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Relocation help from Florida folks

But is that only Florida?

I understand the Feds have been pressuring all of the states to tighten driver's license requirements due to terrorist fears - at least that is their pretext. They really want to institute a sort of internal passport, in my opinion. Better to keep tabs on everyone.

Most states (if not all) are suffering from reduced revenues, and thus trying to wring whatever they can out of us. So it might not be only Florida that is tightening the screws.
 
kathylove said:
Why do you want to move TO Wisconsin?
Click to expand...

Some friends are retiring and they talk of their anticipation about returning there when they retire, and then I looked more closely when a friend of my family put her brother's estate up for sale there. The idea of cool weather and no hurricanes is appealling. I'm about 45 minutes from Galveston and have suffered through years of hurricanes and I'm just sick of them. And as I get older, it is less and less fun to deal with the resultant damage, the wait for insurance companies, the lack of electricity, and so on.
I guess every place has its detractions though.
 
Susan and Kathy,

Thanks for the great info! I didn't know that Florida has no state sales tax; definitely a plus.

My hubby's company has branches in Orlando, Kissimmee, Miami, Lakeland, Sarasota, Tampa, Palmetto, Winter Haven, and several others that I can't remember. They manufacture all kinds of building materials ranging from concrete block and patio pavers, glass, and other commercial building supplies.

I have mixed emotions about leaving Michigan; most of my family is here, but the winters are just too brutal. Summer is gorgeous, and the state is beautiful with all of the parks and lakes. Definitely a tough decision!

Thanks for all the input; lots of stuff to think about!

Kathy
 
Most states already have these....

kathylove said:
I understand the Feds have been pressuring all of the states to tighten driver's license requirements due to terrorist fears - at least that is their pretext. They really want to institute a sort of internal passport, in my opinion. Better to keep tabs on everyone.

Most states (if not all) are suffering from reduced revenues, and thus trying to wring whatever they can out of us. So it might not be only Florida that is tightening the screws.
Click to expand...

requirements in place. Florida is behind in that regard. My point was Florida use to have little if any restrictions on anything.
I think you're right about the internal passport. Our entire way of life is about to change dramatically.

Some things are crazy IMO. The state is on the verge of requiring concrete finishers to be tested and licensed to the tune of $100 a year. I'm talking the guys who trowel curb and storm drains.
 
kathylove said:
Most states (if not all) are suffering from reduced revenues, and thus trying to wring whatever they can out of us. So it might not be only Florida that is tightening the screws.
Click to expand...

That is one reason that I do not think I will settle in Connecticut where my brother lives. The home costs are outrageous, but add to that the taxes, especially property tax, they even have a property tax for autos from what he says. There are all sorts of high fees there for various stuff too according to him.
 
RETIRE there???!!!!

OMG - you have got to be kidding! The last thing I would want to do in my "golden years" is shovel snow and slide around on ice - yuck! If you are not young enough to enjoy winter sports, I just don't see much reason to be there at all! And if you DO like winter sports, there are much better places, lol! BUT - sounds like they lived there previously, so they know what they are getting into. Of course, memory can be selective - they may have forgotten the really bad parts.

If you want cool, but not SUPER COLD weather, with no hurricanes or tornadoes, go to the mountains of AZ! That is a zillion times better than up north, in my opinion. If you want snow and skiing, go to Flagstaff. If you want to be closer to Phoenix, with less snow, go to Payson. I personally LOVE Payson. It is around 5,000 ft. elevation, gets quite chilly in winter, but the snow melts very quickly, ESPECIALLY on the roads and sidewalks. It is a nice, small, city, but growing. You can drive about an hour and be in the warmer desert, edge of the Phoenix megalopolis, or drive an hour the other way to the REALLY high country, with snow and winter sports. And in the summer, the heat in Payson is not quite as high as Florida, but seems MUCH less than Florida (or Wisconsin during a heat wave) because of the low humidity. The nights there are almost always cool in the summer, even on hot days. And if it is still too hot, drive an hour to the really high country. You can have it all there, with a couple of hour's drive. Wisconsin can't come close, and even Florida suffers by comparison (although there IS a state income tax in Az).

