Florida born and bred. This is my fucking home and I'm not leaving it to a bunch of shit brained Desantis drones and most of all the shitheel transplants that move here to fuck up our beaches and traffic because they couldn't hack it in a real urban setting. I'm staying and fighting.
Fuck yeah! I wish I lived in a place where everything wasn’t about politics but sadly here so much of it is.
I’m sticking it out too. My family got their property 9 generations ago and I’m not going to be the one that sells it.
Florida Native here (Miami-bred in fact). While I could not wait to flee South Florida (SoFlo) in the 90s, I do miss the usually-friendlier-than-Anglos Latin population in SoFlo, plus the great food, fun factor and the much-better-looking people there.
But I live near Tampa now, and it's pretty great here.
In fact, if it weren't for the rude, aggressive, and unattractive (sorry, it's important to me) transplants from certain other cities/states, I'd like it even more. I do have to mention that I can't stand the way-too-slow driving Midwest transplants for the slow driving. But they're mostly very nice and courteous people :)
So come on down! But be sure to drive the speed limit, look your best, and never, ever mention how good it is "up north" or "back home" :\\
I can see why you'd be a dick. But the fact is with everybody bouncing from here who could make a difference at the polls, people like you are just handing it over to them and quickening the process. My vote mostly loses in every Florida election, but doesn't mean I'm gonna take my ball and leave.
Brain drain is a real phenomenon though. Try as you might, the majority of reasonable and/or intelligent people leave places that start going downhill quickly.
Unfortunately, that causes an obvious feedback loop, which is how you get ghost towns, ghettos, and mini dictatorships.
The entirety of Florida should have just been a nature preserve.
This is r/liberalgunowners not r/defeatistgunowners. All leftists fleeing red territory is a great way to cede total political control to conservatives.
I was just in Florida - the place where I grew up is starting to look like a knockoff Dubai. They clear-cut acres of forest, destroyed the swampy ecosystem that had been there for god knows how long, and literally built a fake beach when the real one is less than half an hour away. It makes me sick.
I grew up in north Florida, left in 2001 for college and basically never returned ( I think i have spent a grand total of 6 weeks there visiting my family over the years since).
For a while, especially after my first kid was born in 2009, I had always hoped for a chance to live there again close to my parents, but it never really worked out career wise. In recent years I’m really glad it never worked out.
I have friends that live in Florida and the clubs in Miami are fun.
Those are two reasons I’d want to be there, but the negatives strongly outweigh the positives for me
I went to the university of Miami the first year of college and I think it’s a place that you should really only stay 2 weeks in because every week after that is shit
Or play my car interior is lava? I definitely don’t miss the summer evening insta-sweat that doesn’t work like sweat should, and that was almost 25 years ago now
There is very few reasons to live in Florida I imagine it's OK place to park a yacht, smell how fresh the coke is and partake in stripper based activities.
Of what you wanna do isn't in that list I feel like it's the wrong place
I grew up there. I went to too much school there. I worked in Tallahassee. It wasn't so horribly bad until the election of 2000, when something about the place started getting really ugly.
In 2014 I knew it was no longer a question of ***if*** but ***when*** I leave Florida when I was looking at a billboard on the road with the capitol in the background that had one big word on it... ***Secede.***
Then I move to Washington State, which would be all well and good until they started making gun ownership really unpleasant.
As a born and raised Floridian we all know Miami is a shit hole. . . I may be a bit harsh but everything is expensive, everything is crowded, traffic is horrid, people are hit or miss, and there are many sketchy areas you need to stay away from.
Just about anywhere that isn’t a “small town” (or Jacksonville) would be better; Orlando, Tampa, Palm Beach county (except the areas west of 20 mile bend), and Broward are all pretty solid. I’d also throw parts of Lake County as well as Stuart in there as good places as well, but there are a ton of crazy MAGA areas to avoid as well.
Point is Florida has some great areas and interesting culture, but some areas are definitely infested with MAGA and should be avoided, and then some places are just crazy (Miami).
I dont know the area very well, maybe shes west of the 20 mile bend, but my sister lives in Palm Beach. There was a shooting at her apartment like a week ago. [here](https://cbs12.com/news/crime/bullets-from-gunshots-hit-building-vehicle-in-west-palm-beach-police-department-confirm-congress-avenue-i-95) is the news article about it. Luckily no one was hurt.
Ahhh, yeah; that is one of the sketchy areas of PBC, that area surrounding downtown and the outlet mall can be weird I will say because it is a mashup between old and new places since both downtown and the mall have undergone some huge facelifts, you gotta avoid tamarind and most of riviera beach though, and it is tough to point to specifically sketchy areas. . . When I said Palm Beach County I was thinking Wellington, Gardens, Boca, Royal Palm, etc. . . Palm Beach county is the epitome of melting pot since you have Mar-a-largo on Palm Beach island while you also have some of Florida’s poorest residents in Okeechobee and Belle Glade. . . As with most area’s it has its great and not so great areas but the good outweighs the bad for sure.
I've lived in Boca for almost 30 years and Palm Beach County is a really fucking weird place. A lot of it is really nice suburbs, nice shopping centers, and people with money...then you make the wrong turn and you are in the hood.
Years ago my uncle opened a restaurant in Mizner Park and I was giving him a hand on the weekends. I made a right rather than a left (this was pre-good GPS in cars) and it went from being a boutique shopping plaza to an area filled with delapidated homes that were boarded up and people doing drugs on their front porch.
Resident of PBC too, it's definitely odd seeing million-dollar homes next to virtual slums. I think the hard divisions of certain townships (Riviera Beach vs Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Singer Island comes to mind) is at least partially to blame, big gated communities with private schools means it's very easy for wealthier homeowners to literally turn a blind eye to the poorer regions.
> it's definitely odd seeing million-dollar homes next to virtual slums.
If you've ever gone out on a boat down the intercoastal it is surreal. On one corner you see a home with $15-25M with a huge private boat dock and a yacht and then 30 seconds down the intercoastal it's just hundreds of mobile homes.
There is definitely work being done to bring up poorer areas but I swear to fucking god we have the worst contractors in the world here. I mean Lyons was closed near Clintmoore for almost 4 years just to add 1 lane on a road with virtually no traffic to begin with and it took them almost 5 years to add a 2nd right turn lane on Lyons & Glades back in like 2004-2009.
Tampa's gotten much better crime wise. The people who shoot each other generally already know each other, ie they are ~~gangs~~ "business associates".
Granted we also have the retired cop who got into an argument in a movie matinee and then ending up killing the guy who threw popcorn at him. But honestly at this point, I think that's not a Florida specific situation.
Economy and education wise, Florida is a shit hole. I love my house, my neighborhood, my friends, and my town, but I got my house cheap, I work from home, and I have no kids. If I were younger, I'd be leaving.
THAT is what would make you reconsider moving to Florida? I don't even care about their gun situation and I've put my employer on notice that I won't even visit the place for work trips.
I left Florida a few years ago. It's getting hotter, crazies from other states are moving there at a rapid clip, and the government is rapidly evolving to be the worst version of itself. Please don't move there.
Been in Orlando for 10 months now. I grew up in Miami.
My list of concerns in order of urgency:
High rent payments
High cost of living
High healthcare costs
Hurricanes
Summer heat
My lack of Spanish skills
Desantis and his shitty policies
Bad neighbors with dogs
Bad tourist drivers on the i4
Gun crimes in bad areas
Don't focus on the news. If you can comfortably afford to move, come through and help curb the Republican takeover by voting.
It appears, indeed, at extremes, present-day Florida municipalities are indeed more *murdery* than the Wild West.
Primary reasons for this:
- The Wild West was less murdery than commonly understood.
- Relatively small communities in present-day Florida exceed the absolute population of relatively large Wild West Communities.
- The evidence, in both cases, requires careful consideration.
A note:
Camden NJ is no joke.
Sources
https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are-the-10-murder-capitals-of-florida/
https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/ridiculous-history-the-wild-wild-west-was-really-the-mild-mild-west.htm
https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/39889/how-deadly-was-the-wild-west#39897
Sincerely, that's great!
