It's official: I got the word while I was at the SHOT Show.

Ms. havoc is being transferred to south Florida, so of course I'm going also. We're moving to Coral Springs (near Deerfield Beach), and will be there by March 1st.

Any members in the (south Florida) area? I would like to find out who my AR15.com neighbors are, and where the good shops, shows, ranges, are etc.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Stay safe,
havoc

Edit: See page two for update!

Lucky bastard.

Let me be the first to welcome you to the sunshine state.  You will come to wonder why everyone else in the world isnt living here.  I live about an hour south of where you'll be.  From what i understand, your area should be pretty friendly.  Anyways, best of luck to ya and drop a line if you're comin down south to the Miami area.

Go Canes!

Welcome to south Florida. There are a few places to shoot in the area, from the county run Markum Park to the private land Pop Deans, to a few indoor pistol ranges. CCW is shall issue aas well. Not trying to spam but www.floridashootersnetwork has a bunch of south florida guys that get together and go shoot ...check us out :)

Kinda what I was thinking. I've been trying to get the wife to move for years...she doesn't want to leave mommy[rolleyes]

Hey havoc, I am a bit further north in Florida (Tampa-Orlando area) but when you get down here drop me an email and we can hook up sometime.

havoc...

I live about 20 minutes from where you'll be living. If you need any help with your move, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I can point you in the direction of some of the local shops and ranges, and if you'd like I'd be happy to introduce you to the South Florida Shooters Association, who hold formal and informal shoots at least once a week, often twice a week.

By the way, Ed Avila is coming down to South Florida the 3rd week in March, and we're planning on getting together. If you have any interest in joining us, it might be a good opportunity to meet. That, by the way, holds true for any other members in the South East Florida area who would care to meet as well. Maybe a shoot, maybe not. Maybe a few beers and conversation at a little beach side place, who knows? Get in touch with me if you'd like to hook up with Ed and myself. It would be great to meet some of you guys. [email][email protected][/email]

Welcome to the Sunshine State!

I'm in Viera (Melbourne/Orlando Area).

Welcome!

[b][red][i]Libertas an Mortis![/b][/red][/i]

welcome to a pro-gun state that is constantly fighting to keep the anti-gun liberals at bay.  welcome to the fight.

havoc,
Weloce brother to Florida. I live right smack dab in the middle about halfway between Tampa an Orlando. Drop us a line when you get settled in and maybe we can all head out to a range and spread some freedom around.

556mm

Thanks to all for the kind words!

I'm sure I will end up emailing most or all of you in the next few weeks, to find out more about the area, what you've mentioned here, etc. I'll also post updates to this whole adventure as they become available.

Looking forward to getting down there!

havoc

I would suggest you start hanging out here to get the local skinney.

[url]http://pub49.ezboard.com/bfloridashootersnetwork[/url]

Welcome,...I live in Port Saint Lucie, Fl (about 45 min North of Palm Beach on I 95....well, depending on how you drive) moved here from Pennsylvania in 1984.
Definitely check out www.floridashootersnetwork.com

Oh,...A few pointers, and rules for people new to Florida:

1) The center lane is for the sole purpose of
  making a left turn across oncoming lanes of
  traffic, please do not drive up the center
  lane, or stop in it to figure out where you
  are going. (we are at this time looking for
  a way to convince our very high population
  of elderly drivers, and tourists to comply
  with this rule)

2) Turn signals are to be used only when the
  intention is to make a turn, and not while
  driving straight down the road. (we are at
  this time looking for a way to convince our
  very high population of elderly drivers to
  comply with this rule)

3) Each year Florida is plagued by a seasonal
  crime wave. Hunreds of thousands of our
  sea shells are stolen from our many beaches
  for out of state export. (It shall be your
  duty as a permanent resident to discourage
  poaching, and to report any poachers to the
  proper authority)

4) Do not get rid of [b]ALL[/b] of your winter
  clothes when you move to Florida, unknown to
  many is the fact that it DOES actually get
  cold here at certain times of the year.

5) Alligators can run VERY fast on land for
  short distances in a straight line, but they
  do not turn well. (in the water is a very
  different story)

6) JAWS is only a movie

7) MIAMI VICE is only a TV show

8) [b]DO NOT[/b] vote for Janet Reno

9) Dont store vinyl record albums in the attic
  or garage

10)Invest in a professional window tint job for
  your automobiles.

