Thinking of looking for work down there. Tell me what the area is like, besides expensive and hot.

Traffic sucks, it's expensive & people are rude......
Jobs depends on what you can do.  Sales? tons of them, but pay nothing.  IT..some but pay nothing, if your a doctor/nurse you can do well.
Teachers are always needed, but pay sucks.
If you can get a city job that's what you want. Pay is low, but you get the benefits & most are really easy non thinking.
Most of the SE section of FL is the same  Can't wait to move!

Looking at working for the S.O., actually. I have 3 years experience working the road and a buddy of mine has been pushing me to come down there because all the stuff I'm looking for (busier shifts, more training, lateral and vertical advancement opportunities, better pay, more overtime, less BS and good ol' boy system), he's enjoyed ever since he left somewhere similar to where I just left and he absolutely loves it there.

Thinking about going down and doing a ride-along with him for a few shifts if possible to really get a feel for it and check out the area as I've only ever passed through on my way to/from Miami or the Keys. The main downside I have come up with so far is the lack of "winter" there... I like cold weather and it definitely isn't gonna hit freezing there!

Hot and humid is definitely the rule of the day, but it's like most places...you suffer through the crap weather for a few months of pleasantness (at least that's what most folks tend to think of 70-degree winters, but to each his own!).

It's a sizeable county, and the east half is basically one big city. Hell, from Jupiter to Miami along I-95 it's just one large metropolis. Has most of the benefits of a large city (lots of variety of food and restaurants, cultural events, concerts, your SO can shop for damn near anything within striking distance). No state sales tax, but I think the county adds a penny or two on for their coffers. Wide mix of folks too....college kids, spoiled rich folks, white collar workers, migrants, blue collar, snowbirds, you name it.

I do know that the PBSO is likely growing, as a lot of the local municipalities down there are shifting over from city police to just ceding enforcement to the PBSO. And between tourism and retiree influx, Florida usually does ok on budgets. They also are pretty good at emergency management, if that's your thing.

But like I said, big county. If you live out west, unless you are in Wellington, it's gonna be more rural. Nothing outside of "strong urban" exists east of the turnpike anymore.

1-2 hours to Miami, depending on traffic, about 4 to Key West, 2.5 to Orlando to take the kids to see Mickey. Easy access to airports (WPB, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are all major ones) and Caribbean cruises.

If I ever moved back, I'd try to live in the Northeast corner. Newer stuff, newer money, edge of the sprawl.

Happy to answer any specific questions.

And yeah, traffic sucks balls. Especially during tourist/snowbird season.

There is sales tax, and yes the morons in this county just voted to add a one cent addition, there is no state income tax, big difference. West of Jupiter is Jupiter Farms, a good area

Isn't that where liberals go?  Miami, Dade, Palm Beach................

Where we are, in the Farms, is actually quite right wing conservative. South of here is 180* different.......

Live in Martin Cty, work in PB.
My area is a bedroom community basically for PB workers.  I used to work in Jupiter, then went to City of WPB and efen hated that...work close to home now.
My neighbour is with WPSO and gets a take come cruiser.  

Oh, and you will be in the general vicinity of awesome OW diving

Lived there for a couple years.  

If you like combat you will love it as a Deputy Sheriff down there.  Getto bird flying and gunfire most of the time where we lived....(in a gated guarded subdivision).  That said THE Sheriff is a douche bag leftist POS.  

"Winter" is when the humidity levels drop below 80% and night time temps fall 5 degrees below day time temps.  

Driving (when the roads aren't clogged with people) is an amazing experience navigating between 3'd worlders, old people about to croak, and rude NEastern types.  

People begging on every street corner.....

And then there is the rampant corruption.....at every level.....everywhere.  NJ, NY, Mass, RI, NH, Shitcago.....have nothing on PBC.

That's a large part of why I want to work there... I rarely got a chance to put my training to use where I was for the last three years.

Son of a bitch, I meant income tax. Thanks for clarifying that!

Mostly but that is way we should gladly accept another potential Republican voter.

If that's really what you want get assigned to the gang unit in Lake Worth  (District 14)

I like living in Palm Beach County. It has a big city feel without the awful traffic and congestion felt in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It feels pretty centralized as Tampa, Orlando, Miami are not difficult drives away.

All the best

I guess you stay away from 95 or don't try to go west to east at 8-9am/5-6pm?

FIFY
Even up here in Jupiter, traffic sucks all day every day. Indiantown is a parking lot from east to west



When is the last time you were down in Miami?

The 561 and 305 are night and day when traffic is concerned.

West Nam Beach
My dad was on the PBSO for 15yrs after retiring from the NYPD in 77.

Was a great place to grow up in the 70's - 80's

Not so much now. Moved north of Orlando to get away from the zoo.

Really it's about perspective!! We absolutely love it.

My wife moved down from Ohio and I moved down from Louisiana, we both vote republican to cancel out some of our neighbors.

Palm Beach County has some of the best roadways and traffic systems in the state. The traffic is great, 20-30 minute drive to downtown during peak times. Not at all bad compared to I-4 in Orlando, I-95 in Jacksonville or Ft. Lauderdale/Miami. Remember, more cars = more people spending money in our County!!

