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Old 01-30-2018, 02:16 PM   #1
wildernessmedic
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Considering a move from CA to FL

We're considering a move there. Hoping to fly down for a week or so in spring and check it out. By the looks of it the perks to Florida are, its not California, theres good weather, its not California, nice beaches, its not California, no state tax, its not California, lots of wild life, its not California, and good gun laws. Also its not California.

Any recommendations on some towns to check out?

Looking for a place <1 hour to the water, but because of the geography it looks like thats everywhere.

My biggest concern is a town thats not a sh*t hole with a lot of crime.

Somewhere I can get a 2+ bedroom for less than $270k would be nice. Prefer rural areas to urban.


It looks like the diving is pretty legit there. I'm used to California where I can throw a kayak in anywhere and paddle around and shoot fish. Is it similar there or extremely different?


Anyone know what kind of above land hunting options there are? The state site makes it looks amazing, but so does CA and thats a bit deceiving. I would like to hunt alligators and 20' pythons

Any general advice? Thanks.
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Old 01-30-2018, 07:21 PM   #2
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

I just had to make the decision between California and Florida too and chose Florida for a lot of the reasons you listed.

Do you have any limitations on where you can live for either of y’all to work?

Anywhere between Vero Beach and the keys on the east coast has the near shore diving that you’re looking for but it’s pretty limited in the rest of the state.

The housing generally gets more expensive the further south you go, but there’s affordable areas everywhere.

As far as hunting, we have great WMAs, but like you said the state website will make it look a lot better than it really is. You’ll need to put in your time scouting and sitting but there’s great opportunities for deer, hogs, and turkey.

Gator hunting is a blast but kinda hard to get into because it’s so different from every other type of hunting. Your best bet is to find someone to hunt with or go with a guide once or twice before trying on your own.

Feel free to ask more on here if you have any other questions.


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Old 01-30-2018, 07:42 PM   #3
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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I just had to make the decision between California and Florida too and chose Florida for a lot of the reasons you listed.

Do you have any limitations on where you can live for either of y’all to work?

Anywhere between Vero Beach and the keys on the east coast has the near shore diving that you’re looking for but it’s pretty limited in the rest of the state.

The housing generally gets more expensive the further south you go, but there’s affordable areas everywhere.

As far as hunting, we have great WMAs, but like you said the state website will make it look a lot better than it really is. You’ll need to put in your time scouting and sitting but there’s great opportunities for deer, hogs, and turkey.

Gator hunting is a blast but kinda hard to get into because it’s so different from every other type of hunting. Your best bet is to find someone to hunt with or go with a guide once or twice before trying on your own.

Feel free to ask more on here if you have any other questions.


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She’s an RN and I’m a paramedic. We need to be somewhat near a hospital for her, but I might look for other work after seeing the paramedic salary there.

We’re going there in April so I’m trying to get a list of places/towns to check out there.

I went to infantry school in Georgia. It still holds the record as my least favorite state, so I’m guessing I should probably stay away from the northern part.
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Old 01-30-2018, 07:56 PM   #4
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

Your 270k price is MORE than reasonable for what you're looking for BUT very unreasonable for your job qualifications (you need to research wages in FL). CA is a totally different animal than FL when it comes to pay/cost of living.
You'll want to be further South than central FL if you want to python hunt. E FL is more conducive to kayaking for spearfishing. Very slow drop off on W coast, although if you're not scared of low vis some fish are to be had.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:03 PM   #5
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

I’m not sure what you mean the house price is more than my job qualifications??

After checking some stuff on google I see top to bottom the drive time is only 5-6 hours? If that’s the case it doesn’t matter where I live as far as hunting. I drive that all the time to dive here.

Yeah the cost of living vs pay is different. But isn’t it supposed to be a lot lower CoL than ca?
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:25 PM   #6
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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Im not sure what you mean the house price is more than my job qualifications??

After checking some stuff on google I see top to bottom the drive time is only 5-6 hours? If that’s the case it doesn’t matter where I live as far as hunting. I drive that all the time to dive here.

