Our company is moving to Florida

6/19/2002 | self

[kellynla]

We need some suggestions from Florida FReepers. Our company is moving to Florida and we would like some suggestions for our business and families. Where would you suggest is the best place to locate taking into consideration we would like an area that has good schools, a low crime rate and conservative neighbors. Thanks in advance for your help. Oh by the way I like to deep sea fish so a coastal location would be nice.

[Caipirabob]

Near Coral Springs in NorthWest Broward County, but be warned the School Board there just brought in GLSEN for "Tolerance Training". Palm Beach County in the area of Boca Raton/Delray is nice but expensive, but we don't have GLSEN in the School system (yet.) Delray was one of the top ten cities in America some years back. Still a very nice area and taxes (big secret) are lower in PBC than BC or Dade.

Also in Boca there is a surplus of office space and the town is generally accomodating to new businesses. Good workforce, local community college (FAU) for recruiting and generally excellent quality of life.

[arthurus]

With those requiremens you are about limited to Northwest FL between Lake City and Pensacola. And why do you care about good schools? Homeschool the kids.The homeschool network is widespread and everything is available except for your son to be a local hero football player, but if that is a consideration then it doesn't matter anyway. And the homeschoolers are on sports teams too.

[Carolina]

Care to help a fellow FReeper?

[The Duke]

As Florida "karate parents" we've had occasion to visit schools in just about every part of the state. The nicest area I've seen, and by far the nicest school, was in Boynton Beach on the east coast just north of Ft. Lauderdale.

Ft Lauderdale also has a great rep in the state.

If you're looking for a small town environment I've always been partial to Dunedin, which is on the coast north of Tampa and the West coast - that's where you're going to catch that monster Tarpon.

[Betty Jane]

Look to the West coast of Florida. Less expensive than the east coast. Slower pace and English is still the primary language. Look for private or religious schools. Good Luck in your move.

[kellynla]

Thanks. Good point about homeschooling. We are seriously considering doing just that.

[kellynla]

Thanks. What areas on the West coast do you recommend? Although we may be forced to go to the East Coast. Jury is still out.

[Shermy]

Enjoy the sun, but watch out for the water:

Father Saves Daughter In Alligator Attack - Man Gouged Gator's Eye

[kellynla]

Yes we realize that and the sharks too :-)

[dawn53]

Lived on the west coast most of my life. The thing I like about the west coast is you're always minutes from the beach, fishing, etc. without the high cost of housing that proximity to the water seems to bring on the east coast.

I like Pinellas, but Manatee and Sarasota counties are nice too.

Don't know anything about schools because I homeschool.

[ao98]

Look for the red and blue map of the 2000 election. That will tell you the liberal and conservative counties.
Also look into the type of tourism in the area. Is the local beach a party beach, or a quite area full families on vacation.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

pasco county on gulf coast land is cheap you can build a big new home for about 100000 and property values will skyrocket

[oldsalt]

Your requirements describe North Florida to a tee. The area around Jacksonville fills the bill IMHO.

What kind of company are you with? This area also is close to the right kinds of shipping and general transportation facilities. As far as education is concerned,the schools in Clay and St. John's co unties are very good,and colleges and universities are avail able in Gainesville,(Univ. of Florida), Jacksonville Univ., Univ. of N. Florida and a host of smaller schools.

The wea ther is great, the medical facilities are outstanding and we have the Jaguars too! Taxes are low, my 2000 sq ft home on a large corner lot, 4br 2ba with a swimming pool, for example, is at $1300 per year for property taxes, and would sell for about $155K.

C'mon down.

[Sam's Army]

Definitely seek out SW Fla; particularly the areas of Ft Myers to Naples. Conservative for the large part, English is spoken, and low crime.

SW Fla offers, a safe point hurricane-wise as well if disaster recovery issues are being taken into account for your company.

There's also an added plus of tax incentives having been handed out in the past by local municipalities that recognize the need for businesses re-location and by extension, jobs.

[RightFighter]

I live in Ormond Beach, which I would highly recommend to you.

http://www.ormondbeach.org

It's in Volusia County, which went to Gore in the last election, so we could use your help here, but Ormond Beach itself is pretty conservative. It's also very close to Ponce Inlet, where you can either take your boat into the Atlantic or hook up with one of several deep sea fishing boats that make regular trips. The schools are very good here (as good as public schools can be, I guess), and the crime rate in Ormond is very low. I think you'd like it.

Also, if you're a church-goer, there is a great church that I go to in Ormond Beach. You can check it out at http://www.riverbendchurch.com

If you decide to explore Ormond Beach, I would be happy to give you more information.

[stainlessbanner]

Depends on your bidness! Lake Mary is positioning itself as a high-tech hub. Central Florida is booming for growth, but grossly mismanaged, IMO. Despite being born in Orlando, I would like to relocate to North Florida. I would love to move up to St. Aug, Madison, P.City for a slower pace of life.

As a 5th generation native, I would like welcome you to our beautiful state!

[Betty Jane]

We lived north of Tampa Bay, New Port Richey, for about 10 years. It is for the most part suburban, although if you go 10-15 miles east it is rural. Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Holiday are all nice. Going north of where we were is Spring Hill which is a new housing area.

You can find houses from $45,000 to 300,000. You need to have a pool. You can use it daily from April to October. The kids will use it even longer. When the relatives come in February, they'll be in heaven.

We found the people warm and wonderful. I was sorry to leave.

[sanjacjake]

Going to hot, humid, Florida??..........You can come to
the San Diego area...nice beaches, cool weather and a
good place for families....ocean, mountains, desert, and
great Mexican food in 5,657 restaurants..oh, I forgot
bring lots of the green stuff....money, not lettuce..Jake

[stainlessbanner]

My grandparents were founders of Highlands Presbytarian in Daytona. I virtually grew up in Daytona/Ormond every summer - I love it! The city management and planning is much better than Orange County/Orlando.