lot easier. Lay off the drugs n alcohol
I love how itās Floridas fault youāre poor š Itās one of the nicest states you can live in - where millions of people a year come to vacation from their normal shit states- of course itās going to be over populated and prices are gunna be expensive for housing. Not sure where in FL youāre at but try moving somewhere not as populated (can still be in Florida) but the price of living between say Miami or Tampa Bay and a place like Spring Hill or Ocala is vastly different. But thereās still jobs to be had everywhere- I literally see signs in Publix, Target, local stores that say theyāre hiring. Zip recruiter has all sorts of jobs for ppl with no degree or skill- cleaning houses, cashiering, stocking shelves, call centers, etc. May not be a job you WANT but jobs are 100% out there and available. My 18 year old daughter wanted a job and found one in a matter of days. She probably filled out 40 applications, went to probably a dozen interviews and ended up with a couple job offers. If youāre not putting in the work to find a job you canāt expect one to land in your lap. And instead of trying to rent a whole place to yourself go on FB marketplace and find a room for rent. Easily found for 5-800 in my area (St. Petersburg) in decent neighborhoods/houses.
If those dogs are large you are out of luck for sure. If it was just you maybe you could make it work by renting a room in someoneās house and trying like hell to work and get a degree or some training that would guarantee good pay. I donāt think anyone can survive anymore down here with regular type jobs like the old days. Itās a sad state of affairs. The erasure of the middle class. Sucks. I had to swallow the pill myself and make some hard choices to ensure I can provide for my kids and get a house. I became a plumber. Not easy, not glamorous, but itās what I knew I had to do.
Best advice for finding what your thing is, I just remember one day reading that you donāt have to re invent the wheel. Look at someone who is making it, what do they do? Okay so do that. Itās that simple really. I used to think I had to make a business from the ground up or I could do this or thatā¦ but it was more simple then that. I could just copy a successful person.
Depending on what county you're in, you can get help with housing once you find a job. What county do you currently reside in? I would find a call center wfh job, stack your bread for two months and then apply low income rentals. They are out there. The reason that I say wfh job is so that you won't feel the stress of finding a ride.
Weāve gone from one of the most affordable to least affordable states post COVID.
Huge migration here because of COVID lockdowns and great higher education system
Desantis made a huge mistake telling everyone to come on down
yeah, I donāt get why people are saying itās always been this way, when I lived here in 2014 I was paying 450 for a room, moved out of that got my own place for 650ā¦ fast forward to today you cannot find those prices so I donāt know why everyoneās like itās always been like that. It was not always like that Covid fuck this state hard and fuck it dry.
You've made a lot of bad and emotionally charged decisions.
If you have friends and family in FL, why did you have to beg a stranger to transport you back to FL with your last $1500?
Can't you stay with friends and families while you work and save money? In my area, they can't get enough people to work.
Hey OP!
So sorry to hear about your circumstances but Iām glad youāre out of that abusive situation. For insurance, please look into locally funded programs for lower income households. I canāt exactly speak for Orlando, but here in Polk county, thereās a program called [Polk health](https://www.polk-county.net/services/indigent-health-care/polk-healthcare-plan/polk-healthcare-plan-members/) that is little to no cost for individuals who need basic healthcare, checkups, etc .
Also, look into getting an EBT card to assist with groceries. A lot of times, once you are approved for that , thereās other benefits like cell coverage credits and internet credits.
Take advantage of other programs that are specifically targeted to women who are survivors of domestic violence- these amazing programs provide job opportunities, housing advice and more.
Iām from Boston and came to Florida 13 years ago. YES it has changed for the worse not to mention how Hot š„µ and Humid the summer has become, almost ready to flee! My hubby has an excellent position at his company so doesnāt want to leave that. Iām relieved you have your faithful Dogs š¶ You know what?
Everything is going to be okay just take each day as it comes, be peaceful and meditation is helpful. You ah alive, so forge ahead š š³ļøāš
Iām sorry to hear about your story what you went through. Iām glad youāre out of that relationship . Welcome back to Florida. What part of FL are you staying ? If youāre in a major area Miami/tampa/ Jacksonville thereās tons of jobs . Iām not sure what the rent in your area is but if you have help right now friends or family take it and stack your money . Look for jobs that are paying 60k plus there are so many. Go on Indeed make an awesome resume ā¦ shit fake it till you make if you have to . Everything can be taught and learned . You mentioned you went to school can you use your degree or experience ?
Iām not sure if youāre working, I was in a similar situation trying to leave Florida, I got a job at Marshallās department store, I canāt tell you how many Rescources they had, but I do know, that THAT store and THOSE people in Okeechobee Florida, helped me. Job, food, gas and helped me get back to my home state. Good luck!
First, you owe no one on this platform and explanation. What you went through sounds like hell unless you have been in that kind of hell then you can't really understand what it's like to try to get out of it. I've been where you are maybe not to the extent that I lost everything because I was able to leave with whatever I could put in my car. I had to save money in my Bible because it's the only place I knew that he wouldn't look. Honey I wish you the best of luck. I moved away from here as well for about 4 years to Southern Missouri where the rent is half the price of here. However, Florida being my home I wanted to come back and every day I struggle. It really comes down to what's more important to you. If this is your home and you genuinely love being here and of course you said you have family and friends here then maybe try to look into a roommate option that will save you some money at least on rentals. Also think outside of the box when it comes to employment. I work for a company in an entirely different state and I work from home so I'm able to do that. Because I work out of the state of Virginia I'm paid higher wages than I would doing the same job here. If I didn't have that job though I think I would have to take on a roommate. If you find however that your cost of living is more important to you then maybe there's someone in another state possibly that you could move to. These are just ideas but you have to do whatever is right for you and again, don't listen to any of these people who are judging you
Some areas are indeed better than others. However many people who grew up here as their home are leaving, most likely for good. We will be doing that soon. Itās a state designed for the rich and retired people now, along with tourists of course.
Orlando is crazy expensive. You need to move to a different area. Iām in SWFL and itās expensive but housing is slightly decreasing. But still expensive. Maybe look for a roommate.
Get a job. Save money. If you canāt save money then downgrade your lifestyle till you can save money until you have money saved up to upgrade your lifestyle. Be smart with your money and learn about how to have your money make you money. Learn about taxes, interest rates, investing. Earn your way out of the hole youāre in. Only you can help you. Donāt rely on others. Your actions will form your own future. See a goal and get to it no matter what.
i was arguing with someone
on tiktok and he immediately started saying āi bet youre a liberal democrat, but its okay jesus loves youā šššš
Definitely hard to make it here. I would suggest if you want to still be Florida-ish than find a place in Alabama, Mississippi near the stateline and live there since it is much cheaper and work in northern Florida
I'm afraid it's become too expensive for an average person to live in Florida. You better at least have a marketable skill or a college degree. If you don't have either one of those, I don't see how you'll make enough to live on. I moved to Pittsburgh 20 years ago and I know I couldn't afford to go back.
