Midwesterner Reveals The 6 Things About Moving To Florida That Make Him Regret His Life Choices
Florida isn’t the dream for everyone.
Grusho Anna | Shutterstock Florida is known for a lot of things, some of its best attributes being its beaches, diversity, and tourist destinations. But there are also several less pleasant elements to living in Florida that individuals should be aware of before deciding to move there.
After moving from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Orlando, Florida, for work reasons, a man understandably experienced culture shock due to various factors, causing him to reconsider his decision to move.
The Midwesterner revealed 6 things about moving to Florida that he wasn't expecting:
Riley Thomas Weber took to TikTok to share his take on the state so far, realizing it did not meet his expectations.
1. The long traffic lights
"I don't know if it's the roads, or the construction, or the traffic, or just being in Florida, but there's no reason a red light should take three minutes to change," Weber stated. "It's three minutes everywhere … You will be late to work if you hit one red light, so plan on leaving 15 minutes earlier than you need to."
In addition to Orlando being one of the most dangerous cities to drive in, full of wreckless and irresponsible drivers, it's also known for its unnecessarily long stoplights.
2. The outside creatures
Being a coastal state, it's no secret that Florida is home to countless insects and wildlife.
Weber pointed out how northern states occasionally get mosquitos, but usually only around three months a year. Meanwhile, in Florida, mosquitos are a year-round debacle.
"There are bugs, roaches, other bug creatures, outside at all times," Weber expressed uncomfortably.
Florida is notorious for being home to ants, mosquitos, love bugs, frogs, lizards, snakes, alligators, spiders, beetles, and wasps, among many other insects and reptiles.
While native Floridians are used to this unpleasant reality, visitors and tourists are usually surprised to find these creatures everywhere during every season of the year.
3. The cost of living is high
Florida may not have a state tax, but Floridians still pay significantly more for other important costs than other states.
"Do you know what health insurance costs here? Car insurance?" Weber said. "My private health insurance just went up 40% a month and covers 70% less. I have to drive infinitely less than I've ever driven in my life, and my insurance went up 50%."
"So yeah, certain things are cheaper here, but not the stuff that matters," he added.
Additionally, as more individuals continue to move to Florida's urban areas, housing costs continue to rise. In Orlando, housing is 7% more expensive than the U.S. average.
4. People rarely discuss politics
"I've actually never encountered a political conversation in Florida," Weber said. "And maybe that's an Orlando-specific thing."
Due to the circumstances surrounding politics in Florida, most individuals prefer not to discuss the matter, likely because it only reminds them of Florida's unfortunate situation. With a governor who has moved forward with various legislations targeted against minorities and additionally censored critical information from public education textbooks, Florida seems to be going down a concerning path.
But to many outsiders' surprise, most Florida citizens of urban cities don't subscribe to the state's politics and are more focused on nurturing their communities.
5. Floridians have Southern accents
Not every Floridian does — in fact, most of those who live in the urban cities don't.
However, many people seem to forget that Florida is a Southern state, and a majority of those who live in the more rural areas have notable Southern accents. After all, the state is coastal to Georgia and Alabama.
"My boyfriend was born in Southern Florida and has spent his whole life in Florida, and he actually has what I would call an Alabama accent," Weber shared.
6. Floridians love Publix
"[Publix] is not as cheap as everyone says because the thing you're going to Publix for is actually going to be really expensive," Weber said. "It's all the 'buy one get one free's' every day on all the things you weren't planning on buying that make it a really good deal."
Michael Berlfein | Shutterstock
As a Floridian and ex-Publix employee, I can vouch that Publix is known for being the spot where "shopping is a pleasure" for its atmosphere, helpful customer service, and great BOGO deals. It is, however, more expensive than most grocery stores, yet it continues to do an immaculate job of prompting Floridians to return.
Every state has its perks and drawbacks. Florida could be better, but it could also be worse.
As most individuals from other states like to believe, living in Florida might seem like a joke. And the reality of this is fairly true — most Floridians are aware of the circus they live in. We either embrace it and focus on the positives or eventually plan to move away.
As someone who has spent most of her life living in Florida, I deeply crave the experience of living somewhere else. There are so many cities I plan to explore, but I don't know that I would ever settle down anywhere but in Florida.
Maybe that's because it is home to me, but every time I leave town, there's something comforting and warm (pun intended) that always calls me back. We can only hope that certain aspects of the state eventually get better in time.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.