Yeah the cost of living vs pay is different. But isn’t it supposed to be a lot lower CoL than ca?
COL is very dynamic. I live in a medium populated area. An RN, depending upon experience, can range from starting 50k to extremely experienced ORN of 140k. Paramedic...probably 45k to 90k. Hence, my statement regarding house price stated. That being said, if you want to live in an urban area and drive 1hr to work, you can get much more cheaper housing than what you've stated. I'm talking a 3 bed, 2 bath on an acre for <180k.
You want to be <1hr from salt water or fresh? Makes a big difference.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:33 PM   #7
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

Oh I think I understand. I calculated 270k as what I can afford because I’d only be financing 120-150k. I’ve been living fine on 30-40k in ca so I figure that shouldn’t be an issue there. Still lost on how the salary figures you posted would be hard for us to survive. That’s comfortable even for California in my opinion.

<1 hour to saltwater dive spots. Mapquesting it makes it look like that’s the majority of the state. At least to get to ocean.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:40 PM   #8
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

270k should be more than enough for something decent. It won’t be on a country club golf course but it’ll definitely keep you out of the slums. I’m in fort Pierce and while I’m currently renting I’ve been looking at 2-3br houses in good areas for 125-150k.

Most of the state is within range of the ocean, but a lot of the state (west coast out to about Destin and north of Vero) require an hour long boat ride to get to the fish. As mentioned, inshore spearing can be good but it’s usually low vis and high current. If you want to kayak dive in decently clear water (sometimes as good as 60+ feet) then you’ll need to be south east.


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Old 01-30-2018, 08:42 PM   #9
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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Oh I think I understand. I calculated 270k as what I can afford because I’d only be financing 120-150k. I’ve been living fine on 30-40k in ca so I figure that shouldn’t be an issue there.

<1 hour to saltwater dive spots. Mapquesting it makes it look like that’s the majority of the state. At least to get to ocean.
Yea, but you really have to combine all those wants together in order to come to a realization. Many before you have done so thus driving up home prices in those areas relative to what you can make in those areas and what your drive time will be to the hospital in a big enough city that's going to pay you well. It's all a balance, my friend. Fl cracker and experienced gator hunter here.
I'm not saying you can't get all that you want, I'm just saying that your numbers are off. You also need to list your priorities and weigh them on every considerable option that you encounter, if you expect a satisfactory outcome.
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Old 01-30-2018, 08:47 PM   #10
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

Marcus- So the part that’s off is getting a house with all of that <1 hour for 270k?

Appreciate the advice. After checking some distances it looks like we can travel most of the state and look around in the week we’ll be there. I guess it would be a good idea to rent for 6 months and get an even better idea before making any offers on places.
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Old 01-30-2018, 09:27 PM   #11
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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Marcus- So the part that’s off is getting a house with all of that <1 hour for 270k?

Appreciate the advice. After checking some distances it looks like we can travel most of the state and look around in the week we’ll be there. I guess it would be a good idea to rent for 6 months and get an even better idea before making any offers on places.
As mentioned previously, that 270k is out of place in the rural area 1 hr drive from the coast. You can have a much bigger place for that amount. That's not say you can't get the other things. I prefer to live closer to the salt water diving/fishing and drive to central FL for the fresh water experience.
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Old 01-31-2018, 09:08 AM   #12
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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She’s an RN and I’m a paramedic. .
RN's can make good money but the shifts are tough. EMT's down here have a high turnover rate cause of pay in certain areas. Research the job openings and and see if they are interesting. The opioid overdose situation is over half your calls in some cities, it's brutal.
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Old 01-31-2018, 10:24 AM   #13
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

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RN's can make good money but the shifts are tough. EMT's down here have a high turnover rate cause of pay in certain areas. Research the job openings and and see if they are interesting. The opioid overdose situation is over half your calls in some cities, it's brutal.
We’re definitely going to research job openings. I can’t believe how crappy the pay is there. And I thought Ca was bad. A couple years in college/training to make $12/hr.
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Old 01-31-2018, 12:13 PM   #14
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

I’d look into the Jupiter area
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Old 01-31-2018, 06:31 PM   #15
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Re: Considering a move from CA to FL

The Ocean is very different as you move from north to south and the Gulf versus the Atlantic. The temperature differential in the water can be 25 degrees or more. The only place there is reasonably clear water off the beach is from vero Beach south (east coast) and even Vero has less than 5 ft visibility - probably 90% of the time.

If you want to dive from a boat, you have a much larger area to consider.
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