Love being in Florida. Very few surprises and fun no longer visiting as a tourist.

What's your favorite color? Only answer if it's blue.

Exactly.

It is more complicated than that. Florida is not one comprehensive thing...the Panhandle for example is as different from West Palm Beach or Jupiter as night is from day. Likewise the difference between Miami and The Villages. They could be in two different countries insofar as their differences go. I realize that can be said, to a degree anyway, for most states: when you're in Minnesota for example no matter which part you are in, you KNOW you are in Minnesota. Here, you can be in Havana in the morning and NYC in the afternoon. The only (relative) constant is the weather.

We had been to Florida quite often before our move here so the reality pretty much jived with our expectations, and in a nutshell we couldn't be happier. The Villages lifestyle is in my opinion ideal for people in our situation (no maintenance demands, lots of free time and the money to enjoy it) and there's just something about palm trees and blooming azalea plants that is conducive to a feeling of overall well-being. And those differences, in my opinion, are a tremendous positive as well. You don't have to drive far to experience the REAL Florida (at least what it was before all the geezers flooded in). We have some friends about 20 miles out of town in a VERY rural part of the state, and the laid-back lifestyle and friendly people is something to be valued when we experience it.

Of course there are negatives. For instance the medical care is overall not the best when compared to that which I believe many if not most of us enjoyed before moving here. But rather than fret about that I make it a point to live as healthy as I can, and in nearly two years now I haven't had so much as a sniffle.

Yeah. My expectations have been met. Exceeded, actually.

coming from a small state, the size of fl overwhelmed me @ 1st. other than that we should've moved here years ago.

You really are not gathering much useful information by asking for only positive responses.

My wife loves it here!
 

I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.

Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!

Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.

Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!

The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.

Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!

If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.

The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.

The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!

The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.

The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.

Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.

If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.

I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.

I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.

As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)

I feel very fortunate that I am able to live in Florida (I came from snowy, chilly Upstate New York). I visit NY in the summer (yes, it is nice there then) so I can appreciate my life here.

Truthful response to question
 

What is not to like about Florida?????

1) Substandard Health Care - Think needing surgery on a Caribbean Island with doctor who went to school at the West Indies School of Medicine only worse...in the West Indies they don't treat covid with Ivermectin (animal De-Wormer).

2) White Nationalist groups Natzi's marching in Orlando

3) The removal of our duly elected representatives Miller and Search from their office by the governor.

But Florida has beautiful beaches, love the variety of birds, and lots of sun shine.

But we Love the Villages!!!!!!

We enjoy all the activities, it is clean, we love the comfort and security we have found living here. The Villages is a wonderful place to live only we wish it was not such a politically "charged" environment and there was better health care. I am from an area where people were not attacked for their political beliefs. Here if you are not a TRU.... prepared to be harassed and ridiculed by those who want you to think like them and don't respect individual differences.

If only positive responses are allowed, why not ask what people like about relocating to Florida? Not everyone feels positively about their relocation.

Wow!

Like mom used to say whenever I started complaining; "you'd b~tch if you were hung with a new rope".

Everything is relative, I guess. People who look for negatives will find them. But I left a lot more negatives back in Minnesota than I've encountered here in The Villages.

Why?
 

Why would you ask that, then require ONLY positive responses?? You should have just asked what you like about moving to Florida!
My answer is no, which obviously begs another question.

You are correct Bogie. The way the question is worded begs for a “”yes” or “no” answer and “no” is a negative! Question should have been written differently to get all positive responses.

Do you like this post? ONLY NEGATIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED!!

We’ll worded responses BigSteph!

Waste of time………..

God Bless and Protect the great state of Florida and Governor DeSantis 🙏

What The Hell is your wife doing with you??? She should have dumped you years ago!!!

From a Grumpy Old Man
 

Hey you kids get off my lawn :(:(:mad:

As a long time Florida resident, I would not live any place else...

Exactly…

Require?

Asking "please" is a requirement? Okay... If you say so...

Understatement of the year...:ohdear::ohdear::ohdear:

So you found Florida to be exactly what you expected it to be.

I am here 6-8 months of the year. Spouse is full time, and would not live anywhere but a southern state with no Snow.

I love season change. Miss the spring, Fall, and SNOW. So am I happy in Florida, NO, due to no seasonal change. However, YES, because my spouse is here.

And don't forget about the Healthcare. You won't find the best healthcare or best doctors here. Many Doctors have been arrested, read the news.

We love it here. Coming from NY this is heaven. No traffic, no fuss and so easy to get around. Everywhere you go in TV, it is just beautiful and serene. What more can we ask for. There is so much to do, or not, depending on what you want. Life is good.

Arrested Dr’s……details please.

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Did you really take it seriously ? It made no sense. Was very entertaining to watch how different personalities dealt with it.

APRIL FOOLS

FYI Florida totally met my expectations but they were extremely low which is a positive.

Did Florida meet my expectations?
 

YES, in every way and then some.

TV will be like south FL
 

I think that The Villages area, as fast as it's growing will be like South Florida within the next 5 or 10 years.

My move to The Villages was better than I expected and better than I heard! I have nothing negative to say about my move.

YES in every way.

Moving to Florida
 

Moved here 15 months ago after a 5 day Lifestyle visit and have had absolutely no regrets to date.

I grew up in Tampa and thought the rest of Central Florida would have the same breezes so I was surprised it doesn't. I am very happy in The Villages, been here 18 months & my husband & I really enjoy living here. I do wish it was a little cooler but other than that I am perfectly happy.

From NJ you say. What exit?
 

From NJ you say. What exit?

Do you read the newspapers or just TOTV?

Met and exceeded! We miss being close to the kids but we don’t miss the cold winters and the tornadoes during the warm months of Kansas City.

This is my place (for the last few years) it was my aunt’s and uncle’s, it was my parent’s. No surprises. It is home.

Florida's Friendliest Home
 

I find your thread and other comment offensive! Your mention that it was posted in the "non villages discussion" to someone is sarcastic and unnecessary. Most people do NOT have expectations regarding moving here other than the weather perhaps and the things they have heard and read about regarding TV.

No one moved here because the health care and doctors are first class.
No one moved here because the road improvements have kept up with the area's growth.
No one moved here because the developer has the commissioners in the palm of their hand.
No one moved here because of the quality of the homes built.
No one moved here because there are CD districts versus HOAs.
No one moved here because of the trolls who would sooner diss you and report you for something, than smile and say hello to you.
Yes, there's more and the "more" is ongoing.

Your thread has not created harmony because TV is not and will never be Florida's Friendliest Hometown.