I am leaving home for the florida keys on Friday. Anyone happen to be in the Ramrod or Key West Area and want to meet up? I always enjoy talking with people who have the same hobbies as me.


P.S. I've been down there before but never found a place to shoot (as the islands are somewhat tiny) anyone know of a range down there?

As far as shooting is concerned, you can hit up Markam Park in Broward.  Is a few miles west of I95 and it's a pretty nice range, run by the county.

Have fun in the Keys!!

Thanks for the help. I'll definately check into it.

I always have fun in florida, It's a great place to be!

on your way down to the Keys, you can make a slight detour on Card Sound Rd right before you leave mainland FL and do some shooting...see our S. Dade Shoot thread.

enjoy your trip.  

For the life of me I just can't understand what would attract anyone into spending any amount of vacation time down here in South Flroida.

As far as i'm concerned, anyone who comes down here from anywhere up north, must be friggen crazy. South Florida has become a thrid world sewer grossly infested with everything that is wrong with the U.S.

Traffic, crime, high-priced gasoline, non-english speaking people by the millions, the phasing out of the middle class by low income employment and the rediculously unaffordable real-estate market have all teamed up to make the SoFL I used to love, a modern day shit-hole.

But hell, it's your vacation money. You want to feed our economy, go ahead.

Make sure you have a handgun or pistol at your ready and be prepared to drive defensively and think defensively.

Welcome to the former USA. Have fun.

HS1

LMFAO.  Nice synopsis of S FL.  

But the Keys aren't really S FL, just like S FL isn't really the "South."  I like Key West...so long as there isn't an infestation of 50,000 cruise ship passengers.

When you pass through Miami, be prepared for a million passive-aggressive chumps who wouldn't dare make eye contact with you on the street, but who think they are invincible & anonymous once they are behind the wheel.  The kind of idiots who will pull into an already-blocked intersection just as the light is turning orange, knowing full well that they won't make it and will just block the cross traffic, and who will then sit there looking the other way so they don't have to make eye contact with anyone while the horns blast.  This place is going to give me ulcers.

BTW, where in VA are you from?  I don't plan to live in S FL forever, and from what I've read the mid-Atlantic coast (e.g. Hampton Roads area)  has a lot of what I'm looking for, in terms of climate, ocean-access, historical-interest, etc.   I'd like to hear from an actual resident about the weather, demographic, cost of living, taxes, etc.  

Quoted: When you pass through Miami, be prepared for a million passive-aggressive chumps who wouldn't dare make eye contact with you on the street, but who think they are invincible & anonymous once they are behind the wheel.  The kind of idiots who will pull into an already-blocked intersection just as the light is turning orange, knowing full well that they won't make it and will just block the cross traffic, and who will then sit there looking the other way so they don't have to make eye contact with anyone while the horns blast.  This place is going to give me ulcers. BTW, where in VA are you from?  I don't plan to live in S FL forever, and from what I've read the mid-Atlantic coast (e.g. Hampton Roads area)  has a lot of what I'm looking for, in terms of climate, ocean-access, historical-interest, etc.   I'd like to hear from an actual resident about the weather, demographic, cost of living, taxes, etc.

You guys dogging South FL need to come just a bit north, I do believe.  My wife and I live and work in Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens.  No issues with excessive traffic or crime whatsoever.  It's much different than the urban areas of southern Palm Beach Co., Broward, etc.

Regarding Hampton Roads, I graduated from ODU in Norfolk and also lived in northern Newport News for almost 3 years.  Also, my wife is from Virginia Beach so I've spent a good amount of time all through that area.  To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it, hence the move down here.  Much of it was lower working class and kind of an eye sore.  Some of it is downright poverty or close to it.  The parts that weren't were simply average.  The wife had never lived anywhere else so she was hesitant to leave but now doesn't want to go back.  

If I were hell-bent on moving to the mid-Atlantic I would seriously consider the southern NC coast near Wilmington and Ocean Isle.  Hatteras would also be cool if you could make it work.

Taxes in VA vs. FL break down like this:
- VA has income tax (figure 5% for most folks).  FL does not.
- Both have real estate property tax but FL's is 1.5-2.5 times higher, depending on the counties in question.
- VA sales tax is 5%.  FL is 6-7%+ depending on the county.
- VA counties levy a take-out food tax in addition to the normal sales tax.  For example, eating out (or ordering pizza delivery) in Virginia Beach will cost you 10.5% in tax, IIRC.  FL doesn't have this additional tax.
- VA has an annual personal property tax levied on cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and trailers.  It is based on a percentage of that property's market value and varies slightly by county.  FL has no such tax.

Another annoyance for me regarding VA has to do with cars.  They are the ONLY state in the nation to still outlaw the use of radar detectors.  Also, they require an annual vehicle safety inspection whereas FL does not.  Richmond, Northern VA around DC, and possibly other counties/cities (not Hampton Roads) also require a vehicle emissions test every two years.  Again, FL does not.

Great info, Chuckhammer.  

I live just outside of Richmond, VA.

For years we held the highest murder rate in the country... havn't checked it for last year though. It's a shit hole.

The county I am in, Chesterfield, is not so bad. I used to live downtown, but got sick of kicking the bums... and their used needles off my front steps.

Virginia Beach is a dump. Don't even bother. I wont even go, I would much rather drive down to N.C. or S.C.

I don't plan on spending any time in or around cities such as Miami... The purpose of my trip is to escape to the keys and stay at my friends house on the water.

The only parts of Florida I ever visit are the Key's and Sarasota. Never been anywhere else really.

If you are considering coming to VA, My suggestion would be to find a place in the Williamsburg area. It's a great town with tons of history and it's nestled safely inbetween Richmond and VA Beach.  If you are going to be in the Richmond area let me know and I'll let you know where to stay, eat, shoot and what to see.

Thanks....didn't mean to hijack your thread.