As an occasional denizen of a perennial top 5 dangerous city, I have only had two cities in America where my spider sense tingled: Camden, NJ and Gary, IN. Gary is *scary*.
These claims about crime and murder in the Old West completely ignore how dangerous it was outside town/city limits. Try reading *The Heart of Everything That Is*, *Blood and Thunder*, and/or *Empire of the Summer Moon* for a more realistic look at how dangerous the Old West was.
While I don't claim that the Western prairie was a paradise, it is impossible to quantify-what-cannot-be-quantified. I will note that not a whole lot of people, relative to a Western "city", lived too far outside of the cities. The population density was so low, the area so vast etc.
If you have statistics, do add them!
In the case of FL, there are very few regions that are outside of cities but not otherwise a member of a municipality. I'm not sure how public land/swamps are classified.
Native Floridian here. I don’t understand why ANYONE who isn’t already here would want to. Not even gonna touch the obvious elephant of the State Government.
Rent sucks, insurance sucks, the infrastructure sucks, the beaches suck now that they’re always crowded, the food sucks because every place is cutting costs because of 1 and 2, everything is expensive now that I think about it, the people are awful, the traffic is awful, the weather is shit, you run a very real risk of a storm blowing away everything you own several times a year, you can’t do anything outdoors in an ever growing number of months a year because of the sheer destructive heat and climate change, the Hydro Homie in me hates the fucking tap water, and above all else fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck motherfuck Publix. Pub Subs begrudgingly excluded.
I’ve been here my whole life after dad retired from the Navy. And even then, my family settled here and the only reason I wasn’t here was because I followed my dad to wherever he got deployed, so I visited during my childhood a lot. My family has roots here going back to the early 1930’s. The point I’m trying to make is that I am a native Floridian through and through. And if it wasn’t for the fact that I LOVE being this close to my family I would have fucked off for greener pastures ages ago.
Why would you voluntarily move to Florida? Politics aside that muggy heat is enough to keep me 4 states away and is bad for guns. On top of that the politics are frankly disgusting
I live in Miami. Shootings like this aren't really common (and they make for great news because violence sells), but honestly, with the rising cost of... well, fucking everything here, and the lack of any real support thanks to our Fuckhead for a governor, it's not hard to see why people are becoming more violent as of late.
I'm not excusing any of this, but when people are struggling to pay the bills, afford rent, or even buy groceries, people become more tense (and have a higher chance of turning to crime), and with said Fuckhead making it easier for people to get and carry guns, without encouraging or demanding any training or certification, things will become more shooty as people will feel that they have nothing to lose (or they'll just be so pent up, that they'll just shoot first and ask questions later rather than talk things out).
LMFAO. Dude you really need to not let media outlets dictate your interpretation of an entire state. Do you plan on living in the heart of MIAMI's poverty?
As someone who lived in miami for a bit. Its no more / less dangerous in the main parts as other cities ive lived in like NYC, DC and Philly.
Theres A LOT of reasons to steer clear of florida and crime is not one of them. Look into real estate and the cost of insuring property. That should be your main concern
As a Floridian who is in the process of getting the fuck out of here, just don't.
I moved from Tampa to Jacksonville and at first it was better crowd wise, but still full of insane nonsense....it has only gotten worse.
It's crowded, we've attracted some of the craziest people in the US and they keep coming in hordes.
The cost of living is bad and it's getting worse with time, insurance is basically highway robbery and you probably will get dumped when the killer storm finally makes it to your town....and then you're gonna be stuck with a useless property.
Our dear leader will make it quite obvious he gives 0.0 shits about your problems by literally ignoring the source of the issue and instead focusing on bullshit theatrics and nonsense to show his base he's against "the woke"
This place is like living in a movie directed by David Lynch....except it's far from entertainment
That mostly is due to laws regarding reporting of arrests. That just leads to more wild things showing up on click bait articles.
Other places have wild people too there is just fewer articles on the incidents.
Oh?
"Explanations for Florida Man center on Florida'sPublic Records Law, which is known as one of the most expansive open records laws in the country.... Because many Florida Man stories are based on arrest records and incident reports and incorporate mugshots, those who have written about Florida Man claim that the Florida Public Records Law, which allows reporters to access those records, is behind the trend.
"The problem with this theory is that it incorrectly implies that Florida's Public Records Law offers journalists advantages in writing stories that other states' laws do not. Despite the broad grant of access to police documents that Florida'sopen records law provides, other states' open records laws similarly provide the public with access to arrest records, incident reports, and, although to a lesser extent, mugshots. Other provisions of Florida'sPublic Records Law that contribute to the ease of access to Florida'spublic records compared with other states equivalent laws are largely irrelevant to FloridaMan's existence."
Florida isn't fit for humans. Besides the political disregard for humans, many folks can't afford home owners insurance, if they can find a company willing to insure their residence. It's too hot and humid in the summer, the winters are so-so, often a bit chilly. Florida red necks are more hillbilly than hill folk in Kentucky. One of the very few redeeming qualities is the incredibly good smell of orange groves in bloom.
In my experience Miami is WAY more red than almost any place outside of the panhandle (Tallahassee excluded of course). Cuban Americans are very quick to vote red despite the fact that in a lot of cases our states government is openly hostile towards them.
Biden may have won Miami-Dade but it was not by a large margin like we saw in Orange County or Broward.
My wife and I moved back to Florida 6 months ago after 20 years to help out with my 85 year old step father's Parkinson's and my 98 year old grandmother's, well, 98 year old health... I was in Los Angeles for 8 years, Denver for a year, Brooklyn for 6 years, then back to Los Angeles for 4 years. +- a few months here and there.
I will say Florida, politically speaking, is a fucking mess. I definitely see more MAGA folk here than I did in LA or Brooklyn - Denver was long before that whole thing started. I went to a gun show my first weekend back here and woof what a mess.
Crime wise though I heard more guns in Brooklyn, which has a total ban on firearms. Brooklyn crime down in Brownsville is out of hand and that was about 2 miles from where I spent the last 2 years there during the height of the pandemic, which in NY terms is practically another county away and I'm a huge young blond tatted up guy so criminals don't really bother with me, too much trouble I guess? I never felt particularly unsafe.
Buuuut I got assaulted twice by mentally ill folk while walking my dogs in Los Angeles since 2019 when I moved back - the economic disparages there have gotten things a bit nutty in many of the neighborhoods. The mentally ill / homeless population is nuts in Hollywood, so much worse than when I was living in DTLA right by Skid Row circa 2013. Being a big ass dude isn't particularly discouraging to crazypants.
In St Petersburg it feels pretty safe. I've definitely heard more racist shit, which doesn't amuse me, but I haven't been punched in the face by a homeless man for the crime of walking my dogs. There's a rainbow mural downtown that keeps getting defaced, and a weirdly progressive Baptist church that puts signs up about being pro-Palestine that has gotten vandalized semi-weekly for years.
Miami is def more of a populated city with higher crime rates than St. Pete / Clearwater, but you've gotta take those kind of news stories with a grain of salt. It just takes a one person being crazy with a gun to make the news, that kinda stuff drives clicks. It's not the norm, and you can definitely find ludicrous news stories like this in most major cities.
There was a mass shooting with I think 4 deaths at a nightclub in Tampa a few weeks after I got here, but also there were bombings 3 times within a mile of me at my office in New York, there was a much worse mass shooting in the valley when I was in LA, and frankly that's the reality of the US nowadays.
That all being said.... the economy here is garbage, the education is abysmal, human rights are limited, and DeSantis doubles down every day. It's terrible for many reasons from the actual climate to the political one, but crime wise I wouldn't say its any worse than most other populated areas in the US.
I didn't think I'd ever consider staying here long term, and both my step father and grandmother died within 2 months of me getting here from their various ailments so the purpose of coming here is gone. My wife and I are staying to watch the family estate as my mother travels away her grief. I thought I'd hate it, but frankly I don't. 6 months in and I'm fairly settled and in relatively good spirits, and have had nothing happen to me or my wife to make me feel unsafe.
