Quote:
Originally Posted by justjim
While waiting for a doctor appointment (I was a bit early) I picked up a magazine I believe was called “retirement”life”. The Article was called “8 shocking reasons retirees are fleeing Florida”. Briefly as I remember:
1. Insurance too expensive. Florida homeowners is well above the national average.
2. Rise in HOA fees.
3. Unavailable affordable housing for retirees.
4. Overdevelopment and loss of small-town appeal.
5. Higher Utility bills.
6 . Extreme weather conditions
7. Groceries cost above national averages.
8. Quality and lack of adequate
Healthcare.
According to this article a subtle yet significant shift is changing peoples minds regarding the Sunshine State as a destination for the ultimate retirement paradise it once was. I found the article interesting “opinion” more than factual with no empirical data to backup the opinions. Florida continues to grow in population each year as shown by the data I’ve seen. It’s certainly true (growth) with regard to The Villages. Maybe Florida isn’t paradise but the fact is it probably never was.
We have been in TV going on 18 years and can identify with overdevelopment, higher insurance costs and the loss of small-town appeal. Yes, groceries are more costly but isn’t that true elsewhere? - its called inflation! Finally, there are healthcare issues here but the shortage of Doctors, Nurses and health facilities are not just a Florida issue it’s nationwide. Fore!
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I think you are right. For decades a significant percentage of people retiring to Florida have decided they made a mistake and left. Usually they move back to where they came from to be closer to their family and friends. That’s okay. That’s to be expected. The majority stay, and houses keep being built.
Florida is a huge state, and home insurance rates vary from place to place, depending on the risk of storm damage of various sorts. Insurance is a lot less here than in some areas of the state. In Sumter County, our electricity costs 11 cents per KWH. There are places where it is twice that. Our HOA fees in The Villages are wonderfully low, despite the complaints of those who are barely scraping by. There are trailer parks near here charging three times as much as we pay, even though they get much less. People complain about food costs even as they shop at Publix or Fresh Market, even though it’s much cheaper at Winn-Dixie or WalMart, so it’s hard to think they are serious. I worked in health care for a few years half a century ago at several highly rated hospitals. I go to AdventHealth Waterman for health care, which has an A rating, and while most of my doctors are foreign, they are doing a great job. Plus, with Medicare and my supplemental insurance, it is pretty much all covered. If you are going to get seriously ill, there has never been a better time in history to do it. Even at the hospital formerly known as The Villages Hospital, you can at best get much better treatment than at a great hospital fifty years ago.
So, yes, people are leaving. They have been for decades, but most stay.