Florida bound advise please

[Greg Lentz]

I'm thinking it's time for a change.

I'm planning a move to southwestern Florida. Somewhere around Tampa, Sarasota or Naples areas. I will look to settle a few miles in from the coast in the hopes of lowering my living expences. I am coming from coastal Delaware and will hope to find a good job or sub some work. My specialty is kitchen remodeling but I enjoy handy man stuff or general trim work as well.

I am hoping you Floridians will be generous with your thoughts and advice here.

My questions are endless but I guess initially any thoughts about specific areas with reguard to cost of living and work enviroments are a good starting point.

Thanks a ton (in advance) for your thoughts.

Greg.

[carpenter]

Doesn't it just figure that your first response would be from a NY'er?

My brother relocated to Sarasota 15 years go and never looked back. Cost of living was higher but he was able to compensate by earning more. Of course he didn't have this forum to help run his business before he left. He operates a finish carpentry sub-contract outfit and is usually swamped with work. I haven't talked with him in months, so don't know how it is recently.

I think there is a shield around the area that seems to deflect all hurricanes.

Good Luck
Dave

[whiskytangofoxtrot]

Stay away from Tampa unless you moonlight as a criminal defense attorney.

[Greg Lentz]

Dave, thanks for the reply. Good time to call your brother, you should talk more often.

Whiskey, my 18 year old daughter goes to school down there. I have seriously thought about buying her a shotgun. I know a hand gun is better but under 21 no can do.

Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.

I know these responces are lame but I need to bump this back up to the top of the thread list.

[Bob Kovacs]

You couldn't pay me to move to Florida- especially the area you're looking in. Two of my aunts live in Bradenton outside of Tampa. and they're actually talking about moving back to NJ to retire if you can believe that. Between the hurricanes, the high cost of HO insurance (if you can get it), the illegals and the 95 y/o's on the roads, they've had it.

Best of luck if you're into living there, but I can think of tons of places I'd rather be.

Bob

[Kowboy]

All:

My wife and I just visited her dad in Sarasota last week. He's run a handyman business down there for 18 years or so and has more work than he can get to.

He bought the "Barnacle", the sailboat in the movie "Summer Rental" with John Candy for 15K. He's put about 20K into it and it's for sale. Great deal, let me know if you're interested.

Kowboy

[Toolwhore]

A pirate ship, full o' carpentry tools, sailing around the Caribbean building stuff. How could it get any better than that. Who wouldn't want to be a pirate? I always have! How big's that boat Kowboy? LOL!!!

Sorry Greg, I couldn't help it. "sides, it's all true! ;)

[smtitmas]

Florida, like any other place on earth is going to have its good points as well as its bad ones. But for some reason Florida seems to have a very unique set of points that take some getting use to. Weather, traffic, housing, ‘illegals’, old people, wages, the list goes on and on but more important than what Florida has to offer, what do you offer to bring to the party? I mean it’s what you make of it. Right? I am busy having fun, making money, and enjoying myself, and all at the same time too. One thing that sets one apart from all the 'hacks with a pickup and a magnetic sign' is a license. No matter what you decide to do, go legal. I work from Sarasota to Englewood and have more good paying work than I can get to. As far a housing, I rent a 2/2 house in a nice safe working class neighborhood for $850. I pay $ 2.25 for gas and bid my time at $40 per hour for carpentry work. All that plus I live 5 min from the beach and have bananas growing in my front yard. I like it.

[David Meiland]

Move near Naples and you can probably hit up Sonny for some work or at least some contacts. If I were moving to FL that's right where I'd go...

[David Meiland]

a 2/2 house in a nice safe working class neighborhood for $850

What would that house sell for?

[Kye GC]

I'd chose any state over FL. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and later worked all over the state building bridges. I've got family in Sarasota and I lived there for a couple o years as well as St Pete.

Everybody has got their own opinions and veiws, mine is FL just plain sucks. The cost of living these days is so high compared to the wages. I mean I live in the SF bay area and the current FL home prices arent that far off ours while the wages are about a third. I really think it's a raw deal.

Also FL is really lacking in any sort of culture except for of course the endless miles of strip malls, blue hairs driving 15mph and you gotta love the Tony Montana wannabees.

Seriously if your set on living on the west coast of FL, Sarasota is probably one of the better choices depending on your lifestyle. It's a litte sleepy but pretty safe, decent economy and nice beaches. My aunt is a real estate broker there and my uncle is a pm for a large commercial outfit. The last time I talked to them a month or so ago the real estate was picking up a little after one of the worst drops in the country.

If your thinking of working for someone else I'd check the newspapers online as well as craigslist to get a feel for the wages and how many jobs out there if you havn't already. I'd bet a good carpenter with tools will only make between 12-20 per hr these days.

Anyway good luck if your set on it and let me know if I can answer any more questions.


Kye

[whiskytangofoxtrot]

If I were moving to FL that's right where I'd go...

Dave, if you move to Florida, then I'M leaving.

And I'm taking all of the fun with me when I go, too. *nyah nyah nyah*

[smtitmas]

What would that house sell for?

160k - 200k

[smtitmas]

Also FL is really lacking in any sort of culture except for of course the endless miles of strip malls, blue hairs driving 15mph and you gotta love the Tony Montana wannabees.

That’s funny. I like to think of Florida as the 6th boro of N.Y. We got all the ginnies, pizza joints, bagel shops. But your right, no culture. Even Atlanta has more culture than the entire state of Florida. Although most of all the culture is here in Sarasota. It has the John Ringling School of art, the Ringling museum, lots of botanical gardens, the Van Weizel performing arts theater, and lots of retired drug dealers that hang out at certain coffee shops. Seriously entertaining.

If your thinking of working for someone else I'd check the newspapers online as well as craigslist to get a feel for the wages and how many jobs out there if you haven’t already. I'd bet a good carpenter with tools will only make between 12-20 per hr these days.

Working for someone might work for a short time (20-25 per hour tops), just until you realize that working for yourself or sub contracting is the only way to go.

[Lawrence Taylor]

Wages are are low if your working for someone, thats true enough. But there is always work. Especially if you can establish a good reputation. There is a disproportionate amount of wealth and densely populated areas. That translates to lots of opportunity. Be patient.
I think the hardest thing to adjust to is that so many people that live here are from other places and they often times have difficulty adjusting to the lack of community bond. Everybody is a stranger here because they couldn't bring their neighborhoods with.
As for me, I am trapped. I work in shorts and a tee shirt 6 days a week. I can't even fathom working in a 60 degree dead of winter cold snap.