           [size=6] [;)] [/size=6]

Oh,..and I almost forgot,:

11) Here they call it "SODA", not "POP" [:D]

OK OK, I'm guilty! We just got back from spending 7 days in the Tampa area. I admit it was hard to resist picking up the shells, I just took a few little ones [;)] off the gulf beach then also drove to the east side of FL and snatched a few from Cocoa beach.  

Enjoyed the fresh oranges and juice! Brought home a bushel of them! They were almost juice by the time we landed!

South Florida huh?....2 simple driving tips:

Beep...finger...beep...finger...beep,beeeeeeeeep...roll down window then finger. Ola!! Ola!! En fuego,amigos...pour favour?

Get used to it...S. Florida is actually Northern Cuba...just kidding.

[b][blue]NAKED[/blue][/b]

My permanent residence is North Lauderdale. Basically, North Lauderdale is where all the thugs who break into the houses in Coral Springs come from. Coral Springs is a nice (RICH) area. Many of the people there are stuck up. I went to school for a couple of Semesters. The kids were total snobs.

SCHOOLS TO AVOID:

Silver Lakes Middle (Two Students Tried To Murder Anotehr Student A Few Months Ago.)
Morrow Elementary
North Lauderdale Elementary
Coconut Creek High

Oh, and if you ever find yourself in North Lauderdale, watch your six...we have alot of criminals and pervs. As long as you stay North of Southgate or west of University you should be fine.

The area between Southgate and McNab and between University and SR-7/US-441 is a shithole. The area between Kimberly and McNab and between 81st and Rock Island is the Silver lakes area. This is where 90% of the Drug Deals go down. The area between Kimberly and Southgate and between University and 81st has a level of burglaries and vandalism. This is the area I live in.

Watch out. Even though Florida is Conservative...Broward is a Liberal Shithole. Prepare for an illegal 5 Day wait on all firearms purchases and some cities (North Lauderdale and Lauderhill I believe) require a person to be 21 to purchase any gun or ammo. So, I purchase ammo. in Coconut Creek where 18 is still fine for Longguns and Ammo. The Dealers in South Florida are all overpriced. They actually charge $4 for a box of 20 Rounds of Wolf. While, in most of Florida you can get 20 Rounds of Q3131A for $4.

Pop's is a great range. If you need transfers, check with SteyrAUG. He lives down the road in Fort Lauderdale and is an FFL. I will be in and out of the area until May or June. After May or June I will be down there until I can find a job somewhere else. I will be back at the end of March, so maybe we can all meet EdAvila when he comes to Miami and Fort Meyers.

The Gun shows in SE Florida are shit. The only person carrying AR-15 producats at the last Ft. Lauderdale Gunshow I went to was Gunsmoke. Miami thinks it can pass all kinds of laws including a ban on Saturday Night Specials. You might note that such laws are prohibited by FRS 790.33. The wait is marginally legal under Amendment 12 which was passed on Chiles way out. I am glad that MF died. I only hope it was painfull.

As for driving:

1) Watch out for maniacs on I-95. People will cut you off and then jam on their brakes, etc...

2) Do not drive through the SW end of Fort Lauderdale or the non-rich areas of Miami unless well armed. I knew a guy who was gunned down over a parking space in Fort Lauderdale. He thought he was right and lost his life arguing over a parking space.

3) Getting out on Southgate is like playing Russian Roulette. People fly down Southgate and accidents including fatal ones are not that uncommon when people try to get out onto Southgate from a small side road.

4) Sunrise and University. Wait 20 - 30 seconds after the light changes before proceeding through the intersection. If you forget this, the High School Students will wipe your ass out. And, they drive 100 mph (I am serious). I used to drive 80 - 90 mph down University and Sunrise when I was running late to class and I was being passed.

5) The Margate police are pains in the ass. They run radar from the Swap Shop on 441 north of Atlantic. They have no mery for speeders, etc...

1) North Lauderdale is now BSO Territory. They are alot worse than NLPD regarding Traffic Violations. On a Side Note: The Sherrif is as Anti-Gun as they come. I don't know about The CLEO in Coral Springs, but you will not get a signoff from the Sherrif.

