I'm intrigued by this comment. In what ways might people be unpleasantly surprised? Please share.
Local here, Born and Raised Florida girl - I live in Winter Garden directly behind WDW...
Its hot here, really hot, then adding in the humidity it get's even more miserable...
We have lots and lots of bugs - ants of all kinds, roaches indoor and outdoor, mosquito's that can carry you off, lizards, frogs, then you get into snakes lots of type's about half are deadly, gators they are every where you have to be alert... as well as deer, turkeys, hogs, birds lots of large cranes, and ducks and swan...
Lots of lawn pest moles, voles, and a plethora of weed, and you better like mowing, weeding.. because we normally mow year around.
Our weather is super unpredictable... then you have hurricanes, sink holes, tornado's, flooding.. that's the whole state not just the coastal area's.
Florida is a tourist mecca...116.5 million people visited Florida in 2017 - 65.5 million people visited Florida in the first 6 months of 2018
Fishing, Beaches, Theme Parks, historical sites, boating activities, golfing... There is no off season here...
As well we have snow birds, that come for the winter...and are residents for part of the year...
Our cost of living is high and wages are lower.
Traffic... We have all the traffic of a big city.... Then add in all the tourist, who don't have any idea of what or where they are going, as well as people who drive completely different that we do here, like for instance a stop sign is a suggestion where they are from.... On top of that add in the snow-birds - Land Yachts, 5th wheels, plus they bring their cars or get their cars out of storage when they come back... so you have then on the road as well...
Road maintenance - add in the fact the our roads are constantly under construction... I-4 is a disaster... by the time they finish it if they finish it... it will not be able to handle all the traffic at the time...
If you want a heart stopping experience... get a estimate on what homeowners insurance will cost you... more than likely you will have to get extra policies, for things like flooding, or hurricanes, or sink holes.. and list goes on and on...
In certain areas you compete with the tourist when shopping... As a local you might have to drive a bit out of the way to stop at the grocery store or wal-mart /Target... Why you wonder, a lot of visitors from other countries do a major shopping here, for things that they can't get in their own country, or that are priced much less here... Clothing and personal care items are always in high demand...I have seen with my own eyes, clearing of the shelves of some items... I'm not debating it one way or the other... Just giving you a real glimpse of what it is like living here.
The thing is that when you are on vacation you have that vacation state of mind, rose colored glasses... plus around the parks everything is taken care of for you, and visual it just stunning... Plus when you are in the parks everyone is really nice, and helpful.. Once out of the bubble that's not how daily life works...
You probably are wondering why do I live here...maybe I don't know any better... and this is all I know and love...
We love the water, boating and fishing, swimming, snorkeling, laying on a float with a drink in your hand, we Love Mickey and the Gang, and love our families- they are here... ... so this is home... Living here is a completely different lifestyle, You have to be willing to change your life style...
Like with any move there is the good and bad... You have to decide what is going to work for you... looking at the big picture... not the vacation pictures...