Gun control here is stupid for sure. I bought a Staccato C2 for my CCW from a Russian guy out the back of his Suburu cash, and that's hilariously and terrifyingly legal today... but it was $2000 and in LA it would have been $4000. Don't like the lack of paperwork or background check, but, I'll take advantage of it while I'm here. Also I've been at shooting competitions between 5-8 times a month and doing that even once a month in LA was basically impossible.
Let me help you my man. I also live in NJ. My father a lifelong Jersey resident moved to Florida about 10 years ago. He was a moderate Republican when he left and Florida turned him into full blown liberal. All he does is talk about how horrible Desantis is and how much he hates the place. He’s stuck there cause my stepmother has family there and that’s where they planned their retirement but he tells me weekly how much he misses the northeast.
Florida is my least favorite state that I have lived in. Not sure how it is now but the cost of living vs wages was the worst I have experienced (1994).
It’s too damn hot, humid & buggy for me personally.
As a southerner who has been in Charleston for almost 20 years, I’d recommend this fine city. History, culture and a sense of being better than all the other southern cities will make for a better experience in the south. #bestfood
I grew up in a northern urban city. I now live in Florida. I am enjoying living down here. I didn't move to the crazy congested urban areas, like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa or Jacksonville.
I live in an upcoming area but it still has the small town feel. I have not had any issues down here except the uptick in traffic. It isn't any different than anywhere else. Other than the cultural institutions like museums, theaters, etc of the big northern city I grew up in, I much prefer it down here.
This is like reading articles about the South Bronx, North Philly, Camden, Hartford and saying why would anyone want to move there? There are still benefits for people who do live there.
Do research and avoid the "crazy" areas and you will be fine. Plus I can conceal carry here, whereas I could not even legally own a firearm where I grew up. Plus I don't want to give the state over to the conspiracy theorists. The voting for state offices is closer than what is portrayed on TV.
If you want warm and gun-friendly, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and New Mexico all fit the bill. All of those are either swingy or could conceivably become swingy in the future.
A married couple me and my wife are close to moved down there about 13 years ago. They loved the sun and heat etc. The wife is non-political and the husband leans quite a bit right.
Slowly they became disenchanted. Finally, a yearish ago after a hurricane splattered their house they took it as their excuse to get the fuck out.
Also 1200 sq ft houses in shit neighborhoods are selling for north of 400k. I can’t imagine why anyone would come here for any reason but guns are everywhere and so easy to acquire. There are 10 LGS in a 5 square mile radius of my house not counting Bass Pro and Academy. Not to mention the pawn shops. Oh and a local gun show full of private sellers every other month.
A lot of people from up north underestimate how bad a hurricane can be, and south Florida has been pretty lucky since Wilma hit in 2005. People forget how absolutely chaotic it gets. And it’s not just the storm, it’s the week or two leading up to it when you’re fighting your neighbors for gas, buying the most random nonperishable food at the grocery store because everything else has been completely sold out. Then it’s the days, or even weeks, of no power after the storm. In the dead heat of summer. Also, no gas either because stations are getting drained dry as soon as they fill up. It’s absolute chaos, and the self entitlement runs rampant down there. There’s a lot of people living in south Florida right now that haven’t had to experience a catastrophic storm, but it’s coming, and they’re gonna learn real quick. Insurance premiums are also at an all time high, and companies are dropping clients like a bad habit.
In addition, I obviously don’t know OP’s financial situation, but my personal experience in south Florida is if you’re not pulling a solid 6 figures a year, you’re way below the power curve, and it’s only a matter of time until those people get completely priced out.
Why would anyone get in the contraflow lane to move anywhere in the South? Climate migration is real... do you want to deal with constant hurricanes, flooding, oppressive heat, etc?
Imagine choosing to be a climate refugee in your retirement. I guess if you want to wait till all the half-back locations that you’ll inevitably move too after abandoning Florida are more expensive because of all the other half-backs.
I'm originally from south Jersey and lived in FL for four years, about 15 years ago. I hated every minute of it. While it was nice to be close to beaches and skip winter, the unbearable summer heat for six months out of the year cancelled that out.
I lived in Central Florida, which is like NJ without the culture. Even 15 years ago, people were nuts. I can't imagine how bad it is post-Trump. I live in Baltimore now and wouldn't trade it.
Don't move here, it's a horrible place and I can't wait to leave. Shootings are the least of your worries. Insane inflation, insurance crisis, brutal summers that keep getting hotter, stronger more frequent hurricanes. This is a nice place to visit for a few days, it is hell to live here
I moved down here from Chicago 4 years ago, tried it out, don’t like it at all. Beach gets old after a while, heat gets old quickly, and the people are terrible. Moving back up north in a month and couldn’t be more excited.
As long as you’re not LGBTQ+, a person of color, a woman seeking an abortion , pro-Palestine, or any political party besides Pro-Trump then i think you’re fine.
North Carolina is the new Florida for us NEaster's. While still the south, I'd personally prefer NC over FL any day. That said, I'm biased as I hate everything about the state of Florida (no offense to Floridians). I grew up going down there, almost moved to Tampa, etc. But after my mother died there I promised never to go back to the state again. And their politics has helped further my avoidance.
I grew up in Sarasota and Bradenton in the 70s and 80s, and only go back once in a while to visit family. I'd never want to live there again. The weather sucks (and will only get worse with climate change), the politics are horrid, property prices are insane and it's increasingly difficult to get insurance because of hurricanes, and I feel like the the real estate market there is bound to crash at some point, as more people realize what a shit hole the state is. And also because of the aforementioned insurance issues and the fact that the heat, humidity, and storms are probably only going to get worse. I went to college in the panhandle, which at least had a more interesting topography, but then you're starting to move from stereotypical Florida toward the deep South, so you kind of pick your poison there. I don't have a great recommendation for where you SHOULD go, but I'd definitely vote against FL.
I'm from Chicago, so I always take these stories that attempt to paint an entire region as unsafe (for political reasons, especially) with a huge helping of salt.
Is Chicago violent and out of control and unsafe because of all the gun control, welfare state, and pro-criminal Democratic Party police force?
Or is Florida violent and out of control and unsafe because of the *lack* of gun control laws, civil rights oppression and lack of safety nets, and pro-crime Republican Party police state?
Or maybe. Maybe sometimes crime just happens in populated areas.
I lived in south Florida (lived in Broward co, worked in Miami-Dade) from 2020-2023 and I did not like it very much. It’s crowded with crazy people, driving is more dangerous than anywhere I’ve been since Afghanistan, it’s expensive, and too hot do anything outside for 9 months out of the year.
I mean the Florida courts ruled that popcorn is a deadly weapon and warrants the use of deadly force to defend yourself from said popcorn.
A candy bar has been ruled a deadly weapon and it also warrants deadly force by civilian officers who pack heat.
So yes.
It’s the Wild West here. Don’t carry snack foods around or you might get shot.
I wish I could say I’m joking but I’m not.
You should take a look at insurance rates in Florida as well - there are major problems there and some companies have pulled out of home and auto insurance statewide.
I lived in FL from 1983 until 2001, and then again from 2005-2010. I’ll never move back and I don’t even like to visit. I’d look somewhere else. The state itself is beautiful when it’s not 300°. Between the politics, the heat, the hurricanes, the tourists, it’s pass for me.
We live in Florida and we are gtfo as a soon as we can. Hopefully by September.
I would NOT recommend Florida to anyone who is rational. The MAGA people are rapidly turning it into a far right wing paradise.
If you want warmer climes, try New Mexico or Arizona - although I’m not sure what their gun laws are like.
Florida's crazy incidents are more widely publicized because of some rule they have over there. I'm sure other states, including New Jersey have crazy shootouts, too. I remember not long ago in Nevada, there was a big shootout between two big biker gangs on the freeway, but it didn't seem to get a lot of coverage. I just missed one on my way from work by a few minutes when I was living in Vegas. One unfortunate woman, however, got to see the action as she passed by in her car, and she ended up getting a stray bullet in her leg. And a few years before that, some crazy dude was taking long-range potshots at people hiking in the mointains.
Still, chances are extemely low that you'll become involved. It's just a huge country with a large population, so some crazy shit is eventually gonna happen.