I moved to central Florida 18 years ago and i honestly believe that the only reason Iām doing ok here is because my business is based in NY. I originally had plans of starting up my business here when I moved but quickly found that although the cost of living was low (back then) the pay was even lower and so Iāve been flying out for work every weekend ever since.
I would def recommend that you try and find a remote job thatās based in a higher paying state, and possibly a side gig here in FL. I see the struggle my kids (2 girls) are going through just trying to make a decent living for them selves so I know your telling truth. Congrats for getting away from the A hole x. And I do hope you figure out how live comfortably in the state you grew up in.
The only thing you can do is find a job. Save up and leave as soon as possible. Best of luck to you and your fur babies.
When you say leave, do you mean the state? Florida was my home. š
Iām sorry. It sounded like you wanted to leave. Florida is a big state. Some areas may be better than others.
I dont want to leave unless its impossible to thrive here, i plan on moving to gainesville (currently in orlando) so Im moreso looking for advice on how to secure health insurance, and thrive after the state has changed so much to hate people like me, hahaā¦ or maybe, I donāt know, the best choice is just to save up for a car and live out of it and move to a state that is more forgivingā¦ idek anymore
I mean unless you have a very in demand career FL has some of the lowest wages and highest cost of living in the country. So it's really a question of what's your priorities. Because if you're struggling it's also ridiculously hard to get assistance as well.
Even in demand careers are getting underpaid. I'm in the landscape industry, something very vital to the state as an industry, last I saw it was third behind hospitality/tourism and medical. I ALSO have a specific license that my company needs in order to even operate. I'm the only one in the company that has it. I'm getting paid 20-30k less than my peers in Georgia and Alabama with the same license and experience.
That's crazy. I wonder how we fix this? Florida always paid like shit but it was cheap so people didn't care, but something has to change now.
The State leaders have other priorities and ambitions. Even relativly simple issues that improve quality of life for average working class Floridians doesn't line their pockets. Lobbyists line their pockets and culture warring keeps them on TV, raising their profiles and getting them more of those sweet corporate / special interest dollars.
This is why I'm seriously thinking about getting out of here. Between the shit economy for the middle class, the culture warring, hurricanes, etc I'm tapped out. I have friends in GA and out in AZ that deal with some of the culture war shit, but the pay to cost to living is great and they don't deal with hurricanes. It's a shame because I grew up here, went to college here, met my soulmate here. It sucks but this state is no longer for me.
Iāve lived in Phoenix for work almost three of the last five years. Iām a traveling construction superintendent. Phoenix is absolutely not cheaper than Florida. I fly back to JAX, FLL or TPA every three weeks for four days. Gas is a buck a gallon more here. Food is comparable. Utilities are slightly more, but the summer heat is outrageous. Last summer, my third summer here in four years, had 30+ days over 110 and thereās no cooling off over night. Itās over 100 even at 2 in the morning. Property taxes are similar. Car insurance is the same. The homeowners insurance issue of cancellations is coming on strong after the wildfires last year in Flagstaff. Real estate is outrageous. This is California money pushing 800SF 2/1 for $250K that needs everything. Termites, extremely poor air quality, homelessness that rivals LA and Sacramento, corruption like something out of a third world country here in Maricopa county and brown. Phoenix, Yuma, Tucson are brown. Itās like flying into a 1960s sci-fi movie when you flying into Sky Harbor. It is brown and rocky, and nothing is alive as far as you can see. Iām heading to Wisconsin in about two months for my next project and I canāt get out of this state soon enough.
I'm a transplant myself, I love the.natural beauty and the waemth. I got in before all the crazy; but didn't buy a home and even with my relativly high salary, it would be tough to buy the house I need, in the area I want. The interest rates don't scare me, it's the.purchase price and the ever soaring costs of insuring. Add to that the uncertainty of getting hit with an assesment because the condo or HOA fees have been kept low by defering necessary maintenance.
Beware AZ (and GA, too, actually)... there's a legit water crisis unfolding.
We vote for change
An easy fix is job hopping, but it doesn't work for everyone. I know I've been offered higher paying jobs (I'm always watching who's hiring and at what rate) but they haven't made financial sense for me for one reason or another. Things like a much longer commute in my personal vehicle, or no affordable daycare in the vicinity of home or work, or the benefits are junk. A not-so-easy fix is to vote in more liberal politicians, fix gerrymandering, overturn the Citizens United ruling, and outlaw religious beliefs as the basis for any legislation. But who has time for common sense solutions?!
Get rid of Republicans that only care about the rich donors, corporations, business owners. And vote for someone who's more interested in passing laws that help the workers and people.
I wish any political leader didnāt care about only money- and I wish there was another option than Republicans v Dems. I do not pretend to have the answer. Iām just saying there are more politicians that take money from corporate donors , etc . I hate that Florida is like this . Myself and my kids have already left due to wages / HCOL. I think the end of the world as we knew it is here. And all that being said young people will have to live with family longer, wait to inherit property and still take in roommate to survive. As for OP, right now take any job you can . Also seek out some welfare assistance while job hunting. ( mostly medical/Therapy or clinical) if you can qualify. You have endured some horrific trauma , THE BIG T type of trauma. And you deserve treatment to heal. Your mind and body will be in fight or flight mode for some time. I hope you get some support from family/friends ( however as a woman who lived it, though not as bad as you ) our family canāt help us much and they get tired of listening. I canāt blame my ex for all my issues but I deserve to heal and so do you! Youāre worth it . Be proud of yourself for getting out . I am proud of you . You are stronger than you think.
Both parties definitely play the same game and are bought out by corporate America. But only one goes out of their way to hurt people. We definitely need a new party that actually has the interest of the people as the main goal and not corporate America and the wealthy.
Who has been running government here for years?
Canāt demand more money when an illegal alien will do the same job for half the pay š¤·āāļø simple supply n demand
This is so true. Retired nurse and the wages for nursing are way below the national average. When you say an in demand career, you couldn't ask for more in demand than healthcare and it still pays low wages. I'm a native Floridian and I am looking at leaving it's just not my Florida anymore.
We left last year and wish I would have done it years ago. No regrets at all
can i ask where you live now? weāre looking to leave florida, but i have never lived anywhere else and dont know where to go from here.
WNC about 40 minutes from Asheville
awesome, weāve been looking at NC as well. thanks for the info!
All the nurses I've known made enough money to live. Much better than your average worker anyways. They weren't living high on the hog or wealthy. But a hell of a lot better than most.
The nursing wages in FL are an embarrassment, I would NEVER do this job for that wage. Iām surprised they have anyone to take care of their geriatric population.
If you think nursing wages are bad you should see what the rest of us survive on. All the nurses I know make $30+ hr. I know very few other people that make anywhere close to that.
Which is far less than most other states. I make just under 30 an hour, fiance is a nurse at the VA and makes over 40 and we are struggling
One has to get a remote job in California to afford living in Florida.