2) Southgate between Rock Island and 441 is potholed. Eventually you will need new shocks.

3) At least in Plantation, I learned the difference between a Crypt and a Blood within a week of entering Middle School. I was offered Drugs my first day in High School. So, if you have children, talk to them NOW !!!

4) The Press is Liberal as all get out...The Sentinel has yet to publish any of my Letters to the Editor. This includes several where I rebutted arguments made by Anti-Gunners from Boca. Mine included facts and theirs were emotional pleas to do it for the children.

5) If you intend to do anything in Dade County you will need to speak fluent Spanish. Hints: Lechon Asado is Roast Pork. Cuesta means cost. Learn the numbers as this will help when they tell you how much something costs. 99% of the street vendors do not speak English.

Still wrong!!  It's Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sweet Tea or beer.

OH,..that reminds me,....the official recipe for iced tea in Florida is as follows.

Bring desired amount of water almost to a boil in a large pot on top of the stove, turn off burner and add tea bags. Allow to steep for 30 min to 1 hour (at least six tea bags for one gallon of water, but fewer tea bags may be used with longer steeping time) pour sugar into empty pitcher (1 full cup of sugar per gallon of water)
Pour hot tea over sugar and stir.
Fill up a glass with ice, and pour in the hot tea.

Thats toothache tea. [:D]

I moved to West Palm Beach from NY about 8 years ago.  Best move I ever made.  I like the weather and the quality of life here.  Sure, the traffic sucks (and getting worse) but I deal with it.
As far as a gun friendly state...this is it.  Shall issue CCW (by the way it's not only a firearm permit but a concealed WEAPONS permit), no waiting period if you're a permit holder, fair selection of gun shops in my area, several indoor ranges, fair prices on guns if you're knowledgeable and, did I mention the weather?
My kids love it here, and I'm very busy at work.
You probably won't regret the move.

Arty Z

Deriously though, Florida North of Palm beach and west of Broward is a nice state. The worst area is Dade County (Anything outside Miami Beach is a shithole. And, South Beach is Queer City USA). Broward is better, but still has some bad areas (North Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Launderdale Lakes, Oakland Park). Same for Palm Beach County except the Bad areas (Belle Glade and that ciy that begins with an L) are out west and most will never see them.

AtryZ is correct on the CCW. It is Shall Issue. The local Anti-Gun Sherrif has no control over who can get a permit. There are no gun possession bans...except that Explosive Destructive Devices such as 40mm HE are a no-no even if registered. The Miami-Dade Ordnance that bans the sale of "Saturday Night Specials" (Pistol with a barrel less than 3" and smaller than .32) is meant to allow them to put gunshops out of business who violate it. They can pull the FFL's permits and that is why the FFLs comply with the illegal laws. I feel that most of these laws are there to allow the City or County to revoke Dealers permits much easier if they don't like the shop.

But, a CCW will exempt you from all waiting periods. This is specifically guranteed in the Florida Constitution. Then again, the FL Constitution (RKBA Added in 1991) only allows:

1) A Permit To Carry. They Cannot Ban Concealed Carry, but the can Lisence it.

2) A 3 Day wait on Handguns.

3) A Local option to have a 5 Day Wait for Retail Sales (I.E. Dealer Sales). But, a few counties have unilaterally decided that anybody selling at a Gun Show or Flea Market meets the definition of a Retail sale and therefore must wait 5 Days before delivering the firearm.

Beyond that, all laws state and local are illegal. This includes:

1) Ban on Flachette Ammunition.
2) Ban on Bolo Ammunition.
3) Ban on Dragon's Breath Ammunition.
4) Ban on Exploding Ammunition.
5) NICS Check Requirement (Sunsets in June)
6) Ban on Unregistered NFA Weapons.

While you are at it, I am going to Sarasota next weekend, what is good there for guns? Thanks

TheWind,
    I moved to Sarasota in '89. My wife's a flight attendant for a Major Airline and we had our choice of almost anywhere in the country to live. Never regret a single day! Sarasota's a beautiful town right on the Gulf with plenty to offer. Our Suncoast Gun Shows are some of the best around. The next show is Feb. 16th and 17th in Fort Myers at the Lee Civic Center which is only a couple of miles east of I-75. It's about 80 miles south of Sarasota, but a quick drive down the Interstate at 75-80 mph. Check it out if you can. You won't regret it.