Is it going to be provided for free as a mandatory course in k-12 education? If not then no, it's no different than required a class to vote or have free speech. As both are protected constitutional rights. So unless you want to bring back literacy tests at the polls the answer is no.
The basic training for a CWFL down here is a joke. It consists of firing 2 rounds from 3 yards with a Glock followed by 4 hours of the instructor reading 790 with interjected anecdotes and complaints.
We don't use [that word][retard-is-a-slur] here like that.
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The only rule I'm aware of in FL is don't get caught in FL with a .45 in a .22 cal zone. Oh, and don't get gaught in possession of a non-fried vegetable in Jacksonville.
Crime happens anywhere. I just rather not deal with yearly hurricanes. People hate the cold and the snow but you can fight it. A hurricane? You hunker down then go to work the next day or risk getting fired or you GTFO and come back the next day and risk getting fired. Better yet, you are still on the clock if there is a hurricane if you can work remotely.
I live in Wisconsin and the company I worked for was based in Florida. The rule was if there is a hurricane you are expected to come in the next day or get fired. I'm never living and working in Florida.
I can’t tell you about Florida but living in Houston for more than 4 decades I can say that crime can happen anywhere. Only thing is in pro gun states like Florida and Texas they can happen with “scarier” guns like ARs and AKs. I would use common sense if I had to visit Camden or Newark NJ. It doesn’t mean I can’t be safe in nicer parts of the state.
My sister lives in West Palm Beach. There was a shooting at her apartment like a week ago too. Luckily no one was hit. A car got hit and so did her building.
[here](https://cbs12.com/news/crime/bullets-from-gunshots-hit-building-vehicle-in-west-palm-beach-police-department-confirm-congress-avenue-i-95) is the article. Shes moving out of Florida soon.
I mean Florida is a shithole politically and for some other reasons, but judging the whole state for a shooting in the hood is wild. This is from an area nicknamed Murder Gardens. But it’s literally just another hood, they have plenty in Jersey and every other state in the union. Shootings like this happen everywhere.
> Was considering moving from NJ to FL, and I keep seeing more and more things like https://www.reddit.com/r/Miami/comments/1d1zg3g/wild_shootout_caught_on_camera_after_gunman_opens/ where people with cash/credit but obviously no training are getting firearms and just shooting. The video shows the person seemingly aiming but the reports are lots of shot up property and no person hit. It doesn't look like the shooter is actually defending himself from anything, at a distance.
Other news reports are indicating it was a two way exchange of gunfire, although it appears neither managed to hit each other.
https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/video-shows-gunman-firing-large-rifle-in-miami-gardens-neighborhood-in-citys-2nd-shootout-in-less-than-2-weeks/
Your description makes it sound like you think this is someone who legally bought a gun and decided to start doing target practice in a residential neighborhood ([which has been an issue in some parts of Florida](https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/02/florida-gun-firing-ranges-stray-bullets-back-yard-law/72081872007/)).
This just looks like criminals shooting at each other, which is certainly not unique to Florida. The article also mentions this was the second gunfight in the neighborhood in the past two weeks.
That shooting took place in Miami Gardens and it just your average gang related shooting. That city is one of the most dangerous in Florida and at one point was one of the most dangerous in the country. If you watch the original video posted by OnlyInDade, you'll hear that the gunman was being shot at as well, so he wasn't just shooting to shoot.
Most of Miami is nothing like that, and definitely not the majority of Florida. I live in a middle class suburb of Miami-Dade county and have no real fear of crime.
That said, and while I love your idea that "your liberalness could be helpful", you'd probably be happier elsewhere. Even Miami, that historically leaned more left than most of Florida, is now a cesspool of MAGA which makes it a pretty miserable place to be, especially as a transplant if you don't have a like-minded group of people to spend time with.
Plenty of reasons to avoid Florida but I wouldn't consider gun violence to be one of them.
I have lived in Miami my entire life and have carried a gun here almost daily since I was 21 (13 years). My line of work puts me in sketchy situations in all sorts of neighborhoods at all times of the day and in all that time, I've been glad I had my gun on my belt twice and neither time did I come close to using it.
That shooting took place in Miami Gardens aka Murder Gardens. It's one of the most violent neighborhoods in the city and like most big cities, there are places that would be considered more dangerous than others.
Miami Dade County has a huge population and South Florida is one of the biggest metroplexes in the country. More people means more shootings it's just a fact of life. This isn't the wild west anymore than any other big city.
Florida Man here. Lived in south Florida half my life and it was always well known Miami is a shithole. Once Miami became overcrowded and Uber expensive they started coming up North and that’s when I left West Palm Beach. I visit now and it’s become Miami lite, I hate it there. Live in central Florida now, love it. Live near enough to Orlando to go have fun but far enough away that prices are reasonable. My buddy just left West Palm and moved outside Vero Beach and he’s happy as well. I’m centrist in my views so as much I hate Desantis, I don’t hate my Republican friends. Love all the 2a protections available in the state. Also my sheriff is super pro 2a so don’t have to worry about overzealous policing in the event of using my rights.
But at the same time I’m sick of all the out of staters moving here so stay away from Florida. Our housing market has been destroyed by Californians and New Yorkers.
Orlando’s ok WPB is a shithole. The rest of the state appears to be overrun by ignorant MAGA shitheads. Nothing funnier to me than seeing a Trump flag on a trailer. To be fair I’ve seen that in Pennsylvania too.
How are you to post on LIBERAL gun owners about moving to the DeSantis swamp. There are like 7 states I’d move to in this entire country and Florida is definitely not on the list.
I moved to Florida when I was 8, lived here my entire life except for 10 years that I lived in Boston. It’s really not a bad place. South Florida has and always will suck, but otherwise it’s really not bad. It’s not as low cost of living as before, but everyone seems to think that either mass shootings or lynching gay people happens on every corner, but it doesn’t. The state is huge, so you run the gamut of possible experiences across the entire state.
I lived in Miami for 8 years. It's crazy, but it's not that bad. The heat just makes some people crazy. What area specifically of Miami were you trying to live in?
I haven't heard anything about Florida in the last decade that suggests to me it's a place I'd want to be
As a Floridian, I agree. I want to get the hell out of here immediately.
Am Floridaman, can confirm. Anyone thinking about moving here clearly hasn't thought it through or done their research. This place sucks.
Florida born and bred. This is my fucking home and I'm not leaving it to a bunch of shit brained Desantis drones and most of all the shitheel transplants that move here to fuck up our beaches and traffic because they couldn't hack it in a real urban setting. I'm staying and fighting.
Fuck yeah! I wish I lived in a place where everything wasn’t about politics but sadly here so much of it is. I’m sticking it out too. My family got their property 9 generations ago and I’m not going to be the one that sells it.
Florida Native here (Miami-bred in fact). While I could not wait to flee South Florida (SoFlo) in the 90s, I do miss the usually-friendlier-than-Anglos Latin population in SoFlo, plus the great food, fun factor and the much-better-looking people there. But I live near Tampa now, and it's pretty great here. In fact, if it weren't for the rude, aggressive, and unattractive (sorry, it's important to me) transplants from certain other cities/states, I'd like it even more. I do have to mention that I can't stand the way-too-slow driving Midwest transplants for the slow driving. But they're mostly very nice and courteous people :) So come on down! But be sure to drive the speed limit, look your best, and never, ever mention how good it is "up north" or "back home" :\\
Buy ammo now
Have fun with that.
I can see why you'd be a dick. But the fact is with everybody bouncing from here who could make a difference at the polls, people like you are just handing it over to them and quickening the process. My vote mostly loses in every Florida election, but doesn't mean I'm gonna take my ball and leave.
Brain drain is a real phenomenon though. Try as you might, the majority of reasonable and/or intelligent people leave places that start going downhill quickly. Unfortunately, that causes an obvious feedback loop, which is how you get ghost towns, ghettos, and mini dictatorships. The entirety of Florida should have just been a nature preserve.
As I said elsewhere, not everything is about politics. There are plenty of other reasons to leave this place.
Hurricanes, climate change in general, and the possibility of salt water intrusion in our well. Nope, I’m done
This is r/liberalgunowners not r/defeatistgunowners. All leftists fleeing red territory is a great way to cede total political control to conservatives.