Take 441 north or south and you can eat/shop/do anything you can imagine in a 10 mile radius.

Cost of living is reasonable considering you get 365 days of the year to be out and about. Sure Omaha Nebraska is nice but it is -14 today up there.  We water skied all morning and rode bikes in the afternoon.

People are nice as can be, just be friendly to them and they are surprised

Jobs are everywhere. Now with the fantastic 1 cent sales tax increase, businesses are booming. Hiring everywhere.

Left there in 1972 and never looked back.

Ho lee shit.....how long have you been down here???
Takes me a half hour to go 15 miles from the Farms to "downtown" Jupiter...Jupiter to the airport for work might be a half hour, but at 0530 in the AM...the 1cent tax is a complete scam if you research it....roads suck....yes, Miami native here., moved to PB county by way of Daytona Beach 31 years ago. You describe maybe 30-35 years ago but this place has greatly changed. Agree on the weather though.....
Upon retirement, this boy is beating feet to find some old Florida to settle down in, probably north FL.

441 was a 2 lane road when I grew up there. We used to drag race from 441 to the turnpike overpass on Lake Worth Rd because there was not a soul on it. Okeeheelee Park was the shell pits where we had keg parties.

Also prostitutes didn't openly walk Military Trail from Cresthaven to Forest Hill Blvd. like they do now. It was a nice area in the early 80's.

You mean when civilization basically ended at the feed store just west of Military on Southern?  Royal Palm Beach was way out west?  Off roading off of Okeechobee west of the turnpike?  Take the shitty road along the canal at 20 mile bend to get to Belle Glade (really fun on a dark rainy night)?
Nice area in the 60s and 70s too!

Hilarious perspective. Ahhhh the good old days of 1960's. Sounds like you've never lived north of Daytona Beach or outside of Florida! haha.

We've lived here for 5 years. Used to commute in Louisiana and Ohio, 7 miles, 30-35 minutes, 7:10-7:40 and longer if it was raining!

The state of Florida has a top 3 transportation funding budget in the country. Our roads are first class. Drive around Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama then report back

The 1 cent sales tax is a great thing and not a scam.

Disclosure, I work in the transportation/traffic industry :)



We are far off topic from the original question: Palm Beach County?

One of the nicest and more modern counties in the state. Sure it's got issues but what County doesn't.

Meanwhile AVmech has seen the rise and fall of the county and is ready to retire in the country and yell at clouds!!

Yea no. But have lived overseas and up in the northeast among other states, but you would not know that now would you.  Things are not as rosy as you think in PBC, check back in 5 years. And it makes sense that you are in traffic re the sales tax. I am in the transportation sector also.......

Lets agree to disagree, more important things to worry about, who knows, maybe one day meet up for a beer or two

No thanks.  I took a class in Palm Springs a few months ago.  My hotel was in West Palm next to the airport.  I'll stay where I'm at and take cow out calls and welfare checks for 3/4 of the salary.

I had whole weekend rotations where I wouldn't get a single call or do anything non-self initiated at my last job. Sometimes it depended what zone you were end (north end of the city was almost always dead and where they'd send you to write reports and such). I went through about an eight month window where I was the opposite of a shit magnet and nothing happened to me no matter where I'd go. I could get put in the hood three days in a row, nada. First day someone else was in that zone, there'd be four domestics, a stolen vehicle, a massive block party, and a shooting.

I can only drive around in a circle so many times in a night before it drives me crazy. Most shifts I was putting 140-160 miles on my car in a 2x3 mile (at most) patrol area.

Unless you commute on a scooter or live at the end of 150th I think you're exaggerating a bit.

I just drove from Pratt Whitney to US1 and Indiantown and back in less than half hour.

The farms to PBIA @ 0530 is 20 min. tops.

Do it every day from the west side to PBI.  Half hour at best and I am no slouch on the gas pedal..........
Took a half hour to get to Tiger Woods' restaurant tonight too.........at 6:30

I love it down here, moved here from Orlando a decade ago. You have the best fishing and all you want of anything else within a few hours each way.

I guess is just comes down to how big of a baby you are, some people just can't deal with anything and have to live in the middle of no where so there nerves don't explode apparently.

 Out of a possible 

Nobody's nerves exploding here.  Fishing is great, weather is great for the most part, just lots of traffic.

I enjoy living here most of the time but it really is crowded. PBSO is a great agency to work for, big enough where there is plenty of opportunities for advancement. You will also stay busy. There are a couple districts that are slower but most of them have a pretty decent call volume. Pay is good as well, especially compared to
Northern counties.

Depends on what "all you want of anything else" we're talking about.

If it's fine retail shopping... nah, I could give a fuck less.

Decent shooting ranges, fishing, kayaking/boating opportunities, diving (I prefer cave diving so North Florida will win on this any day, I've never even been wreck diving but I don't have a problem with giving it a shot lol), decent money-making opportunities for myself and my GF, and stuff to do.

Working night shift sucks when you live in a small town and don't wake up until most places' business hours are nearly over and almost every restaurant or bar closes before 11pm...

I am never leaving Jupiter Tequesta bit I have a nice home in the TN mtns..as well.