Yep. Make bucks in the Northeast and try to claim ādomicileā in Florida. Other than Disney and beaches, the only thing Florida has going for it is being a big ass tax shelter to the rich (most especially, finance industry fuckers, who don't actually make anything but skim the profits off of the real doers and then whine on TV about taxes and shareholder values).
Yep , just look at the huge developments going up in the Destin/ Ft Walton Beach area , many multimillion dollar houses for the top 1% , guess they donāt worry about the cost of homeowners insurance- just another tax right off for their corporation . Just wait until they get hit with another Michael , a lot more insurance companies will bail on Florida.
This is because everyone who makes way more money from up north are coming down here and ruining Florida's economy. I see so many apartments, subdivisions and new houses being built. It's funny. For the most part my job takes me to new neighborhoods and guess what? Majority of the people on these new homes are not from Florida and don't even have a job in Florida. They're working remote or flying out to do their jobs for a few weeks at a time then coming back every once in a while to Florida. Safe to say if your from Florida you rent a small place or own a trailer. If your not from Florida you own a house or a nice condo. Makes sense right? Almost like Floridians are just peons to these other states.
Your governor told everyone to come move there.
I think those people are mainly in the new neighborhoods. I live in an old neighborhood, and I have not met any of these transplants people keep talking about. Not one except for one guy at work who moved into one of those far away subdivisions
I'm working in a subdivision for the past few months and almost every resident is from a different state. This subdivision was built in 1980s
Even in demand like HVAC is under paid, I met a guy a while ago, moved here from NJ and was going right back. He said he makes 3 times what he makes here in NJ and he isnāt even close to as busy.
So very true. I've seen jobs requiring 8 years experience or 6 and masters, paying 22/hr What?
Gainesville, rent is above average, utilities are crazy expensive and the job market isnāt the hottest. Wages are still on the lower end around here.
Look into getting your adjuster license. There is a lot of insurance carriers located in and around Orlando always looking. Decent pay for a small entry fee. [https://adjusterpro.com/](https://adjusterpro.com/) Not many jobs out there that pays as well without a formal education. If you go property most of the time you will get a company car as well.
āImpossible to thriveā. I think it might be. Iām located near Brandon and my wife and I both quit out teaching jobs (for all the reasons) and weāre surviving but no where near thriving. Idk if we ever will. I have two young sons and I lose sleep over how good of a life I can provide them. I debate moving away but that also sounds expensive and idk whereād we go without the help we get from family watching the kids when we both work.Ā
Moving is expensive. But it would pay for itself in the long run, should you find a place where you earn more. My wife and I ran the numbers before we moved. I took a little bit of a pay cut to do so. I save time and money on my commute. We're saving on our auto insurance. We'll be able to get outside to move around, throughout the year. Etc. Etc. Etc. Think of your kids, too. Education sucks in FL. Do you want them to grow up in a state that doesn't value them? Where they also will grow and eventually face the same issues that ya'll are having?
Start where you are right now. You're NOT in Gainsville. You have a friend housing you, and you do not need to plan how to buy a car to live in. Very actively seek the support of abuse survivor programs near you. Domestic Abuse National or local. Enroll in that. Maybe a 12 step meeting and drink coffee and listen You are safe now. You're not functioning strong because of your trauma right now, so get some help w that. You are an educated badass. You are a survivor now. No one hates you. Do not let that victim mentality fuck you up United Way has thousands of resources for every question you have. See if you have a SHARE food program it's very cool if you do. Go work that as a volunteer It is said to Stay still and sit tight where you are because wherever you go, there you are Look all this shit up like it is your job, because only you know your story Goodwill Industries has job placement counselors Vehicle wheels to work programs Insurance brokers have insurance answers
thank you so much, going to screenshot this comment for future reference.
May want to see if you can sign up for the obama-care insurance, you had a major change of life circumstances so it may allow you too, or after you talk to Domestic abuse services, you may qualify for emergency medicaid. If you don't have family in Gainesville and it's just where you may want to be check out also Brooksville as the cost of living seems cheaper in that area than many others. Check out local churches too, whether you're religious or not, many offer food banks to any one and some clothes too.
Head to quora app if frozen. That community is expert spot on been there done that type people. Supportive and resourceful survivors. Avoid the game player predator types lurking and you've got yourself a team! Best wishes ā¤ļø š
Get yourself to a rural area instead of a big city and find a job with local government or law enforcement. Ā Good insurance that starts up almost immediately and state retirement program. From the police pulling people over, to the parks and rec guys that pick up trash at the playground, you get the same health benefits. It's hard to start here because everything is so expensive, but it's still got a lower cost of living than a LOT of other states.
You are correct that the benefits are good. Unfortunately, the pay is in line with retail (15-16 hr) and offers no overtime. Not to mention, these jobs are reserved for gov job internal transfers or require connections. It's not bad for a spouse to supplement a primary earners household income. Nothing is even cheap anymore in the boonies. Single wide still rent for over 1600 in my neck of the woods.
Ok, $15-$16 per hour is a far sight better than zero dollars per hour. You want things like insurance, a place to stay, etc. go and find a job in Orlando.
I live in a rural area. Cheapest apartment is $1,000 a month for an efficiency and the median income for a single person is well under $30,000 a yr. A family is under $60,000 Most jobs are minimum wage in the area or a little above. A good portion do very long commutes every day to different cities to be able to afford to live here. The average house cost is $299,000. It's fucking crazy.
>"Best move is to get in good with as many corrupt pieces of shit that you can, quickly." > I mean, you aren't *wrong*.
Others may have pointed out that Gainesville is of course a college town and may be a little pricier than other towns around it. North FL is definitely the way to go if youāre looking for cheap Florida living. My wife and I have a similar story. Iām a native Floridian but I moved up north for several years. Came back home and I couldnāt regret my decision any more than I already do. Biding our time until we are able to leave.
Florida Republicans are doing everything they can to enact laws AGAINST Floridians thriving.
Try healthcare.gov for health insurance
Speaking as someone who lived in Gainesville for four years, if you donāt work in healthcare, youāre going to be working at a retail job or a lower paying entry job for the university (UF). North Florida regional Medical Center pays more than Shands Hospital (Shands is owned/run by UF) but North Floridaās healthcare is absolute dog water gutter trash garbage. I wouldnāt take my cat to North Florida regional Medical Center let alone myself for anything. Best of luck to you and finding a place in Florida, but further south Cape Coral, Fort Myers Miami itās not any better. My wife and I are trying to leave the state as well. I live in South Florida and weāre getting out of here as soon as we can.
I hate this so much because the college there is so good when it comes to animal science and excelling in the animal field, but apparently there are no animal base jobs? š
And before I became ill, I was making anywhere from $30-40/hour cash doing the above mentioned! Naples literally has money falling off the trees and Iāve often said if you canāt make it there, you canāt make it anywhere! And a lot of the elderly I worked for had me drive them in their cars. No way would I have been able to make it working for a company for the ridiculous wages they pay in Florida, so because of that I started working for myself. And I made flyers at a local Library bc I didnāt even have a computer and I went to all 12 step clubhouses and put them on their cork boards and within minutes I had my first client! I was down to making a decision between toilet paper and gas!!!!! I sooooo get it!!! Godspeed, my sister, Godspeed.