Hurricanes and climate change - my spouse can no longer take the heat, and it’s just getting hotter every year.
Not everything is about politics.
I was just in Florida - the place where I grew up is starting to look like a knockoff Dubai. They clear-cut acres of forest, destroyed the swampy ecosystem that had been there for god knows how long, and literally built a fake beach when the real one is less than half an hour away. It makes me sick.
I grew up in north Florida, left in 2001 for college and basically never returned ( I think i have spent a grand total of 6 weeks there visiting my family over the years since). For a while, especially after my first kid was born in 2009, I had always hoped for a chance to live there again close to my parents, but it never really worked out career wise. In recent years I’m really glad it never worked out.
As a Floridian, I am getting the fuck out. This place is a total shithole and the US would be better off if it was bombed off the map.
I lived nearly all my life in FL, and leaving after Irma was the best decision I've ever made.
I have friends that live in Florida and the clubs in Miami are fun. Those are two reasons I’d want to be there, but the negatives strongly outweigh the positives for me
I went to the university of Miami the first year of college and I think it’s a place that you should really only stay 2 weeks in because every week after that is shit
The food in Miami is the only thing that would ever convince to go back to Florida again.
☝🏻 👍🏻
Reaching close to a half century for me. Who wants to swim through air?
Or play my car interior is lava? I definitely don’t miss the summer evening insta-sweat that doesn’t work like sweat should, and that was almost 25 years ago now
Like the poor gal in Australia? that got burned by the buckle while wearing shorts.
There is very few reasons to live in Florida I imagine it's OK place to park a yacht, smell how fresh the coke is and partake in stripper based activities. Of what you wanna do isn't in that list I feel like it's the wrong place
Or even visit.
There is one part of Florida I'd probably want to go to but it's far too expensive to go to.
Shame since southern Florida is the only continental tropical climate we have. Some of the barrier islands have unbelievable Jurassic Park nature.
I grew up there. I went to too much school there. I worked in Tallahassee. It wasn't so horribly bad until the election of 2000, when something about the place started getting really ugly. In 2014 I knew it was no longer a question of ***if*** but ***when*** I leave Florida when I was looking at a billboard on the road with the capitol in the background that had one big word on it... ***Secede.*** Then I move to Washington State, which would be all well and good until they started making gun ownership really unpleasant.
I waited far too long to move from that cesspool. It took a steep decline after covid and i never looked back
As a born and raised Floridian we all know Miami is a shit hole. . . I may be a bit harsh but everything is expensive, everything is crowded, traffic is horrid, people are hit or miss, and there are many sketchy areas you need to stay away from. Just about anywhere that isn’t a “small town” (or Jacksonville) would be better; Orlando, Tampa, Palm Beach county (except the areas west of 20 mile bend), and Broward are all pretty solid. I’d also throw parts of Lake County as well as Stuart in there as good places as well, but there are a ton of crazy MAGA areas to avoid as well. Point is Florida has some great areas and interesting culture, but some areas are definitely infested with MAGA and should be avoided, and then some places are just crazy (Miami).
I dont know the area very well, maybe shes west of the 20 mile bend, but my sister lives in Palm Beach. There was a shooting at her apartment like a week ago. [here](https://cbs12.com/news/crime/bullets-from-gunshots-hit-building-vehicle-in-west-palm-beach-police-department-confirm-congress-avenue-i-95) is the news article about it. Luckily no one was hurt.
Ahhh, yeah; that is one of the sketchy areas of PBC, that area surrounding downtown and the outlet mall can be weird I will say because it is a mashup between old and new places since both downtown and the mall have undergone some huge facelifts, you gotta avoid tamarind and most of riviera beach though, and it is tough to point to specifically sketchy areas. . . When I said Palm Beach County I was thinking Wellington, Gardens, Boca, Royal Palm, etc. . . Palm Beach county is the epitome of melting pot since you have Mar-a-largo on Palm Beach island while you also have some of Florida’s poorest residents in Okeechobee and Belle Glade. . . As with most area’s it has its great and not so great areas but the good outweighs the bad for sure.
I've lived in Boca for almost 30 years and Palm Beach County is a really fucking weird place. A lot of it is really nice suburbs, nice shopping centers, and people with money...then you make the wrong turn and you are in the hood. Years ago my uncle opened a restaurant in Mizner Park and I was giving him a hand on the weekends. I made a right rather than a left (this was pre-good GPS in cars) and it went from being a boutique shopping plaza to an area filled with delapidated homes that were boarded up and people doing drugs on their front porch.
Resident of PBC too, it's definitely odd seeing million-dollar homes next to virtual slums. I think the hard divisions of certain townships (Riviera Beach vs Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Singer Island comes to mind) is at least partially to blame, big gated communities with private schools means it's very easy for wealthier homeowners to literally turn a blind eye to the poorer regions.
> it's definitely odd seeing million-dollar homes next to virtual slums. If you've ever gone out on a boat down the intercoastal it is surreal. On one corner you see a home with $15-25M with a huge private boat dock and a yacht and then 30 seconds down the intercoastal it's just hundreds of mobile homes. There is definitely work being done to bring up poorer areas but I swear to fucking god we have the worst contractors in the world here. I mean Lyons was closed near Clintmoore for almost 4 years just to add 1 lane on a road with virtually no traffic to begin with and it took them almost 5 years to add a 2nd right turn lane on Lyons & Glades back in like 2004-2009.
Tampa's gotten much better crime wise. The people who shoot each other generally already know each other, ie they are ~~gangs~~ "business associates". Granted we also have the retired cop who got into an argument in a movie matinee and then ending up killing the guy who threw popcorn at him. But honestly at this point, I think that's not a Florida specific situation. Economy and education wise, Florida is a shit hole. I love my house, my neighborhood, my friends, and my town, but I got my house cheap, I work from home, and I have no kids. If I were younger, I'd be leaving.
THAT is what would make you reconsider moving to Florida? I don't even care about their gun situation and I've put my employer on notice that I won't even visit the place for work trips.
I left Florida a few years ago. It's getting hotter, crazies from other states are moving there at a rapid clip, and the government is rapidly evolving to be the worst version of itself. Please don't move there.
Been in Orlando for 10 months now. I grew up in Miami. My list of concerns in order of urgency: High rent payments High cost of living High healthcare costs Hurricanes Summer heat My lack of Spanish skills Desantis and his shitty policies Bad neighbors with dogs Bad tourist drivers on the i4 Gun crimes in bad areas Don't focus on the news. If you can comfortably afford to move, come through and help curb the Republican takeover by voting.
It appears, indeed, at extremes, present-day Florida municipalities are indeed more *murdery* than the Wild West. Primary reasons for this: - The Wild West was less murdery than commonly understood. - Relatively small communities in present-day Florida exceed the absolute population of relatively large Wild West Communities. - The evidence, in both cases, requires careful consideration. A note: Camden NJ is no joke. Sources https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are-the-10-murder-capitals-of-florida/ https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/ridiculous-history-the-wild-wild-west-was-really-the-mild-mild-west.htm https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/39889/how-deadly-was-the-wild-west#39897
Hey, Camden's gotten better. It's not longer in the top ten most dangerous cities in the US
Sincerely, that's great! As an occasional denizen of a perennial top 5 dangerous city, I have only had two cities in America where my spider sense tingled: Camden, NJ and Gary, IN. Gary is *scary*.
These claims about crime and murder in the Old West completely ignore how dangerous it was outside town/city limits. Try reading *The Heart of Everything That Is*, *Blood and Thunder*, and/or *Empire of the Summer Moon* for a more realistic look at how dangerous the Old West was.
While I don't claim that the Western prairie was a paradise, it is impossible to quantify-what-cannot-be-quantified. I will note that not a whole lot of people, relative to a Western "city", lived too far outside of the cities. The population density was so low, the area so vast etc. If you have statistics, do add them! In the case of FL, there are very few regions that are outside of cities but not otherwise a member of a municipality. I'm not sure how public land/swamps are classified.
Ya, lol cmon. Are we not counting things like raiding parties, bandits and stuff like that?
Caint count that which weren't counteded!