I was born and raised in Central Florida and lived there for 49 years before moving to Washington State for business purposes.  I'll be moving back in another year or two.  A few things to be aware of:

1.  South Florida is like a cultural combination of South America or the Northeast. Very few people are "real" Floridians.

2.  Cuban Americans are some of the finest people in this country.  

3. Don't ever piss a real Florida red-neck off. You will regret it.

4.  If you have never experienced true Southern Black culture up close and personal you are in for an interesting experience.

5.  Fishing is great since they stopped net fishing in the costal waterways.

6.  The process of enduring Florida summers is a good way to seperate the men from the boys.

7.  I hope you like water with sulfur in it.

8.  If you were smart you would never go further South than Polk County unless you wanted to go fishing for a weekend at Marco Island.

9.  Only dumb yankees are afraid of gators.  Gators are for eating and other things.  True Floridian boys are required to have sex with a gator upon reaching their 16th birthday.  It is a rite of passage that most Northerners, Mid-westerners and other assorted undesirables are not familiar with.

10.  Have fun, see you a year or so!

WHAT !!!! Say it ain't so.



Note, that Fish&Game has now mandated the use of a condom.

They're heee-errre!!!

Still getting settled, but I've arrived.

We had a slight change of plan, so we are living in Delray Beach, instead of Coral Springs. This puts me twenty minutes closer to the job in Vero Beach I start on Monday (and I am damn happy to be working again after a six-month lay-off).

Nice place so far... It is old-people central, though. Ms. havoc says I was put on earth to learn patience, and from what I've experienced so far, this is the place where'll either I'll get it, or completely lose any I had remaining.

Flash66: You are right about the sulfur-water. We tried to take showers in our new place the day after we got here, and nearly vomited from the smell. It's finally gone away, but we'll be using bottled water for consumption (used to this after having lived in CA anyway).

Looking forward to meeting and greeting my FL AR15.com brethren, and getting to know the land. More as it happens...

Take care all,
havoc

You work in Vero but live in DelRay ?????

Isn't that kinda a long commute ?

Seriously, I will be back in town the end of this month. So, maybe we could all go down to Pop's sometime and shoot.

I think (I've never lived there) that Vero is more gun friendly than Broward or Palm Beach. Pretty much once you get to Jupiter the state gets conservative.

I am a true Floridian on my mother's side. But, I felt real out of place growing up among the carpetbaggers down in Broward so I upped and moved to Orlando when I was 17. I hated the traffic in Orlando so I moved to Pensacola at 19. But, during vacations I come back down to Broward since I grew up down there and it is one of the 2 places I could stay for an extended period w/o having to get a hotel room (I have family there). The other is Atlanta (I have family there).

Seriously, South Florida would be nice if all the New Englanders would get their carpetbagging asses out of town. I have repeatedly suggested a customs gate at the border of Florida and Georgia on I-95. Of course to avoid people going around it would have to extend the entire Florida border. But, you'd have to show your ID, etc...and if you are from North of the Mason-Dixon you'd be turned away.

[rant]

Just saw this post and I've only got one thing to say.... don't...

After 10 years, I'm outta this hole in April, back to the northwoods... none too soon... I'm leaving Florida for all those who have yet to find out what I did.  Just look at the map.  Florida is nothing but a grease trap for the rest of the USA...

[/rant]

Havoc, what he says is very true, but sure to register and vote against James, er I mean Janet Reno when you get there so it will remain a pro-gun state.

Havoc:

Welcome to South Florida.  It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.  

I worked in Delray for a few years and it is a sleepy little town that reminds me of the way Florida used to be like.  I grew up here and have lived in South Florida for 40 years.  

There are some bad areas of Delray - crack town = west of the Tennis center on Atlantic Ave. to Military Trail.  North/South boundries -  Boyton Bch. Blvd on the North and Linton to the South.  East of US 1 and West of Military are pretty nice.  You can't miss it but don't turn off the main road in that area.

IDPA is shot on the 4th Saturday at Markham Park (about a 45 minute drive from Delray).  They usually have time for some 'evil rifle' courses of fire at the end of the pistol COF.

As for Janet Reno - she doesn't stand a chance of getting elected here but register to vote anyway.