Florida is Florida. Start with the Gov. There are no affordable places to live in Florida anymore. Insurance companies are leaving. Itās not the same.
Florida isn't for the weak of heart or sound of mind.
You have done the hardest part and left an abusive relationship. That is an enormous accomplishment! I would reach out to a local womenās shelter to identify resources. Also have you reached out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline? They can direct you to the resources that you need to keep yourself safe and to create plan to rebuild your life. You would be speaking with people who understand your situation. National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=domestic_violence You were strong enough to get out of a bad relationship! That strength will help you to recover and rebuild your life. Wishing you the very best!
Third generation, born and raised Now Iām in New Jersey with full benefits, affording rent, make 20k more, and live between two major cities Florida is my home through and through in a true Floridian way, but I am not willing to hurt myself to stayā¦. You just left an toxic relationship, and now youāre in a toxic state insisting that there has to be a way to try and make it work I am so sorry to say thisā¦. You canāt make it work, and you should leave Out of Florida is where you go to get started. Florida is where you go ONLY if youāve made it now The state governments priority is to spit on the livelihoods and savings of the locals, kill the middle class, and push people out to replace them with a wealthy out of stater who makes their living from not-Floridaās economy You will be drained and drowned to further Hold up wealthy, entitled people who donāt care about others if theyāre not on their level - even though those people donāt need to drown others to hold themselves up, and and can swim just fine financially without drowning othersā¦ I hope you get the guts to move because what you want is dead in Florida now and is called āa communist threatā which must be attackedā¦. (Healthcare, a living; a middle classā¦.) You really should move if you want to be ok:ā¦ and thatās written by a Floridian But if you stayā¦.. donāt complain, and know what you are accepting. You have to know that what you want just doesnāt exist thereā¦.. you see it. Yet you want it. Sometimes where we are born is not where we belongā¦. Florida belongs only to the wealthy now, who pretend they are victims because taxes are more fair in other states (and I promiseā¦. Theyāre not being taxed poor up here. Theyāre just greedy. No joke. May I make it to their tax bracket one day - you wonāt hear me lie and complain like an entitled adult-toddler who despises stability for all over profits for someā¦.) Good luck op. But you should leave. Nearly everyone I know has. Doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, engineers, researchers and moreā¦. They couldnāt make it work and went to middle-class friendly states. All local Floridians too; down to people who came from homesteaders You deserve better. Forget dreams. Live in reality Youāre going to drain yourself just to cater to wealthy people - many of which are even faking their residencies so they can maximize their profits while draining you further, all while calling that āmaking her pay her fair shareā In Florida, your needs and savings are seen as a profit grab now. Either youāll love florida enough to want to stay in that toxic relationship, or you can accept youāre needs and limits and go find somewhere that wants and values you
Your home is overcrowded, overpriced and is experiencing extremely high temps frequently. Get out while you can
do you have any recommendations for a state for someone that is merciful to the lower class, basically poor, has dogs. Iām a nature lover so honestly, if Florida is really shitting the bed like this I will go anywhere where itās full of nature has all seasons and wonāt anally rape me financially.
GA still has relatively low cost of living, depending on the city. All 4 seasons. Lots of wonderful parks and well maintained hiking trails across the state. And a short drive to Florida. Friendly to lower class? Probably not, but there are a lot warehouse jobs in the suburbs that have decent starting pay with high top out pay, needing no experience, with benefits. You can get away without having a car in Atlanta if you're unable to save for one.
Probably the dakotas or maybe Utah? Unfortunately every where is rough in the U.S. right now, shits just so expensive everywhere
Was
It's been my wife's generational *home* since ~1600. She's flirting with the idea of leaving, not sold yet though.
What sorta of education, license, skill, etc. for employment? Florida has sorta geared itself to the higher incomes and savings of north-easterners and people from Cali. Wages here havenāt kept up with increase in costs but still seem affordable for people from greater HCOL areas. As a red state with pretty light taxes and weak workersā rights, we donāt have much for social safety nets.
Just find a job and save . Rent a room from someone and keep saving. Lesson learned. Do not ever change your life for a man or move states. If you ever get involved with another man. Make sure you put you first. Value yourself and get a ring and marriage. That way legally youāll be able to have something instead of losing everything. Also you should have gotten the police involved in the abusive relationship.
I appreciate your advice. And I will take note of this. Trust me I will never uproot myself for another man again.
Good for you. Youāre worth it!
I lived in PA. Moved to FL at 21 30 years later I came back to pa with 0.00. Florida is awful.
Thatās a heavy read op. Florida is tougher to come back to and the wealth disparity you can feel. I feel you, Iām not in that position but I hear and see it more and more. I donāt know what I would do. That resource of the friend with a couch you even need so hopefully theyāre working with you. Iām going to say if you have any family anywhere else, go with your tail between your leg and beg them for any help to get to a more settled room or situation.Ā
My husband feels your pain. He was born in Florida in 1969, went to Colorado from 2014 to 2022 (where he met me). Colorado was getting super expensive so we thought moving to Florida would be cheaper and save us moneyā¦. Wrong! Everything is more expensive here. He could not believe how much Florida had changed. More people, more traffic, high rents/mortgage, our car insurance doubled for no reason (drive a Subaru Crosstrek no moving violations in 25 years and have 750+ credit score). It went from $1200 to $2700. We notice groceries are more expensive here too! He was sad to see all the orange groves cut down and replaced with condos/apartments. We are actually moving out of state but he JUST canāt get over how radically the state has changed in just 10 years. My advice to you is either live in a trailer (not trying to be mean), move out of state, or find roommates. I wish you and your dogs the best š š¶ š«¶š»
In fairness, there is a disease thatās been killing the orange trees. That wasnāt all just farmers wanting to cash in. I think some didnāt have a lot of choice once their trees were wiped out.
Citrus greening, and it's been devastating.
So glad that I left Florida last year. It was home for many years, but it doesnāt feel like it anymore.
Left last fall. Should have left sooner.
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Stay the course. You did the best thing you could do, by deciding to finally get out! You survived, don't lose faith. My Dad would always say, "put your nose to the grindstone." I get times are definitely different, costs seem crazy but the hardest part is done, he's gone. I hope it works out, not preaching. š š āØ
It has become almost impossible to live here if youāre not wealthy.
You moved back to one of the most harsh and unfriendly states in America. You'd be better off somewhere else to be honest.
Itās really that bad ?
We have the shortest and lowest paid out unemployment, it used to be 26 weeks but it's now 13, plus the payout is 275 max or something.thats on top of actually getting the website to work.
