People are flocking to Florida. I'd love for progressives moving there to influence the politics

[In It to Win It]

USA Today via Yahoo News

I was not surprised when Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio were reelected this past week. I was in South Florida the week before, and everyone I met, many of who were new to the state, was voting for them.

When I lived there a decade ago people would tell me they were in Florida for the weather, or to retire. I, myself, fled the frigid winters of Chicago for the Sunshine State's well...sunshine. But that doesn't seem to be the main reason why people are moving there anymore. I'll get into that later.

I have one request for any Democrats and socially progressive independent voters relocating to the Sunshine State. Go for the tax laws, but please, stay and influence the social politics.

Good for business, bad for social progress

hat reputation as a pro-business state is a big part of what helped DeSantis win his gubernatorial race against former Gov. Charlie Crist, who was governor when I was in law school in South Florida ten years ago. My former home, which was once the nation's largest swing state, is now solidly red.

The growing number of registered Republicans and the rapid growth of people relocating to Florida from blue states serves as a reminder that money talks, and if people are looking for a place to grow their business, they may be willing to overlook backward social politics.

[onecaliberal]

1. Not a chance in hell I would even consider visiting, much less residing.

[Rebl2]

5. Have to agree

Don’t like the weather or the politics.

[hlthe2b]

6. I get it. I did that decades ago in Colorado and our success makes me proud...

But, then I already truly loved CO and wanted to return to help cause the change. If, conversely, you have no ties to FL, I'd imagine it would be far harder to convince yourself or your family to move. But boy, if you affect a big reversal you will feel good in years to come.

[EmeraldCoaster]

2. I am here!

Fighting Like Hell!

[In It to Win It]

8. Same here!

It’s my home. I refuse to cede it to these fucking leeches.

[Deuxcents]

23. It's my home, too. Family came over a hundred years ago..

I have no idea how they survived back then but most of us are still here. Ive thought about leaving.. every once in a while but I’m not getting any younger so I stay

[brush]

3. I don't get at all why people are flocking to hurricane country?

People from the Caribbean region, ok, I get that. Florida is close and easier to get to than most other states, nut come on, who wants to go through the yearly crap shoot of hoping during the months of the hurricane season that next one forming across the Atlantic isn't destined to strike their city or town?

And it's politics is dominated by a magat, new and improved trump 2.0.

No way.

[Joinfortmill]

4. I love Florida. The GOP is killing it.

[mitch96]

13. agree. The gerrymandering and the lobbyists are killing and chance of change.

I think people move to florida for the weather and it's inexpensive to live here.
You can sell you home up north or out west and do very well in Florida. Especially for retirees.
Florida has no state income tax.
No state taxes on pension income & income from an IRA or 401K.
No state taxes on Social Security.
In Florida there is no inheritance tax or estate tax.
Once you live here a year you get a homestead exemption of $25,000 off of your real estate
tax.
The politics truly suck. You do what you can to fight the good fight and try to effect change.
It's hard. Florida is not for everyone but it works for me..
m

[Ocelot II]

7. The weather is intolerable. I've been there in the summer

and I don't know how people can even survive in that heat and humidity. You couldn't pay me enough to move there, even notwithstanding its awful politics - and climate change is going to make it even worse. My Nazi-adjacent SIL moved there because of the low taxes, then discovered hurricanes and moved to Arkansas because there weren't as many Black people. I wouldn't want to live there either.

[In It to Win It]

10. if you're visiting, the best time to visit is the spring because it rains so much during the summer

The summer these year was not so bad, not as much rain. Hurricane season starts during the summer so it rains a bunch.

[Ocelot II]

11. Not gonna visit any time of year. I don't like it there.

Why spend my money for DeSatan?

[mitch96]

16. "The weather is intolerable." yes it's hot and humid in the summer..It's not a "dry" heat

I hate the cold.. Been there done, that got the frost bite on Killington peak
It's just the opposite of living on or near the Canadian border. Up north you go from a heated house to a heated car to a heated job.
In the Florida summer you go from an air conditioned home to a air conditioned car to a
air conditioned job. It's a 180 flip with no overcoat.
Granted you don't get the seasons or winter sports and I"m a summer sports kind of guy.
I can visit if I want to experience that again. 4-6 mos of cold gray overcast rain/snow just amped up my S.A.D and I had to jump.
As for hurricanes at least you know they are coming.
Tornadoes and earthquakes scare the poop out of me.
With them big swirly thing are no fun. Pick a spot with a low probability of a hit that you can afford.
You run from the water and hide from the wind as the old timers say.
It's worked for me for 43 years and I'm staying.. "tweech" his own
m

[Ocelot II]

20. Florida has bugs. Palmetto bugs, which are cockroaches the size of cats.

Brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, fire ants, chiggers and termites. We have none of those in Minnesota. And no venomous snakes either except for a few timber rattlers in the Mississippi bluffs, and no iguanas that fall out of trees or pythons that can swallow a whole pig, or alligators. The bears and wolves in the northern forests hardly ever eat anybody.

