Posted: 7/12/2004 7:37:42 AM EDT
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Hey guys we're thinking of moving and our criteria is that our new location would have to be a large city / metro area, have excellent night life, good shopping, a good supply of IT jobs, liberal gun laws ( or the lack therof ), great weather, and friendly people. Miami is one of the cities that we've been looking at. Do you think this city meets the above criteria? What can you guys tell me about Miami and its surrounding metro area? What are the nice areas? bad areas? Filthy rich areas? Tourist areas? Night life areas? etc. etc. Anything unique or interesting about the city? Sorry to be so open ended with my questions, but I'm getting tired of searching for all this stuff on the web. Thanks! |
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I grew up in South Florida, but I've never lived in Miami. I can tell you that it has excellent gun laws. Florida has a preemption law preventing counties and cities from making additional gun laws, which keeps the big cities gun-friendly. We have shall-issue CCW with almost no restrictions on what you can carry. I can also tell you that the weather varies from hot to very hot. Temperatures below 60 are rare in the winter. |
Just quite a few restrictions on WHERE you can carry: Any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05 any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station; any detention facility, prison, or jail; any courthouse; any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom; any polling place; any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district; any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof; any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms; any school administration building; any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose; any elementary or secondary school facility; any area vocational-technical center; any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile; inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law In addition, Section 790.11 prohibits firearms in National Forests except during hunting season. This does not apply to a firearm securely stored within a vehicle on a state road. Florida Statute 823.05 defines a place of nuisance as a "place which tends to annoy the community or injure the health of the community...or any house or place of prostitution, assignation, lewdness or place or building where games of chance are engaged in violation of law or any place where any law of the state is violated." |
I carry all the time and find these restrictions hardly ever affect me. The time it affects me the most is waiting for a table a restaurant I cant wait at the bar. |
Yeah, the bar sticks out as the big one. Better than many states, that's for sure. |
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Miami's not bad at all, but I'm biased; born and raised here. If you can though you may want to look a little farther north, Ft. Lauderdale might do you. Miami is truly a melting pot, and if you don't speak spanish you may find problems ordering a number 2 at McDonalds. Night life is great; always something to do (same w/ Ft Lauderdale, but Lauderdale clubs have more blonde hair blue eyes. When I strut through the clubs up there I end up knocking bottles off tables when I turn.). The S Fla as a whole pretty much fits your needs. |
I lived in Miami for roughly six years from 1997-2003. I loved my job, but hated living in Miami/south Florida. Miami or all of south Florida for that matter is now a Latin city. All of south Florida is run by Cubans or Latin Americans. In numerous areas the only English you will see or hear will be traffic signs. It feels totally like you are in a foreign country. If you are white plan on being a miniority in Miami. Spanish is the language used 95% of the time, and you will be treated rudely at times for not knowing it. You will probably be "encouraged" by your work to learn Spanish. I flatly refused to learn any Spanish, except a few bad words  . The public school system is horrible, plan on sending your kids to a very expensive private school were they will still be a miniority. Housing is very expensive. Traffic is generally very bad and drivers are horribly rude and very aggressive. The same guy who just cut you off five minutes ago will be beeping his horn at you to let him into your lane again! I went through alot of trouble to get transfered back to Virginia. I'll try to answer your individual questions below.Night life - excellent, if you do not mind being the miniority. The tourist areas like Miami beach, bayside, coconut grove will be better for you becuase of the tourists. The Keys are awesome, but its very expensive to live down their and good paying jobs are nonexistant. Shopping - excellent, if you do not mind being the miniority and everyone talking spanish. Gun laws - I did not consider them to be bad. CCW is not a problem, but forget about any NFA signoffs. Places to shoot are also hard to come by. Plan on shooting indoors or driving 2-3 hours north at the minium. Nobody who works at the range will even speak English or they will pretend not to know any. I could never figure that one out. Weather - Too damn hot and humid. Its basically just one hot+humid summer for 11 1/2 months a year. It also rains every day in the rainy season. Friendly people - Get real! Absolutely the rudest place I have ever lived. Don't get me wrong, I met plenty of great people and still have friends that live in south Florida, but anybody you do not know personally will be rude or even arrogant. IT jobs - I'm not sure about this, but I do know Florida Power and Light has plenty of them available. Interesting areas - plenty if your into Latin culture or history. The only guys I know who consider Miami to be "Not That Bad" are guys who were born and raised their. I think they grew up with it and just don't really know what living in America is really like. Its no place for a white family to move in my opinion. My suggestion is Jacksonville. |
Very expensive to say the least. Plan on spending at least 350,000-$500,000 for anything that would have a three car garage. |
| Real Estate is expensive for any desirable area. My friend's family just bought a 4 bedroom, 3 bath with a pool and huge kitchen for $600k in Palmetto Bay. My 3/2 on a large corner spot was $220k 4 years ago, we got it cheap because the guy died in the house (left stains). The further west you go, the cheaper, as well as the further north. |
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I just moved back down here from New York. I live in Hollywood, almost on the border between Miami/Dade and Broward. I like it for the weather. I'm tired of 6-7 months of winter in NY being unable to leave the house. I would suggest Broward county at the south side of it. Stay out of Miami IMHO. I'd look @ Broward/Palm Beach/Pt. St. Lucie counties. A house that you are looking at will run anywhere in the neighborhood of 250k up to into the millions depending on where you want to live. South Florida was rated on the top ten list in Forbes for appreciation of home values. That same house you're l;ooking at would have costed ~125 five years ago. I know, I had a chance to buy on in Ft. Lauderdale on a canal with a 20min. travel time to the ocean for 147K. The same exact house is worth in the 400K range. If you need anymore info, feel free to email me. -John |
I guess prices have gone up over the past year. I'd heard house prices had gone crazy. I suggest you plan on spending well above $500,000 to even think about getting a three car garage. |
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I've lived in Miami almost all my life. All I have to say is if you're used to life in VA, you will be in for a shock. I would recommend you come down here just to visit to gather intel and make up your own mind. It is night and day compared to the charming southern life that is living in Virginia. As far as the English/Spanish issue, I've dealt with people who were BORN in Miami, and they spoke better Spanish than English. 