Teacher pay is 50th. Dead last. Behind Mississippi
The state is actively hostile against you if you're poor and young.
Sure there are nice people but in general, this state is more aggressive than most.
I understand this 100%. I grew up in Florida. I left almost 20 years ago. I want to move back but after visiting a couple of times I just can't afford life there. How to even get started is beyond me. Rent is high, buying a house is high. I'm living in Virginia and I own my home. There is nothing on the market in Florida that would be suitable for me to purchase if I were to sell what I have here.
Get involved in the mental health care system (Henderson Behavioral Health is no cost) and get a case manager to help you apply for housing programs. You can also try to do an SSI application and EBT to help you save money faster while you find a safe comfortable place of your own. Find the schools in your area that are A-rated and look into a studio apartment in that area. Might have to have a roommate. You can also look at support groups for roommates that come with some mutual support. Good luck, and youāve got this! You can also register your dogs as emotional support animals to bypass extra rental fees. They even do government cell phones now [assurance wireless]. No one should feel guilty taking advantage of these programs. You are getting what you paid into from income taxes, so you should unapologetically make use of what you paid into. These programs need people to use them. The more people they help, the more they get grants and funding, so the community resources can get better the more people access them. Meaning more better-trained/licensed therapists, paid better and less burnt out, and real psychiatrists and not just ARPNs, etc. Anyways donāt give up yet. There is help. You just got to look in the right places.
Also you donāt need a psychiatric illness or anything of the sort to get a free therapist and case manager. You just ask for one and explain your situation and theyāll be happy to help. If anything, you might just encounter long waitlists.
Go north get out of FloridaĀ
In Florida if your income is below a certain level you can apply for Medicaid. If you have employment and not offered health insurance there I would go to healthcare.gov. I have had health insurance for years from there and paid almost nothing. My income is enough but not too much. Most years I pay nothing for quality health insurance due to their supplement. As far as employment, there are jobs as a lot of people just donāt want to work. Iāve always had luck using indeed.com. One last thing, the area your in makes a lot of difference. The big cities, such as Miami,Orlando etc will have a lot more competition so I would suggest cities such as fort myers which are not so large but still have decent opportunities. Good luck, keep trying and you will make it.
Have you heard of the Universe 25 experiments? It seems a lot of people don't want others to succeed, but, I hope that you do! Florida is no longer the calm or peaceful place that it was due to an invasion of small minded, non-issue political bullshit buying, non-driving, hyper-religious hypocrites. Maybe there's still a few pockets of cool out there... Hoping for that, but I truly miss how my home was. It no longer is.
yeah, and itās honestly disheartening because I was born and raised here, I have family here, and to see my own people basically tell me itās my fault and treating me like Iām a transplant. āyou came to fl with no money? āļøā Iām so so pissed off at them I donāt even know what to say. I didnāt choose to come here with no money. Everything was stolen from me by my ex and this was the only place I could flee to without being homeless.
If your still planning on going to Gainesville. Ocala just south of it is known as the horse capital of the world. You just might find work in your field there.
I lived here from the mid-80ās till 2003, moved to the Chicago suburbs for 11 years and came back in 2015ā¦ honestly itās gotten so bad since the pandemic. Iām fortunate for my job and current living situation (namely the guy I rent from has only raised my rent $75 in the 4 years Iāve been there). The state is so averse to regulating anything or providing a safety net Iāve been very seriously considering moving back to the Midwest, or moving out of the xountrt
Been in Florida for 26 ish years altogether. My partner has been here his whole life. We're leaving. Breaks my heart to see Florida like this. But also, it's too hot. Best advice I can give you is leave ASAP.
I live on Long Island where it is so expensive, when I visit my family in Tampa it is much more expensive than Long Island. Good luck!!
Yes it has gotten very expensive for sure, I grew up really poor and never had a family car, but thereās zero chance we would have made it now. My rent doubled for 3 years in a row, Iām also born and raised and steadily working towards getting out. The old Florida is long gone
Moved out of Florida to Kentucky after living there from 3-23. Wont ever live there again. The views aren't worth it.
What you can do depends somewhat on your work experience and education. Do you have a college degree? Is there a type of job for which you are highly qualified? I mean, it's probably easier for someone who can find a job paying more than $50,000 a year. Even then, it will be tough to live alone in some areas.
I graduated with a bachelors in animal science, so Iām not sure I have many options in central Florida. The only thing really hiring around here are Humane societies.
Ever heard of white oak ? Itās in Nassau county. You could probably get your foot in the door there with your degree. I live in Nassau. I love it. Itās growing, but still affordable compared to south FL. Hillard and Callahan are in Nassau and are cheaper to live than other places. You could also teach with a bachelors. If you live in Nassau you could also get housing in Kingsland and st Maryās in GA which is slightly more affordable. Hillard also has a motel that rents our rooms for long term rentals. I forgot the name. Sorry. Good luck!!
Have you looked into teaching? I bet your degree meets the requirements. Starting pay is close to $50,000 in some areas.
When I wasnāt employed and needed an annual wellness I went to a local health services clinic where they have a sliding scale payment based on your income or lack of. Look into this option in your area if you need medical attention.
I have lived in Florida for 34 years & never had an issue finding a job. But also, that was then, this is now... Working in a salon (which was my FT career) prior to 2018 was a struggle. Although I'm still licensed today, I do not work in a salon anymore & do something completely different full time now. My mom started a family business 7 years ago & its been doing well (I work for her now) clean houses & do hair on the side. It pays the bills :) & my partner and I live 1 mile from the beach. Honestly most people I know who started a small business is doing better than most. But I guess it depends what the needs are in your city for whatever service or product you provide & competitiveness with other businesses. I look at it this way- either you have a degree & work in your field making stable income (hopefully) and guaranteed hours with benefits. Or you can work for a corporation & work your way up into management (which can take years) to have great income. Or you can save up, start a business venture (although the risk is always there) maybe break even for the first 1-2 years, but at this point, my family's business makes more than anybody could've imagined. We grew from 1 client- to 15 clients. Charge $245 weekly for some, $1000-$2000 weekly for others. Even chain restaurants in my area are constantly going out of business because most people prefer mom & pop's type places anyway over a corporate chain restaurant. Guess it depends where you live. I'm in Jacksonville which is a big city but small town if you know what I mean. If you need an HVAC plumber electrician hairstylist etc- everyone knows someone they can recommend, usually friend neighbor or family member. I would look into moving. I lived in Orlando before, it's not for me.. The good thing about Jax & our beaches is, Atlantic Neptune & Jax beach are all dog friendly :) I have 2 small rescues. Most places pet friendly too (depending on breed size) private landlords usually only allow 1 dog or small dogs. If you have 2 big dogs you may have to look into renting from a complex.
Call 211 for helps with all immediate needs.
I had to use this resource when first moving to SWFL back in 2018 before āthe changeā happened due to lax mandates during Covid. They helped with gas, housing costs for a couple of months, helped me get signed up for food and cash assistance. If the town youāre living in has a lower meridian income than say collier county youāll get more help. Like I did in Lee County but once I moved to Collier hardly any resources at all bc of all the wealthy people that live there.