It snowed last night and it's beautiful. Think I'll go for a walk.

[mitch96]

22. You forgot to mention that the palmetto bugs FLY!! When I lived in the north those

little german cockroaches were a pain.. You have to keep the place clean...
72 and dry, I think I'll go for a walk also..😁
m

[we can do it]

9. No way in hell.

[Deep State Witch]

12. That's The Problem

Democrats and Progressives AREN'T moving to Florida. People who didn't want to mask up during the pandemic moved down there (and spread COVID to their visiting relatives). Progressives are finding the political climate to be intolerable, so they're leaving. Plus, the insurance rates are through the roof, especially if you want to move anywhere near the coast.

[In It to Win It]

17. It's that - plus the left-leaning people that are already here also don't turn out consistently

[Biophilic]

14. I moved to Florida last year because my 2 best friends had moved there 4 years before.

I resisted the move a long time. Yes, the summers are not fun, but than the winters in Michigan with endless cold overcast days weren't fun either. I just learned to get up earlier in the morning to walk the beach. People here are much more friendly than those in Michigan. I think it helps a lot to have endless days of sunshine. The politics IS a bit depressing. The Democratic party in this area did a depressing job of informing voters and getting very, very few signs out. I've been recovering from some heart issues. Hopefully I'll be able to support the party better next year, but I was not greatly encourage by what I saw as far as unified and supportive Democratic action. I can remember, not too long ago, when it looked like Michigan would go completely red except for some areas of the SE. Now look at it. Things can change. We just have to find the leverage.

[mitch96]

18. "People here are much more friendly than those in Michigan" I'm in west central Florida and

we have a large number of midwesterners here. Michiganders are some of the nicest people I have met in my travels... Maybe all the good ones came down here?
Very polite, let you in to traffic, say hello! to a stranger... YMMV
m

[Biophilic]

19. Personally I think it's just a lot easier to be friendly when the skies are sunny.

But yes, I'm still struck by how friendly and polite most people are. I'm in SW Florida.

[mitch96]

21. It's hard to be nice when you just stepped in a icy puddle you thought was an inch deep

and it's actually 6 inches deep. Especially if they are your "good" shoes...
I'm in west central Florida. Many many mid westerners over here. Traffic shows out of state
plates so I guess the snow birds have flown down...
m

[Biophilic]

26. Yup, I'm told the half year people start arriving in October.

But apparently Covid causing so many to work from home has increased the number coming down. On the other hand I’m also that the damage from Ian is enough to slow the winter season down.

[mitch96]

27. It's in full swing in the Tampa area. Traffic just went boom. When I lived over on the other

coast it was when you saw Quebec plates you knew the season was on.. It's funny how people from French Canada and the east coast of the US go to the east coast of Florida and people from the mid west go to the west coast of Florida..
Hollywood Beach was a hot bed for Quebecois but now it's a lot of Eastern Europeans also..
When I lived over there I could drive 6 miles east or 6 miles south and I was in a different country with a different language.. Talk about diversity!!!
Poutine or medianoche.. both are great!!!.......Happy Fall y'all
m

[Biophilic]

15. PS - I've become good friends with close to 20 people in the last year.

I know for a fact that 16 of them voted Democratic. I'm not sure about the other 4.

[yonder]

24. Flocking to is the wrong direction, IMO.

Give it another 10-20 years and folks will be fucking flocking the other way.

[FloridaBlues]

25. By the time Desantis and the republicans screw up this state people will be leaving

Wait till they see the price for houses and rental let alone if you can find home insurance

[Zorro]

28. I like living in Florida

Truly stupendous sunsets. Awesome summer rainstorms. Best beaches in the world.

And of course there are the downsides. Hurricane roulette season. Sinkholes. Bugs, bugs, bugs (recently spotted a green cockroach, apparently they've been imported as "pets" from Cuba and got loose in the wild). Summer heat and humidity. And there may not be a state income tax, but you'll pay a higher tax rate on your property. And property insurance costs are expensive.