Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Tax Bill Came Today
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Old 11-03-2020, 11:17 AM
OrangeBlossomBaby OrangeBlossomBaby is offline
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I don't remember the exact amount for ours. It was around $1700 and change. We're fine with that. Lake County has been doing a decent job with our roads, police, social services, etc. etc. Can't compare it to our home in Connecticut, since our old home had one of the best school systems in the state (which is among the best state school systems in the country), and it snows up there so, more cost to road maintenance, more emergency costs when there's a nor'easter, especially when there's 2+ feet of snow on the ground and over 50,000 people are without power. Connecticut costs are MUCH higher than they are in Florida, so again - it's not appropriate to compare.

However if you must: we had a 1100 sf 3bed 1 bath ranch home with full basement on a wooded, fenced, 1/2 acre corner lot with 5 sugar maple trees in the back yard, the entire town is walkable, a kid's park 2 blocks away and senior housing behind us. Commercial properties (mostly retail) 3 blocks away on a state road so the town didn't have to pay for maintenance there. Super-low unemployment, and minimum wage was $10.10 when I left, it's up to $12 now, so more people can afford to actually live there (as long as they share expenses with house-mates).

They also have state income tax, which covers the medicaid expansion that Florida has rejected. So more people are able to afford to work, and get health care they need without having to eliminate all assets just for the privilege of not having to shell out hundreds of dollars for a yearly physical.

Everyone pays more up north. But everyone also gets more. I'm happy for the reduced costs of monthly expenses here. The grocery bill is out of control though. Now I understand why so many people go to Walmart, despite their reputation.