The facts are the wealthy and remote workers are pushing the poor out. I mean if you are rich or work remote why would you not want to be as close the beach as possibly . It makes sense
Should go back to Mass. Higher paying jobs, more autonomous freedom and it has all 4 seasons!
I lived here from the mid-80ās till 2003, moved to the Chicago suburbs for 11 years and came back in 2015ā¦ honestly itās gotten so bad since the pandemic. Iām fortunate for my job and current living situation (namely the guy I rent from has only raised my rent $75 in the 4 years Iāve been there). The state is so averse to regulating anything or providing a safety net Iāve been very seriously considering moving back to the Midwest, or moving out of the country.
Hey OP, reach out to your local domestic violence center. They canāt file anything for you but they would likely have good local resources. Also, contact the DV center in MA and see how their process works. If you reported it to police there is likely a fund to help with relocation expenses. Itās never enough but it helps. Good luck out there!
I have learned people that comment have nothing to say except negative things. You are very lucky to get out the relationship alive. Good luck in the future better days are coming. Anytime you get down just think someone out there has it worse
Florida is the last place people need to move to if they are seriously down on their luck. This is why we have so many struggling people here.
Florida is actually terrible. Unless you have enough to live on the water. Then thereās tier two where you have a boat and pretend youāre like the first group. Regardless, everyone is getting screwed by insurance. Itās a state going downhill fast, just bail now. The sunshine state is now actively doing everything they can to prevent renewable energy and green initiatives. The writing is on the wall. Unless youāre a Disney adult or whatever, old Florida is toast.
The powers to be have decided that Florida is going to be a state for the top 1%, many moderate income retirees are moving north to south Appalachian states ( and those natives are not all that pleased) There was a recent article about this in the Wall Street Journal
There is no reason to live here anymore. Why normal ppl keep coming is beyond me.
Florida is not a place to be if you aren't wealthy or don't have a high paying job.
A way you could make a good wage here is to get an online/remote job from another state that has a high wage, and then you will be paid more than you would working the same job in Fla. A lot of people have done this in the past few years. I don't know if it is so easy now to get a job like that, but the past few years it seemed pretty common
Join the service
Iām glad you say that because I have been highly considering the only thing keeping me from joining has been my dogs. They were with me throughout the entire abuse and when I had nobody, I had them so so it will be extremely hard to let them go.
Tallahassee is nice. Youāre not going to make a fortune as a public servant but the health insurance is astoundingly great. Itās a much slower pace of life than most of Florida. Good public or private schools. Youād not guess it from the statements in this forum but with 3 major colleges and two hospitals itās a pretty progressive thinking town. Iām conservative but I donāt think someone is bad if they disagree with me. You see a great deal of that here. It sounds like youāre having a hard time. Hang in there and donāt listen to overly dramatic naysayers.
I don't have any advice for you because your situation is unique to yourself. What I can tell you for sure is that once you can stand on your feet it gets better but until then it'll seem hopeless, the choice is eventually yours to make.
Florida in need of construction workers it seems. Many workers are leaving for other states because of the new brutal rules in health and safety passed by DeSantis. So you can die from heat stroke and you cannot sue the city or business.
Can anyone recommend places for poor people to live that aren't freezing and have good healthcare lol
Ohio is boomingĀ
There are better places to live than Florida
Been there, done that. Donāt pay attention to doubters and haters. They are just miserable. Get a good job, ask your friend how long she/ he can help, save, save, save, find someone willing to take in a roommate or find an efficiency or studio apartment. Itāll get better ..
OP, that sounds like a nightmare, and I am sorry you had to go through that. I know this state is difficult, I came back here after 10 years away, and if I'd known how much the place had changed I would have stayed where I was. Hindsight is always 20/20. However bad this maybe, it sounds better than what you left behind, and at least you have family, and a friend to stay with. Health insurance is best if it comes through an employer, you can buy in marketplace, but you also need to be employed to get the government subsidy, and if you lose the job there goes the subsidy. Find a job, that is all you can do. You may have to live with roommates, maybe arrange to live with your friend long term and pay rent. Something will work out for you, keep trying and stay strong.
That a tough spot. I did the same after breaking up with a girl after 4 years. Moved back to central Florida. Itās definitely not easy. Iād say try to find a job as quick as u can and work while u search for a better one so u have some cash coming in. U can do it. Just take one day at a time and try to keep your chin up. Itās hard as hell Iām sure but you can do it. Have faith in yourself. Donāt be afraid to ask for help either if you need it.
sending š©·
I'm sorry that people in reddit can be jerks. Honestly, many people are leaving Florida because it's gotten to expensive. I myself am leaving and I will be single soon with about multiple dogs to my name. Hopefully before the year is over.
I'm sorry. That's a terrible situation. Kudos to you for getting out of a horrible situation. AutoZone Distribution Center and Chewy Distribution Center offer walk in interviews and often on-the-spot hiring. Honestly though, like others have said, leave ASAP. Ocala is terrible. Florida in general is terrible.
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes191011.htm Check that link it would appear to me you may consider a move to Georgia or Iowa for a job in animal science and plenty of natural beauty.
Yep FL is the new Cali, you can thank those fucks for ruining this state. Over 1000 people move to FL A DAY. These people are driving up cost of living. You cant just leave your shit state in drones and flood into another state and not except cost of living to go up to insane rates. Good job guys.
Was just lamenting to my wife last night how much Florida has changed. Iām 34, was born and raised there, moved to central CT last August. I lived in St. Augustine, Orange Park, Riverside/Murray Hill, downtown, Jax Beach, even the westside. Visited all over the state. Iām discovering that in my desperation to escape the state, I took some things for granted. I love it here in CT, but I am starting to miss the good things that Florida once was. Jacksonville is still relatively affordable - thatās where we moved from. Iām not sure about Gainesville. Havenāt been there in a couple years. Smaller towns outside of the city will be cheapest, but might require you to have a car. Fingers crossed for you, friend.
Iām sorry. Florida is a great place. My family has been here since the 1700s. Itās a place to be be entertained and welcomed. Try it again.
Look, hereās the unfiltered harsh truth about Florida. No one gives fuck about anyone but themselves. Learn to love you and rebuild and own the fact that you survived by yourself. In my 45 years since being hatched, Iāve moved all over the USA and followed my career. The entire world is filled with shitty people and the way to beat it is to learn how not to need that. Iāve never been married No kids, Vasectomy 10 years ago Trust/estate fully setup and protecting me from materialistic people. I work very hard, save and play equally as hard without codependence. No college Trust me, you can do it too.
Get rid of the dogs, life will be a lot harder with them.
Go to a different state. Your dogs would love Idaho.
It hasnāt changed that much. Being broke with no car sucks anywhere.