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| It also greatly depends on the area. Palmetto Bay has been recently incorporated so prices jumped. Pinecrest where my friend's family moved from had jumped after they incorporated, the house they bought for under $300k-$400k (including additions) they sold for $1 million. It was a 5 bedroom (master bedroom was as big as the other 4 bedrooms combined), 5 1/2 bath, with 2 car exterior garage, pool, jacuzzi, poolhouse, and nice big corner plot. |
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One thing, if your'e looking for nightlife, Jacksonville SUCKS. I live in Lauderdale. I've been here 3 years, and grew up in Tallahassee. Even Lauderdale has been major culture shock for me. I don't go to Miami. People start speaking Spanish and my blood pressure starts to rise. They ALL have the attitude that it's Miami and that the national language there is now Spanish. I can't imagine finding a house with a 3-car garage for under $500k, even in the ghetto. I've seen 3/2 with no garage houses in the ghetto for $200k. I'm now looking in the Hollywood area. As an aside, any of you in the area ought to come out to IDPA sometime. We have shoots at both Markham and Trailglades. www.tssa.net |
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Man that sucks about the Spanish. I guess Miami may not be the place for us. It's not that I don't have a problem with learning a new language, it's just that it gets annoying half the time to switch languages depending on people you talk to on a normal basis. We have a lot of Latinos moving into the DC area too and man it's annoying when they can't even keep the pickles and onions off your Wendy's burgers! Could be worse I guess. The Swiss speak 4 languages in some places I hear. |
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Don't do it! I lived and grew up in Miami with the exception of the last 5 years living in Davie. I'm 34. Miami has changed for the worse in the last 20 years. Real estate is rediculously expensive for the size house you get. Traffic is a nightmare. Nobody speaks english. You'll be discriminated against for not speaking spanish. Try the Davie/Cooper City area. Hollywood is a cest pool! If you need any further assistance, feel free to contact me. The night life is awesome, great restaraunts and great shopping. HS1 |
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How's this for Miami Entertainment: The Dead routinely vote more than the living. The U-S Supreme Court has ruled Animal Sacrifice here is a legitimate Religeon. A seated Federal Court Judge, Impeached by Congress and thrown off the bench, is elected to Congress and serves with great distinction. Elected Politicians are routinely arrested, indicted for bribes and kickbacks, and end up being re-elected, thus representing their constituency perfectly. Miami is the only U-S City with its' own Foreign Policy. 30 years ago, Miami was the #2 spot for terrorist bombings worldwide, only behind Belfast at the time. Police have ripped off Drug dealers resulting in deaths, transported and trafficed cocaine out of the squad cars. Miami remains one of the most repressive communities in the country, with anti-cuban demonstrators taking photos of the liscense plates of the pro-cuban demonstrators. Near riots when cuban-national singers were booked to sing here. History of Machine Gun Fights in local malls. Waterfront real estate often the scene of "floating bales" looking for new homes. And those are just a few of the more positive things happening around town. Never a Dull Moment if you have the right sense of humor! |
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I was a LEO with MPD from 1980-84. No matter what the press states I enjoyed the profession and worked with a lot of good dedicated people. I have been removed far to long to comment on the current conditions, it's all what you make of it. Good Luck. Ps: glad to be back in WV! 