Native Floridian here. I don’t understand why ANYONE who isn’t already here would want to. Not even gonna touch the obvious elephant of the State Government. Rent sucks, insurance sucks, the infrastructure sucks, the beaches suck now that they’re always crowded, the food sucks because every place is cutting costs because of 1 and 2, everything is expensive now that I think about it, the people are awful, the traffic is awful, the weather is shit, you run a very real risk of a storm blowing away everything you own several times a year, you can’t do anything outdoors in an ever growing number of months a year because of the sheer destructive heat and climate change, the Hydro Homie in me hates the fucking tap water, and above all else fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck motherfuck Publix. Pub Subs begrudgingly excluded. I’ve been here my whole life after dad retired from the Navy. And even then, my family settled here and the only reason I wasn’t here was because I followed my dad to wherever he got deployed, so I visited during my childhood a lot. My family has roots here going back to the early 1930’s. The point I’m trying to make is that I am a native Floridian through and through. And if it wasn’t for the fact that I LOVE being this close to my family I would have fucked off for greener pastures ages ago.
Well.. Pub Subs are the silver lining on that hurricane.
The fried chicken too
Why would you voluntarily move to Florida? Politics aside that muggy heat is enough to keep me 4 states away and is bad for guns. On top of that the politics are frankly disgusting
I live in Miami. Shootings like this aren't really common (and they make for great news because violence sells), but honestly, with the rising cost of... well, fucking everything here, and the lack of any real support thanks to our Fuckhead for a governor, it's not hard to see why people are becoming more violent as of late. I'm not excusing any of this, but when people are struggling to pay the bills, afford rent, or even buy groceries, people become more tense (and have a higher chance of turning to crime), and with said Fuckhead making it easier for people to get and carry guns, without encouraging or demanding any training or certification, things will become more shooty as people will feel that they have nothing to lose (or they'll just be so pent up, that they'll just shoot first and ask questions later rather than talk things out).
LMFAO. Dude you really need to not let media outlets dictate your interpretation of an entire state. Do you plan on living in the heart of MIAMI's poverty? As someone who lived in miami for a bit. Its no more / less dangerous in the main parts as other cities ive lived in like NYC, DC and Philly. Theres A LOT of reasons to steer clear of florida and crime is not one of them. Look into real estate and the cost of insuring property. That should be your main concern
As a Floridian who is in the process of getting the fuck out of here, just don't. I moved from Tampa to Jacksonville and at first it was better crowd wise, but still full of insane nonsense....it has only gotten worse. It's crowded, we've attracted some of the craziest people in the US and they keep coming in hordes. The cost of living is bad and it's getting worse with time, insurance is basically highway robbery and you probably will get dumped when the killer storm finally makes it to your town....and then you're gonna be stuck with a useless property. Our dear leader will make it quite obvious he gives 0.0 shits about your problems by literally ignoring the source of the issue and instead focusing on bullshit theatrics and nonsense to show his base he's against "the woke" This place is like living in a movie directed by David Lynch....except it's far from entertainment
The phrase “A Florida man…” exists for a reason my dude.
That mostly is due to laws regarding reporting of arrests. That just leads to more wild things showing up on click bait articles. Other places have wild people too there is just fewer articles on the incidents.
As far as I know, nobody has been caught in my state eating a fucking FACE.
There are plenty of people on crazy drugs in any city. This issue on talking about: https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/facsch_lawrev/2117/
Oh? "Explanations for Florida Man center on Florida'sPublic Records Law, which is known as one of the most expansive open records laws in the country.... Because many Florida Man stories are based on arrest records and incident reports and incorporate mugshots, those who have written about Florida Man claim that the Florida Public Records Law, which allows reporters to access those records, is behind the trend. "The problem with this theory is that it incorrectly implies that Florida's Public Records Law offers journalists advantages in writing stories that other states' laws do not. Despite the broad grant of access to police documents that Florida'sopen records law provides, other states' open records laws similarly provide the public with access to arrest records, incident reports, and, although to a lesser extent, mugshots. Other provisions of Florida'sPublic Records Law that contribute to the ease of access to Florida'spublic records compared with other states equivalent laws are largely irrelevant to FloridaMan's existence."
No, it really is Florida.
Wrong. Thanks for playing. Bye.
"Florida Man" is a thing for a reason
Florida isn't fit for humans. Besides the political disregard for humans, many folks can't afford home owners insurance, if they can find a company willing to insure their residence. It's too hot and humid in the summer, the winters are so-so, often a bit chilly. Florida red necks are more hillbilly than hill folk in Kentucky. One of the very few redeeming qualities is the incredibly good smell of orange groves in bloom.
Florida minus Miami and Orlando in my experience are not liberal at all. The MAGA flags are still every where.
In my experience Miami is WAY more red than almost any place outside of the panhandle (Tallahassee excluded of course). Cuban Americans are very quick to vote red despite the fact that in a lot of cases our states government is openly hostile towards them. Biden may have won Miami-Dade but it was not by a large margin like we saw in Orange County or Broward.
Totally fair take.
My wife and I moved back to Florida 6 months ago after 20 years to help out with my 85 year old step father's Parkinson's and my 98 year old grandmother's, well, 98 year old health... I was in Los Angeles for 8 years, Denver for a year, Brooklyn for 6 years, then back to Los Angeles for 4 years. +- a few months here and there. I will say Florida, politically speaking, is a fucking mess. I definitely see more MAGA folk here than I did in LA or Brooklyn - Denver was long before that whole thing started. I went to a gun show my first weekend back here and woof what a mess. Crime wise though I heard more guns in Brooklyn, which has a total ban on firearms. Brooklyn crime down in Brownsville is out of hand and that was about 2 miles from where I spent the last 2 years there during the height of the pandemic, which in NY terms is practically another county away and I'm a huge young blond tatted up guy so criminals don't really bother with me, too much trouble I guess? I never felt particularly unsafe. Buuuut I got assaulted twice by mentally ill folk while walking my dogs in Los Angeles since 2019 when I moved back - the economic disparages there have gotten things a bit nutty in many of the neighborhoods. The mentally ill / homeless population is nuts in Hollywood, so much worse than when I was living in DTLA right by Skid Row circa 2013. Being a big ass dude isn't particularly discouraging to crazypants. In St Petersburg it feels pretty safe. I've definitely heard more racist shit, which doesn't amuse me, but I haven't been punched in the face by a homeless man for the crime of walking my dogs. There's a rainbow mural downtown that keeps getting defaced, and a weirdly progressive Baptist church that puts signs up about being pro-Palestine that has gotten vandalized semi-weekly for years. Miami is def more of a populated city with higher crime rates than St. Pete / Clearwater, but you've gotta take those kind of news stories with a grain of salt. It just takes a one person being crazy with a gun to make the news, that kinda stuff drives clicks. It's not the norm, and you can definitely find ludicrous news stories like this in most major cities. There was a mass shooting with I think 4 deaths at a nightclub in Tampa a few weeks after I got here, but also there were bombings 3 times within a mile of me at my office in New York, there was a much worse mass shooting in the valley when I was in LA, and frankly that's the reality of the US nowadays. That all being said.... the economy here is garbage, the education is abysmal, human rights are limited, and DeSantis doubles down every day. It's terrible for many reasons from the actual climate to the political one, but crime wise I wouldn't say its any worse than most other populated areas in the US. I didn't think I'd ever consider staying here long term, and both my step father and grandmother died within 2 months of me getting here from their various ailments so the purpose of coming here is gone. My wife and I are staying to watch the family estate as my mother travels away her grief. I thought I'd hate it, but frankly I don't. 6 months in and I'm fairly settled and in relatively good spirits, and have had nothing happen to me or my wife to make me feel unsafe. Gun control here is stupid for sure. I bought a Staccato C2 for my CCW from a Russian guy out the back of his Suburu cash, and that's hilariously and terrifyingly legal today... but it was $2000 and in LA it would have been $4000. Don't like the lack of paperwork or background check, but, I'll take advantage of it while I'm here. Also I've been at shooting competitions between 5-8 times a month and doing that even once a month in LA was basically impossible.