I also like Prescott a lot - has a similar climate to Payson, but a little bigger city. The city center reminds me a lot of the old '50s small town America - kind of like the town hall area in Back to the Future. And it is pretty close to Sedona, which is the absolutely most beautiful place in the world - IMHO, of course, haha!

So many people think that Az = Phoenix, but that is definitely not the case. Az pretty much has it all. And if you really like the ocean, it is only about an 8 hour drive to the Cal. coast, depending on where you are. If you like international flavor, Mexico is nearby, too. And my brother lives in Az, too! Az has everything EXCEPT - me, lol! Now you know why I want to retire there.

But you should still move to Florida, because that's where I live, and we need more herpers here, haha!
 
"...My hubby's company has branches in Orlando, Kissimmee, Miami, Lakeland, Sarasota, Tampa, Palmetto, Winter Haven..."

Come to Sarasota / Palmetto! Sarasota is a good sized (but not HUGE) city, similar to Ft. Myers, but with more stuff to do. They have a botanical garden, small marine center, nice tourist shopping area, and nice beaches closer to the city than beaches in Ft. Myers. And lots of other stuff - a circus museum, too, I think. And it is about an hour north of Ft. Myers, and an hour south of Tampa. (Close enough to drive down to our herp meetings once per month!) So not that bad a drive if you need the big city. Because it is close to the Gulf, it is warmer during cold snaps than further inland, such as Orlando, Winter Haven, and Lakeland. Those latter two cities are not TOO giant, and are not too far from Orlando. But colder than the coast, if you are into tropical plants or outdoor reptile pens. Miami is huge, expensive, with too much crime, in my opinion. Orlando has everything you could want as far as stuff to do, but both it and Tampa are too big for my taste. But Disney World is only a couple of hours drive from Sarasota, so you can easily go for the weekend if you like.

C'mon down!!
 
Florida has no state INCOME tax; it definitely has state sales tax. That was one thing different from Minnesota, things like food and clothing are taxed here.
 
Miami has a ban on pitbulls, if that matters. It's so far away, too- you'd have to really like driving to do anything with the rest of us.
 
Nanci said:
Florida has no state INCOME tax; it definitely has state sales tax. That was one thing different from Minnesota, things like food and clothing are taxed here.
Click to expand...

I don't know why I typed 'sales' tax. I meant income tax. :rolleyes:

They tax everything here, except the sales tax on groceries was repealed several years ago.

It's also cool that a portion of your property tax is exempt in Florida. I made an appeal to the local tax assessor's office, and managed to get my property taxes reduced $500 because home values have declined so much here. My house is worth about half what I paid for it 8 years ago, according to the agent who sold it to me. :(

We are still considering Arizona too, since my Mom is there. She's in Fountain Hills, which is in the greater Phoenix area, but a much smaller town. I've been up to Sedona, which is absolutely gorgeous. The problem is, we can't afford Fountain Hills housing, unless we stuff 3 dogs and 60+ snakes into a small condo! Mesa is more reasonable though, so that may be an option. Lots to think about, but I'd really like this to be my last winter here.

As I said in my first post, I know there are problems everywhere, but it must be easier to deal with problems when you're not freezing to death!

Thanks again, guys/gals!

Kathy
 
If I had to live in the Phoenix area, I would pick Apache Junction. It is borders Mesa, and is right up against the foothills, where you could quickly get to hiking and other wilderness areas. The old timers who live there always considered it "the poor area", so many don't want to live there. But a lot changed during the housing boom, and I think it has a better reputation now. I think the city folk didn't like the idea of mobile homes and chickens, lol! But rural things appeal to me. There are some one acre residential / rural areas available right next to town. Some are zoned house, some mobile homes, and can range from fancy to dumpy, depending on just where you choose. And they are all very close to shopping and city stuff without having to go into the big city. But it is REALLY HOT there in the summer, although it is just under an hour drive to Payson, and relief. It is most likely where we will retire, since my brother lives in that area, too. I would actually prefer the area just north of Tucson, in Catalina, but we want to be near my brother.
 
Nanci said:
Florida has no state INCOME tax; it definitely has state sales tax. That was one thing different from Minnesota, things like food and clothing are taxed here.
Click to expand...

Only "prepared" food is taxed, otherwise, there is no sales tax on food.
 
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