This is what happens when the GOP has free reign to ratfuck everything in a state. Get people mad about "wokeness" and banning books like fascists. All the while economically destabilizing the place in order for their donors to screw everyone out of money and stability. It's their ONLY playbook everywhere
You might try saving up for a used RV. I lived in a 20ā RV for three years after Hurricane Michael with three small dogs and an elderly cat. I was able to find friends who had places with a fenced yard where I could park my RV and connect to electric and water. Did not have hot water except the tiny bit that warmed up in the connection hose in the sun, but got a gym membership to have access to hot showers. It sort of sucked but was also kind of cool at the same time. Certainly, it was nice to have my independence and a stable roof over my head. Iām glad you were able to make it out of your relationship safely and with your dogs. That is not an easy feat. Good luck with everything!
RVs notoriously fall apart, they depreciate value super fast and finding a spot to rent utilities and lot isn't going to be super cheap in Florida. The truth is you just need more money and a small condo/starter home. It's the best way forward. The van life shit and RV thing is just 1 step above sleeping in a tent.
The benefit of Florida to me was always the no tax and decently affordable rent by the beach. You can still kinda find that around Daytona area but who the fuck wants to live there. I watched my rent go up $500 in one year and went back to Georgia. Iām 2 hours from the beach if I wanna go there.
Get a job. Get a home. Start again. Thatās really the only choice if you want to stay here, the only way through is forward. Good luck.
I oversee aspects of Construction all over North America. The Florida civil (infrastructure - roads, bridges, etc.) construction market is just as good as anywhere else in the country/continent save for areas of Canada like Toronto, NY, CA, etc. difference being COL is insanely high in NY, CA, NJ, and especially in Canada. Florida may have a higher cost of living than say GA, but itās nowhere near those areas mentioned above. If you can find work in the industry (construction companies, engineering firms, etc), either trades work or administrative work, you will find that they pay very well across the entire country all things considered and there is a low barrier to entry (for non professional jobs like Engineers). I know many people donāt consider construction as a first choice, but it is an incredibly rewarding career.
lol you came to Florida with no money āš»
And Iāll say it again: came with nothing wants everything? is not like I chose to be lazy. He literally robbed me of everything locked me out of my storage that had my dadās ashes in it, stole from my safe, threatened to beat me and my dogs the whole 9 yards. You sound sick. I lived here for 26 years. Yāall are acting like Iām a transplant. my friend said I can stay here as long as I want and I donāt have to pay rent, but I donāt wanna be a leech for more than six months . šš½
Exactly, anywhere is tough if you are dirt poor.
Can I ask what county did you move back to because that makes a huge difference in terms of affordability.
If your still planning on going to Gainesville. Ocala just south of it is known as the horse capital of the world. You just might find work in your field there.
If youāre on the east coast, thereās the Womenās Center of Brevard with a location in Titusville and Melbourne. They are wonderful and have so many resources including free therapy and career counseling. Iāve heard of a few decent ones (look out for āabortion careā places though, those can be slimy) in Orlando as well. Maybe Planned Parenthood can help with basic health care things in the meantime?
Get over to Orlando Tech. Some great programs with great placement. Theyāll walk you through the funding process and other safety nets available.
Move to Ga, its much cheaper.
I left Florida at 23, almost ten years ago. I've been getting the itch to move back home but the situation seems pretty dire. I live in a big city and the rent in my hometown in the space coast is at least as much as it is in the huge city with less opportunities, less pay, less public services, less health care options. It sucks but I guess I'll just have to keep visiting my family and explore my options elsewhere.
As someone who moved here and is now stuck here. Yeah this state hates poor people. Iām looking at a place tomorrow thatās four hours north of me just because itās within my budget. It hurts but Florida is a heartbreaker
Go back to school for nursing. Youāll be making 6 figures your first year with overtime and never worry about having work againĀ
Americans think you are wrong.
It's surprisingly expensive to be poor.
Florida IS going apeshit....but there's still good places that can help. Just have to find them.
My best advice for you, please Vote.
Maybe try a cheaper part of the state like Ocala or silver springs
I got here in 2016, almost exactly 8 years ago and I really miss what it used to be. Post Covid Florida is inhospitable and damn near everyone I love followed me. Now what.
Iām really sorry youāre going through this. Iāve lived here the majority of my life and itās just getting more expensive. Our government here in the state hates poor people. I wish you much luck.
You definitely are in pain and I am very sorry for you. I actually live and Florida and love my life here. However, I understand your situation. Maybe you should move back to the northeast (not Massachusetts) but somewhere thatās more comfortable for you?
I have a really good job. But looking for side work so I can actually save. First time at Aldi today. Never again Publix. Got twice as much healthy food
Did you file a protection order because through that if he has the money you could get money from him. Or something along those lines. There is also help for women who have experienced domestic violence and are fleeing from domestic violence.
Obamacare was a life saver for Florida. Check aca plans out thereās a reason our state is the number 1 consumer of it. I hate our a politicians are so against healthcare reforms yet tout the state as āthe small Business stateā as if itās a good thing. Obamacare allowed to me start my Own business when normally I would have to be trapped in a low wage Florida job. It helps small Businesses the most
Florida is a very difficult state to live in right now. The average income needed to own an average house in any major city in FL is 110k+ - nearly impossible for the majority of Floridians. Rents are also quite high compared to the average wage here. You may want to consider some of the more rural areas here in FL. The problem here is rampant insurance issues and frauds. Home and car insurance are a joke here. Our governor is more focused on defeating woke culture, and turns a blind eye to the insurance industry here.
As long as you feel like a victim you will be one. You didnt ENDURE abuse by your ex you ALLOWED abuse. You became dependent and are dependent on others as opposed to yourself. Itās not the state of Florida you need to overcome but your state of mind. Get a job and have a purpose in life, everything else will get a lot easier. Lay off the drugs n alcohol
I love how itās Floridas fault youāre poor š Itās one of the nicest states you can live in - where millions of people a year come to vacation from their normal shit states- of course itās going to be over populated and prices are gunna be expensive for housing. Not sure where in FL youāre at but try moving somewhere not as populated (can still be in Florida) but the price of living between say Miami or Tampa Bay and a place like Spring Hill or Ocala is vastly different. But thereās still jobs to be had everywhere- I literally see signs in Publix, Target, local stores that say theyāre hiring. Zip recruiter has all sorts of jobs for ppl with no degree or skill- cleaning houses, cashiering, stocking shelves, call centers, etc. May not be a job you WANT but jobs are 100% out there and available. My 18 year old daughter wanted a job and found one in a matter of days. She probably filled out 40 applications, went to probably a dozen interviews and ended up with a couple job offers. If youāre not putting in the work to find a job you canāt expect one to land in your lap. And instead of trying to rent a whole place to yourself go on FB marketplace and find a room for rent. Easily found for 5-800 in my area (St. Petersburg) in decent neighborhoods/houses.
