What THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU About Moving To Florida | Honest Review 5 Years Later

Everyone knows that Florida is one of the most beautiful places to live. But it's What THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU About Moving To Florida that you really need to know.

In this video, I’ll share what they’re not telling you about life in Florida and my personal experience since moving to Tampa Bay 5 years ago.  Because let’s be real, you still have to have to live here every day.  You have to travel the area to get anywhere, and most importantly, you want to love where you live.

📞 Interested in moving to Tampa? Reach out Day/Nights/Weekends whenever you want; we never stop working for you!!

Juan Alcala - Tampa Realtor
📲 Call/Text Direct at [phone]

⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:58 - Your Realtor, Juan Alcala
01:28 - Goals of the video
02:01 - Article
02:57 - Weather
06:33 - Bugs/Wildlife
10:14 - Insurance
18:09 - Hurricanes
21:29 - Water
24:39 - Home Maintenance
27:40 - Red Tide
31:23 - Reach Out To Us

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About Tampa, Florida:

#tampa #florida

[trulivingtampa]

Thinking about making the move to Tampa Bay? Reach out! We're here to help.

Juan Alcala - Tampa Realtor
📲 Call/Text Direct at [phone]

[AuntieM]

I lived in Florida for over 50 years, until one night in November I took the dog out at 11pm and the weatherman said it was 90 degrees and the humidity was 100% . That's when I decided it was enough and I decided to move North! I don't regret it. It is like walking around in a sauna!

[ganymeade]

Newsflash: $400, 000 is not affordable for most people. Due to weather events, property insurance is very expensive. With so many moving to Florida, Florida is losing its charm and becoming like everywhere else. Expect to wait in line in many places. Traffic is bad especially with many tourists unfamiliar with where they are going. You will probably need lots of sunscreen every day; and lots of bug spray. As for jobs, many jobs do not pay well; so people have to have extra jobs or work long hours. Florida is beautiful and a great place to visit for many. If you choose to move, you must be able to afford it.

[oneofakindjosh]

I’ve lived in the Tampa Bay Area for almost 20 years, purchased our home in 2015. Our home owners and auto insurance have tripled, every year we get increases. Our property taxes have doubled. I love how you described our area in almost all points but the reality is that our state is degrading and residents are being priced out of paradise. Track home communities are destroying wetlands and the wooded areas, pushing all wildlife out. The community we once had is no longer due to all of the growth you stated.

[williamgoulet]

Ahhh. I remember the days when the Pinellas beaches were generally a working class community. Those days are gone…

[maketrax]

If anyone is thinking of moving to Florida, best time to visit is during August. If you can't handle the August heat, then you'll know.

[johnchetcuti]

I've been here for 8 years and watched many videos about Florida living. This is the most imformative and truthful I've watched. Thanks

[daveginter]

If you want to live near the coast I would check on homeowners insurance before you move. I have talked to insurance agents and people are now paying over $1500 a month for a 350-400K home near the coast! And developments are being built up like crazy in Central Florida! You will be waiting to get gas, waiting in trafic, taking back roads adding 3 or 4 miles just to avoid it. A line of 12-15 people at restaurants. Auto insurance rates are also crazy! Look at Georgia or the Carolina's your money will go so much further there! Great Video!

[JS_Speaks]

That was the absolute best explanation of Florida I’ve heard to date. Thank you!!

[Torgonius]

We moved down last July from NJ. We're in Polk County, right next door to Tampa. The heat did take some getting used to, but it can be done. What I loved is that we never turned on the heat this past winter. My son wore pants to school one day the entire year. It was shorts the rest of the time. But not having to wear even a light jacket in the winter, while my co-workers were shoveling snow makes up for a little heat. There have been many days so far this summer where it's been hotter back up there than down here.

Traffic lights - whoever set up these lights needs to be tarred and feathered. And there's very little straight line connection, you need to make lots of turns on the grid and sit through multiple lights.

Roads - So much better than NJ, but just this past weekend, my wife managed to find the 1 pothole, and cracked two rims and blew both tires. It was filled in the next day.

Bugs - one trick I brought with me was giving the dragonflies a place to sit, right next to our deck. Dragonflies eat many times their body weight in smaller bugs. We live next to a fairly sizeable pond, but the bamboo stakes we put in the ground near the house attracted plenty of dragonflies, and as a result we had only 1 mosquito bit all last summer. Our neighbors put them up, as well, and our neighborhood has been pretty much bug free.

Water - yep, it sucks. 'cold' water is 80+ degrees in summer. We ended up getting an extra ice machine to keep up with family demand. We also have 2 high capacity brita filters which work very well.

Schools - not touched on in this video, but Florida has a very open School Choice program. They also have specialized academies within the schools, starting in middle school. Our son is in the aerospace, engineering and robotics academy at his middle school. There are programs for pretty much everything. If college isn't something your kid wants, they can do one of the trade academies, and in most cases graduate with the certifications they need to start working.

Floods - we're inland a bit, so floods aren't an issue for the house, but the streets do sometimes get temporarily blocked after a few downpours.

We had done a scouting trip the previous year to look for good neighborhoods, and to do things like compare grocery and gas prices. Groceries, compared to NJ, were similar. Some things were more expensive, some less, but the average grocery bill was only a couple dollars less. Gas was about 25 cents more a gallon, but I've seen them swing more than 50 cents a gallon each way in only a matter of weeks down here.

[Brian_R]

Really appreciate this video I have seen so many where they clearly want to scare you into moving somewhere else. I just want honesty I think you covered everything really well here

[sting]

I will never forget or could i describe the smell of red tide. it was so bad that we had to leave the west coast and went to east coast that particular September.

[Carolynfoodforest]

I have lived in Florida my whole life. Beware that it's difficult to get home owners insurance on old mobile homes. I grew up in the Ft. Lauderdale area and moved at age 33. Yes, anyplace near the coasts are a little cooler than the inland areas. I have lived in north Florida for my last almost thirty years. It's a totally different environment. Growing fruits and vegetables is different. As far as hurricanes. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Evacuate if you need to. Or build a strong structure in the center line of the state. Most water is nasty. But I have well water here in North Central Florida and my well hit a spring line. So I have spring water. The water hard water with a high amount of calcium. The salt water coming off the coast will rust your home and car if you live within ten miles of the coast.The environment is hard on everything. If you don't use your air-conditioner with the humidifier, things in your home will mold.

[rwdchannel]

My aunt moved to Tampa, Florida in the 1990's. I'm sure Tampa was a decent place to live back then, but now its probably not as nice since a bunch of northerners moved there.

[DiannaBurchett-ymgg]

This video is really informative and unbiased. My last visit was to Tampa Bay. Having my coffee right on the bay every morning watching the dolphins and stìng rays. The possibility of having a bad day 0

[sharoncrawford]

I lived in Florida 25 yrs and moved back to Ohio in 2006. Do not miss it. Crowded roads, crowded beaches, way to hot and humid, and now way to expensive!

[wolfgane]

No one moving here is ready for the humidity. It's hell

[jofygkt]

I lived and worked in the Tampa Bay region for 10 years. You are right about bad water. I lived in Lakeland, Florida and the water smelled like suffer. There is actual Suffer Plant in the neighboring city, Auburndale, Florida. Every since then I always purchased bottled water.

[terrymorgan]

I appreciate this video. Thank you for putting it out.

[LimitlessThinker]

I lived in the 90s. I remember hearing on the radio while I was driving, thousands move to Florida and thousands move out, as well. It's always been a very transitional state.