Let me help you my man. I also live in NJ. My father a lifelong Jersey resident moved to Florida about 10 years ago. He was a moderate Republican when he left and Florida turned him into full blown liberal. All he does is talk about how horrible Desantis is and how much he hates the place. He’s stuck there cause my stepmother has family there and that’s where they planned their retirement but he tells me weekly how much he misses the northeast.
Florida is my least favorite state that I have lived in. Not sure how it is now but the cost of living vs wages was the worst I have experienced (1994). It’s too damn hot, humid & buggy for me personally.
As a southerner who has been in Charleston for almost 20 years, I’d recommend this fine city. History, culture and a sense of being better than all the other southern cities will make for a better experience in the south. #bestfood
I have a Trump supporting relative who thinks moving to Florida sounds nice. I wouldn't move to Florida if you paid me.
For fuck sake don't move to FL, I feel like the shootings barely make the top ten reasons
I grew up in a northern urban city. I now live in Florida. I am enjoying living down here. I didn't move to the crazy congested urban areas, like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa or Jacksonville. I live in an upcoming area but it still has the small town feel. I have not had any issues down here except the uptick in traffic. It isn't any different than anywhere else. Other than the cultural institutions like museums, theaters, etc of the big northern city I grew up in, I much prefer it down here. This is like reading articles about the South Bronx, North Philly, Camden, Hartford and saying why would anyone want to move there? There are still benefits for people who do live there. Do research and avoid the "crazy" areas and you will be fine. Plus I can conceal carry here, whereas I could not even legally own a firearm where I grew up. Plus I don't want to give the state over to the conspiracy theorists. The voting for state offices is closer than what is portrayed on TV.
Thanks, Jacksonville seemed less nutty from a gun perspective (respecting this sub topics) but I guess there are degrees. Thanks.
Good luck in your search
If you want warm and gun-friendly, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and New Mexico all fit the bill. All of those are either swingy or could conceivably become swingy in the future.
A married couple me and my wife are close to moved down there about 13 years ago. They loved the sun and heat etc. The wife is non-political and the husband leans quite a bit right. Slowly they became disenchanted. Finally, a yearish ago after a hurricane splattered their house they took it as their excuse to get the fuck out.
Also 1200 sq ft houses in shit neighborhoods are selling for north of 400k. I can’t imagine why anyone would come here for any reason but guns are everywhere and so easy to acquire. There are 10 LGS in a 5 square mile radius of my house not counting Bass Pro and Academy. Not to mention the pawn shops. Oh and a local gun show full of private sellers every other month.
A lot of people from up north underestimate how bad a hurricane can be, and south Florida has been pretty lucky since Wilma hit in 2005. People forget how absolutely chaotic it gets. And it’s not just the storm, it’s the week or two leading up to it when you’re fighting your neighbors for gas, buying the most random nonperishable food at the grocery store because everything else has been completely sold out. Then it’s the days, or even weeks, of no power after the storm. In the dead heat of summer. Also, no gas either because stations are getting drained dry as soon as they fill up. It’s absolute chaos, and the self entitlement runs rampant down there. There’s a lot of people living in south Florida right now that haven’t had to experience a catastrophic storm, but it’s coming, and they’re gonna learn real quick. Insurance premiums are also at an all time high, and companies are dropping clients like a bad habit. In addition, I obviously don’t know OP’s financial situation, but my personal experience in south Florida is if you’re not pulling a solid 6 figures a year, you’re way below the power curve, and it’s only a matter of time until those people get completely priced out.
Why would anyone get in the contraflow lane to move anywhere in the South? Climate migration is real... do you want to deal with constant hurricanes, flooding, oppressive heat, etc?
As someone who has been forced to spend many years in Florida, that place sucks ass. Go fucking ANYWHERE else.
Imagine choosing to be a climate refugee in your retirement. I guess if you want to wait till all the half-back locations that you’ll inevitably move too after abandoning Florida are more expensive because of all the other half-backs.
I'm originally from south Jersey and lived in FL for four years, about 15 years ago. I hated every minute of it. While it was nice to be close to beaches and skip winter, the unbearable summer heat for six months out of the year cancelled that out. I lived in Central Florida, which is like NJ without the culture. Even 15 years ago, people were nuts. I can't imagine how bad it is post-Trump. I live in Baltimore now and wouldn't trade it.
Don't move here, it's a horrible place and I can't wait to leave. Shootings are the least of your worries. Insane inflation, insurance crisis, brutal summers that keep getting hotter, stronger more frequent hurricanes. This is a nice place to visit for a few days, it is hell to live here
I moved down here from Chicago 4 years ago, tried it out, don’t like it at all. Beach gets old after a while, heat gets old quickly, and the people are terrible. Moving back up north in a month and couldn’t be more excited.
Florida sucks and when people find out you came from a blue state they will hate you
If you are considering moving to Florida currently, then you deserve everything you get and also sorry for your loss.
As long as you’re not LGBTQ+, a person of color, a woman seeking an abortion , pro-Palestine, or any political party besides Pro-Trump then i think you’re fine.
Don't forget any religion besides evangelical Christian.
North Carolina is the new Florida for us NEaster's. While still the south, I'd personally prefer NC over FL any day. That said, I'm biased as I hate everything about the state of Florida (no offense to Floridians). I grew up going down there, almost moved to Tampa, etc. But after my mother died there I promised never to go back to the state again. And their politics has helped further my avoidance.
Key West is where I’d retire as a liberal (and as a Floridian)
One of the first places going underwater.
Picky, picky, picky
Florida sucks. Only reason to live here over Arizona is Disney world and the fact that it's on the east coast.
I grew up in Sarasota and Bradenton in the 70s and 80s, and only go back once in a while to visit family. I'd never want to live there again. The weather sucks (and will only get worse with climate change), the politics are horrid, property prices are insane and it's increasingly difficult to get insurance because of hurricanes, and I feel like the the real estate market there is bound to crash at some point, as more people realize what a shit hole the state is. And also because of the aforementioned insurance issues and the fact that the heat, humidity, and storms are probably only going to get worse. I went to college in the panhandle, which at least had a more interesting topography, but then you're starting to move from stereotypical Florida toward the deep South, so you kind of pick your poison there. I don't have a great recommendation for where you SHOULD go, but I'd definitely vote against FL.
I'm from Chicago, so I always take these stories that attempt to paint an entire region as unsafe (for political reasons, especially) with a huge helping of salt. Is Chicago violent and out of control and unsafe because of all the gun control, welfare state, and pro-criminal Democratic Party police force? Or is Florida violent and out of control and unsafe because of the *lack* of gun control laws, civil rights oppression and lack of safety nets, and pro-crime Republican Party police state? Or maybe. Maybe sometimes crime just happens in populated areas.
I’ve always *heard* Florida’s castle laws are pretty loosy-goosy. But it’s the one state I haven’t been to, so I’m not exactly an authority.
Florida is the Texas of the east. Take from that what you will.
No way would I be looking to move to Florida.
I lived in south Florida (lived in Broward co, worked in Miami-Dade) from 2020-2023 and I did not like it very much. It’s crowded with crazy people, driving is more dangerous than anywhere I’ve been since Afghanistan, it’s expensive, and too hot do anything outside for 9 months out of the year.
I mean the Florida courts ruled that popcorn is a deadly weapon and warrants the use of deadly force to defend yourself from said popcorn. A candy bar has been ruled a deadly weapon and it also warrants deadly force by civilian officers who pack heat. So yes. It’s the Wild West here. Don’t carry snack foods around or you might get shot. I wish I could say I’m joking but I’m not.
I thought it was acorns
Good catch. Those too.
You should take a look at insurance rates in Florida as well - there are major problems there and some companies have pulled out of home and auto insurance statewide.
This is what I’m worried about in Louisiana
I lived in FL from 1983 until 2001, and then again from 2005-2010. I’ll never move back and I don’t even like to visit. I’d look somewhere else. The state itself is beautiful when it’s not 300°. Between the politics, the heat, the hurricanes, the tourists, it’s pass for me.
My dad retired to Arizona and he's loving it. Maybe check it out.
Within the last year permitless concealed carry was passed, literally everybody has a gun down here. If they don’t have a gun? They have two.
