I relocated from NY to So FL two yrs ago after vacationing here often. I know the Destin, Ft. Walton & Tallahassee areas too. It is indeed beautiful, though I prefer So FL. Recreation is second to none and the weather better than north FL.
Don’t know if it matters to you, but it is very inconvient and expensive to travel to No. FL. No airline hubs. It is faster for me to visit my parents in NY (PBI - LGA) than my sister in Tallahassee.
I find parts is way too “redneck”. I was shocked by things & phrases said by people I would otherwise respect. There is also a pervasive condescending attitude towards professional women, “snowbirds” & Canadians (who sustain many town’s economies), Cuban Americans, and outsiders in general. I never heard the n-word more in my whole 50 yrs in NY than in the last 2 down here. (I am white, but find it offensive.) Its a close tie between sexism or racism as to which bothers me more! The state public school system is terrible and there is an amazing dearth of private higher educational institutions.
The government is Florida’s largest employer. Salaries are abyssmal; I’m making less than two-thirds of my NY salary (was over 100K) for same IT work.
On the up side, NO SNOW, low taxes, good time to buy property.
The brand new PC airport has opened up some new routes, although price is still an issue. They're talking about direct flights to Chicago and Cincinnati in the near future. That would be a big deal. Southwest is already doing non-stops to Baltimore, Houston and Nashville.
I plan on retiring there, no worries about schools, and as far as rednecks, come to Ohio...you'll hear far worse than you do along the Gulf.
Interesting take. I find S. FL to be extremely rude.