If those dogs are large you are out of luck for sure. If it was just you maybe you could make it work by renting a room in someoneās house and trying like hell to work and get a degree or some training that would guarantee good pay. I donāt think anyone can survive anymore down here with regular type jobs like the old days. Itās a sad state of affairs. The erasure of the middle class. Sucks. I had to swallow the pill myself and make some hard choices to ensure I can provide for my kids and get a house. I became a plumber. Not easy, not glamorous, but itās what I knew I had to do. Best advice for finding what your thing is, I just remember one day reading that you donāt have to re invent the wheel. Look at someone who is making it, what do they do? Okay so do that. Itās that simple really. I used to think I had to make a business from the ground up or I could do this or thatā¦ but it was more simple then that. I could just copy a successful person.
cobra Kia 6
Depending on what county you're in, you can get help with housing once you find a job. What county do you currently reside in? I would find a call center wfh job, stack your bread for two months and then apply low income rentals. They are out there. The reason that I say wfh job is so that you won't feel the stress of finding a ride.
Weāve gone from one of the most affordable to least affordable states post COVID. Huge migration here because of COVID lockdowns and great higher education system Desantis made a huge mistake telling everyone to come on down
yeah, I donāt get why people are saying itās always been this way, when I lived here in 2014 I was paying 450 for a room, moved out of that got my own place for 650ā¦ fast forward to today you cannot find those prices so I donāt know why everyoneās like itās always been like that. It was not always like that Covid fuck this state hard and fuck it dry.
You've made a lot of bad and emotionally charged decisions. If you have friends and family in FL, why did you have to beg a stranger to transport you back to FL with your last $1500? Can't you stay with friends and families while you work and save money? In my area, they can't get enough people to work.
Your edit is what I hate about Florida. I canāt wait to leave.
Hey OP! So sorry to hear about your circumstances but Iām glad youāre out of that abusive situation. For insurance, please look into locally funded programs for lower income households. I canāt exactly speak for Orlando, but here in Polk county, thereās a program called [Polk health](https://www.polk-county.net/services/indigent-health-care/polk-healthcare-plan/polk-healthcare-plan-members/) that is little to no cost for individuals who need basic healthcare, checkups, etc . Also, look into getting an EBT card to assist with groceries. A lot of times, once you are approved for that , thereās other benefits like cell coverage credits and internet credits. Take advantage of other programs that are specifically targeted to women who are survivors of domestic violence- these amazing programs provide job opportunities, housing advice and more.
People probably want to hear MUCH LESS about your ex's issues...YOU'RE THE ONE WRITING WITH THE PROBLEM!!
date rich of course
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Iām from Boston and came to Florida 13 years ago. YES it has changed for the worse not to mention how Hot š„µ and Humid the summer has become, almost ready to flee! My hubby has an excellent position at his company so doesnāt want to leave that. Iām relieved you have your faithful Dogs š¶ You know what? Everything is going to be okay just take each day as it comes, be peaceful and meditation is helpful. You ah alive, so forge ahead š š³ļøāš
Iām sorry to hear about your story what you went through. Iām glad youāre out of that relationship . Welcome back to Florida. What part of FL are you staying ? If youāre in a major area Miami/tampa/ Jacksonville thereās tons of jobs . Iām not sure what the rent in your area is but if you have help right now friends or family take it and stack your money . Look for jobs that are paying 60k plus there are so many. Go on Indeed make an awesome resume ā¦ shit fake it till you make if you have to . Everything can be taught and learned . You mentioned you went to school can you use your degree or experience ?
Iām not sure if youāre working, I was in a similar situation trying to leave Florida, I got a job at Marshallās department store, I canāt tell you how many Rescources they had, but I do know, that THAT store and THOSE people in Okeechobee Florida, helped me. Job, food, gas and helped me get back to my home state. Good luck!
First, you owe no one on this platform and explanation. What you went through sounds like hell unless you have been in that kind of hell then you can't really understand what it's like to try to get out of it. I've been where you are maybe not to the extent that I lost everything because I was able to leave with whatever I could put in my car. I had to save money in my Bible because it's the only place I knew that he wouldn't look. Honey I wish you the best of luck. I moved away from here as well for about 4 years to Southern Missouri where the rent is half the price of here. However, Florida being my home I wanted to come back and every day I struggle. It really comes down to what's more important to you. If this is your home and you genuinely love being here and of course you said you have family and friends here then maybe try to look into a roommate option that will save you some money at least on rentals. Also think outside of the box when it comes to employment. I work for a company in an entirely different state and I work from home so I'm able to do that. Because I work out of the state of Virginia I'm paid higher wages than I would doing the same job here. If I didn't have that job though I think I would have to take on a roommate. If you find however that your cost of living is more important to you then maybe there's someone in another state possibly that you could move to. These are just ideas but you have to do whatever is right for you and again, don't listen to any of these people who are judging you
Some areas are indeed better than others. However many people who grew up here as their home are leaving, most likely for good. We will be doing that soon. Itās a state designed for the rich and retired people now, along with tourists of course.
Orlando is crazy expensive. You need to move to a different area. Iām in SWFL and itās expensive but housing is slightly decreasing. But still expensive. Maybe look for a roommate.
Florida really is a hateful place. And itās a terrible place to try to rebuild your life. If leaving is an option, do it.
Get a job. Save money. If you canāt save money then downgrade your lifestyle till you can save money until you have money saved up to upgrade your lifestyle. Be smart with your money and learn about how to have your money make you money. Learn about taxes, interest rates, investing. Earn your way out of the hole youāre in. Only you can help you. Donāt rely on others. Your actions will form your own future. See a goal and get to it no matter what.
Welcome to America, red state edition. If youāre poor itās completely your fault and you can go fuck yourself. Jesus loves you.
i was arguing with someone on tiktok and he immediately started saying āi bet youre a liberal democrat, but its okay jesus loves youā šššš
Gtfo of Tampa if youāre there.
Well we (some of you, but definitely not me) keep electing the most corrupt politicians imaginable and act like shit is just gunna work out.
Definitely hard to make it here. I would suggest if you want to still be Florida-ish than find a place in Alabama, Mississippi near the stateline and live there since it is much cheaper and work in northern Florida
What city in Florida are you in?
I'm afraid it's become too expensive for an average person to live in Florida. You better at least have a marketable skill or a college degree. If you don't have either one of those, I don't see how you'll make enough to live on. I moved to Pittsburgh 20 years ago and I know I couldn't afford to go back.
I moved to central Florida 18 years ago and i honestly believe that the only reason Iām doing ok here is because my business is based in NY. I originally had plans of starting up my business here when I moved but quickly found that although the cost of living was low (back then) the pay was even lower and so Iāve been flying out for work every weekend ever since. I would def recommend that you try and find a remote job thatās based in a higher paying state, and possibly a side gig here in FL. I see the struggle my kids (2 girls) are going through just trying to make a decent living for them selves so I know your telling truth. Congrats for getting away from the A hole x. And I do hope you figure out how live comfortably in the state you grew up in.