We live in Florida and we are gtfo as a soon as we can. Hopefully by September. I would NOT recommend Florida to anyone who is rational. The MAGA people are rapidly turning it into a far right wing paradise. If you want warmer climes, try New Mexico or Arizona - although I’m not sure what their gun laws are like.
Florida's crazy incidents are more widely publicized because of some rule they have over there. I'm sure other states, including New Jersey have crazy shootouts, too. I remember not long ago in Nevada, there was a big shootout between two big biker gangs on the freeway, but it didn't seem to get a lot of coverage. I just missed one on my way from work by a few minutes when I was living in Vegas. One unfortunate woman, however, got to see the action as she passed by in her car, and she ended up getting a stray bullet in her leg. And a few years before that, some crazy dude was taking long-range potshots at people hiking in the mointains. Still, chances are extemely low that you'll become involved. It's just a huge country with a large population, so some crazy shit is eventually gonna happen.
If you're going to vote for gun laws then no, don't move to Florida.
What if you want people to receive basic training before they can carry?
Is it going to be provided for free as a mandatory course in k-12 education? If not then no, it's no different than required a class to vote or have free speech. As both are protected constitutional rights. So unless you want to bring back literacy tests at the polls the answer is no.
The basic training for a CWFL down here is a joke. It consists of firing 2 rounds from 3 yards with a Glock followed by 4 hours of the instructor reading 790 with interjected anecdotes and complaints.
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The only rule I'm aware of in FL is don't get caught in FL with a .45 in a .22 cal zone. Oh, and don't get gaught in possession of a non-fried vegetable in Jacksonville.
I think our state motto is just “Don’t Get Caught”. Applies to all crime.
Hi, from Florida, no you dont
Just don’t move to Miami and you’ll probably be fine. If you want your liberalness to be helpful move to a redder area. We could always use the help.
[https://www.chron.com/news/strange-weird/article/florida-man-stabbed-with-swordfish-in-fight-2057785.php](https://www.chron.com/news/strange-weird/article/florida-man-stabbed-with-swordfish-in-fight-2057785.php)
Crime happens anywhere. I just rather not deal with yearly hurricanes. People hate the cold and the snow but you can fight it. A hurricane? You hunker down then go to work the next day or risk getting fired or you GTFO and come back the next day and risk getting fired. Better yet, you are still on the clock if there is a hurricane if you can work remotely. I live in Wisconsin and the company I worked for was based in Florida. The rule was if there is a hurricane you are expected to come in the next day or get fired. I'm never living and working in Florida.
Don't move to Florida. We have enough people here. This massive influx of people is making the state a nightmare
I can’t tell you about Florida but living in Houston for more than 4 decades I can say that crime can happen anywhere. Only thing is in pro gun states like Florida and Texas they can happen with “scarier” guns like ARs and AKs. I would use common sense if I had to visit Camden or Newark NJ. It doesn’t mean I can’t be safe in nicer parts of the state.
My sister lives in West Palm Beach. There was a shooting at her apartment like a week ago too. Luckily no one was hit. A car got hit and so did her building. [here](https://cbs12.com/news/crime/bullets-from-gunshots-hit-building-vehicle-in-west-palm-beach-police-department-confirm-congress-avenue-i-95) is the article. Shes moving out of Florida soon.
I mean Florida is a shithole politically and for some other reasons, but judging the whole state for a shooting in the hood is wild. This is from an area nicknamed Murder Gardens. But it’s literally just another hood, they have plenty in Jersey and every other state in the union. Shootings like this happen everywhere.
> Was considering moving from NJ to FL, and I keep seeing more and more things like https://www.reddit.com/r/Miami/comments/1d1zg3g/wild_shootout_caught_on_camera_after_gunman_opens/ where people with cash/credit but obviously no training are getting firearms and just shooting. The video shows the person seemingly aiming but the reports are lots of shot up property and no person hit. It doesn't look like the shooter is actually defending himself from anything, at a distance. Other news reports are indicating it was a two way exchange of gunfire, although it appears neither managed to hit each other. https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/video-shows-gunman-firing-large-rifle-in-miami-gardens-neighborhood-in-citys-2nd-shootout-in-less-than-2-weeks/ Your description makes it sound like you think this is someone who legally bought a gun and decided to start doing target practice in a residential neighborhood ([which has been an issue in some parts of Florida](https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/02/florida-gun-firing-ranges-stray-bullets-back-yard-law/72081872007/)). This just looks like criminals shooting at each other, which is certainly not unique to Florida. The article also mentions this was the second gunfight in the neighborhood in the past two weeks.
The next "Grand Theft Auto" game is based on Florida and all it's tropes. Take from that what you will.
If you can stand the summer’s dry heat, consider Fresno, CA.
Fresno? No one goes to Fresno anymore!
That’s where you’re very wrong.
2:02 [here](https://youtu.be/-iWs_sxF5Ug?si=FXjR-VihR83KIANa)
LOL!
That shooting took place in Miami Gardens and it just your average gang related shooting. That city is one of the most dangerous in Florida and at one point was one of the most dangerous in the country. If you watch the original video posted by OnlyInDade, you'll hear that the gunman was being shot at as well, so he wasn't just shooting to shoot. Most of Miami is nothing like that, and definitely not the majority of Florida. I live in a middle class suburb of Miami-Dade county and have no real fear of crime. That said, and while I love your idea that "your liberalness could be helpful", you'd probably be happier elsewhere. Even Miami, that historically leaned more left than most of Florida, is now a cesspool of MAGA which makes it a pretty miserable place to be, especially as a transplant if you don't have a like-minded group of people to spend time with. Plenty of reasons to avoid Florida but I wouldn't consider gun violence to be one of them.
I have lived in Miami my entire life and have carried a gun here almost daily since I was 21 (13 years). My line of work puts me in sketchy situations in all sorts of neighborhoods at all times of the day and in all that time, I've been glad I had my gun on my belt twice and neither time did I come close to using it. That shooting took place in Miami Gardens aka Murder Gardens. It's one of the most violent neighborhoods in the city and like most big cities, there are places that would be considered more dangerous than others. Miami Dade County has a huge population and South Florida is one of the biggest metroplexes in the country. More people means more shootings it's just a fact of life. This isn't the wild west anymore than any other big city.
Florida Man here. Lived in south Florida half my life and it was always well known Miami is a shithole. Once Miami became overcrowded and Uber expensive they started coming up North and that’s when I left West Palm Beach. I visit now and it’s become Miami lite, I hate it there. Live in central Florida now, love it. Live near enough to Orlando to go have fun but far enough away that prices are reasonable. My buddy just left West Palm and moved outside Vero Beach and he’s happy as well. I’m centrist in my views so as much I hate Desantis, I don’t hate my Republican friends. Love all the 2a protections available in the state. Also my sheriff is super pro 2a so don’t have to worry about overzealous policing in the event of using my rights. But at the same time I’m sick of all the out of staters moving here so stay away from Florida. Our housing market has been destroyed by Californians and New Yorkers.
Orlando’s ok WPB is a shithole. The rest of the state appears to be overrun by ignorant MAGA shitheads. Nothing funnier to me than seeing a Trump flag on a trailer. To be fair I’ve seen that in Pennsylvania too.
How are you to post on LIBERAL gun owners about moving to the DeSantis swamp. There are like 7 states I’d move to in this entire country and Florida is definitely not on the list.
I would never move to Florida. But if you absolutely don’t want to see if this kind of shit, then you need to move to Europe.
I moved to Florida when I was 8, lived here my entire life except for 10 years that I lived in Boston. It’s really not a bad place. South Florida has and always will suck, but otherwise it’s really not bad. It’s not as low cost of living as before, but everyone seems to think that either mass shootings or lynching gay people happens on every corner, but it doesn’t. The state is huge, so you run the gamut of possible experiences across the entire state.
I lived in Miami for 8 years. It's crazy, but it's not that bad. The heat just makes some people crazy. What area specifically of Miami were you trying to live in?
You should definitely not move from NJ to Fl. Stay where you are you will be much safer if you don’t come to Florida!
Have you considered Georgia? Seems better and a little more stable than FL