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I live in Jupiter, about 90 miles north of Miami in northern Palm Beach County. Just to give you a quick education on the coastal geography here: Miami is in Dade County. About 30 miles north is Ft. Lauderdale in Broward Co. Another ~45 miles north puts you in West Palm Beach in central Palm Beach Co. If you keep heading north you will enter Martin Co., St. Lucie Co, and then Indian River Co. Miami is 350 miles south of Jacksonville. This is a very looooooong state. Orlando is almost dead-center (east-to-west) in the state and gets significantly hotter than the coast due to the lack of a breeze or air-temp-regulating ocean. If you don't feel comfortable with being a white minority (I wouldn't), I suggest looking at Ft. Lauderdale and north. The climate is great, IMHO. Winter is the best weather and is the peak tourist/snowbird season. A snowbird is someone who lives up north (NY, NJ, CT, MA, MI, etc.) during the summer and down here during the winter. The summers are pretty hot but nothing like AZ or much of TX. The humidity is not much greater than anywhere else on the East Coast in the summer. Temps in West Palm for this week: weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USFL0512.html Someone mentioned earlier that it rains almost everyday during the summer here. Well, that's true but it only rains for a short period of time (15-30 min) and then stops. The cloud cover is continually moving across the sky since the topography is checkerboard-flat and surrounded by water. You don't really get the 100% overcast days that you get in much of the rest of the US. That's why they call it the "Sunshine State", I guess.  Just like in WA, TX, and a few other states, Florida has NO STATE INCOME TAX. Sales tax is 6%. Property tax (real estate tax) is pretty nasty, though. I recently bought a place in Palm Beach Co. and 2% annually is the tax damage. Florida residents get AWESOME discounts at the Orlando attractions - something like 50% IIRC. When I was down here for a job interview in late January this year, the ocean temp was 72°F. It gets into the high 80s and low 90s in late August. The water is quite clear and beautiful emerald-green in color. If you're into boating or fishing, you can do it year-round. West End (in the Bahamas) is only 90 miles east of West Palm Beach. Most bars and clubs are open until four or five AM. You can buy beer at the store until three AM. My wife and I are from VA and we really like it here. Good luck with whatever you decide.  ETA - CHECK OUT MY POST NUMBER ABOVE AND TO THE LEFT. 
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chuckhammer you are awesome. I was talking this over with my wife and she wouldn't have a problem being a minority. I'm not European "white" so it's not a problem for me. Having to learn more Spanish is the only drawback I see so far. It seems the weather would be similar to other places in the Caribbean, which is good because we really enjoyed how the weather turned out on our trips to the Bahamas and the Caymans. I think we're just going to have to take a trip down for a couple of weeks to get a good feel for it. Any good shooting ranges? I need at least 100 yards for my rifles and preferably 300 - 600 yards for long range fun. I'm guessing the 300+ yard ranges would be a stretch, so how far would I have to travel to find one? Are there any good deer hunting spots in the region? What's the wildlife like down there? |
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South Florida is kind of a black hole for shooting. The best you're going to find is 100 yard ranges at Markham Park and Trailglades, and to give you an idea of the political climate at these ranges, no "human form" targets are permitted. I sold my 700P when I moved down 'cause there was no sense in having it for shooting 100 yards. I get my kicks shooting IDPA. We have the best IDPA club in the country, and it is one of the first clubs ever in existance. www.tssa.net If you come down, and you're around when we're having a shoot just let me know and I'll spot you a gun, ammo, holsters, etc. if you want to try it out. Hunting isn't something I do, but I know that most people from the rest of the country are pretty disapointed in the size of Florida deer. However, there is plenty of area for various types of hunting out in the 'glades. As far as making a trip down, you have two options. Do it now and see the worst of the weather we have to offer (100 degree days sometimes) so you know what you're in for, or wait a couple of months & come down to see the BEST weather we have to offer to give you an incentive. |
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I forgot to mention ranges. To expand a little on norman74's post, there are a couple of places a bit north that offer 200 yard shooting lanes. One is Indian River County Shooting Range. It's 165 miles north of Miami, though. There's also Thundercross just north of Lake Okeechobee, about 130 miles from Miami. I should also mention something about the highway system down here. Obviously, I-95 runs down the entire east coast of Florida. In addition, the Florida Turnpike (toll) runs from Orlando to Miami, roughly parallelling I-95 from about St. Lucie and south. I-75 runs east-west between Ft. Lauderdale and Naples and then up to Ft. Myers on the Gulf coast. The surface streets of the two counties where I have experience (Broward and Palm Beach) are mostly laid out in a grid-like pattern (north-south and east-west). It's pretty easy to find your way around. |
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Dont know if you care about this. http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/crime1.aspx Worst Large Cities for Crime (>500,000 pop.) Although Arizona has two of the most crime-ridden cities in the nation, their violent crime rates are relatively low. 1 Tucson, AZ Tucson has one of the highest property crime rates in the country, especially larceny. On the bright side, Tucson has a low murder rate. 2 Memphis, TN-AR-MS * Residents of Memphis contend with the nation's second-highest violent crime rate. In addition, the rate of robbery and burglary are among the nation's highest. 3 Miami, FL Miami's violent crime rate is the highest in the nation, with especially high incidences of robbery and assault. Thankfully, the murder rate is relatively low. 4 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ Phoenix-Mesa has one of the highest rates of auto theft in the nation. 5 Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR The Little Rock area has a high rate of property crime, especially larceny. |