who loves Florida, despite our wacky ways ?

[steve2470]

I do. Been here over 55 years.

Yea yea, I know

eta: I'm NOT trying to justify our stupid policies, laws, Governor, Legislature, voting habits, etc etc etc

Sigh. Wacky is a word covering all non-rational things.

[hack89]

1. I have always enjoyed Florida

I like to visit when ever I can.

[Boom Sound 416]

2. Love it!

Just got back three days ago

[In_The_Wind]

3. I've always loved Florida.

We almost relocated there in '06.

[valerief]

4. I'd hardly call your "Stand Your Ground" law 'wacky'. nt

[steve2470]

5. i agree....

Wacky = this is the Lounge. Not trying to justify the stupid policies here.

[valerief]

6. Sorry! I responded from Latest, not Lounge. My response was totally gauche.

I have a good friend who lives in Florida. I think we agree if it weren't for the racists and horrendous elected officials (Rick Scott. Need I say more?) and the gators and the humidity, it'd be Paradise.

[steve2470]

7. agreed about the bad things in general

The gators aren't so bad if you use common sense and stay away from the lakes in general.

I think there are some lakes that are gator-free. I'm not sure about rivers.

Racists, Scott, Republicans and right wingers suck. I wanted to move to San Francisco but it's too pricey for me, even in the burbs.

I'm used to the humidity by now. I know it bothers most people.

[blueknight]

8. i love it!

As a matter of fact, im down here in south florida vacationing right now!

[steve2470]

10. enjoy, apply sunblock liberally :) nt

[blueknight]

12. thanks steve

but this old weathered skin of mine doesnt burn anymore i come to ft. Lauderdale area 3or4 times a year

[steve2470]

13. lucky you, I have Arctic skin meaning I get burned super easy nt

[RebelOne]

22. And buy the highest SPF that you can find.

When I lived in Miami, I knew three people who got skin cancer from sun exposure, my mother included. I never walked out of the house without applying sun screen. It was in my makeup and skin moisterizers. I still do even though I live in Georgia now, but the summer sun can be brutal.

[steve2470]

23. agreed

Getting a tan ? No thanks. Give me SPF50.

[Scuba]

9. Well, duh ...

http://pennekamppark.com/

[steve2470]

11. lovely pics ! nt

[OriginalGeek]

14. Born in Tallahassee

grew up mostly in Texas then moved to Orlando in mid 80s and been here ever since. I still like being able to play golf at Christmas in shorts and a polo...

My grandpa still lives up the road in Altamonte Springs and my granddaughters live 5 minutes from my front porch and my wife's family is mostly all here so I don't foresee leaving any time soon. I like it here.

[steve2470]

15. I hear you

If Florida was a lot more progressive (i.e. northern California), it would be perfect.

[OriginalGeek]

18. Yep

that just gives us something to work towards...Glad to have you here with me! (and all the other Floridian DUers too)

[Bryn]

35. I was born in Tallahassee, too

I am 5th native Floridian generation, but now living in Arkansas. I do miss Florida.

I lived in Orlando, then Apopka then moved to Miami, FL, lived in Homestead/Florida City before moving to AR in 2006. It was my intentional to be here for about 2 years then go back to FL, but I am still here. Cheaper here and very lovely. I now enjoy 4 seasons.

[OriginalGeek]

36. I spent a day of my youth

digging through dirt at the Fort Smith diamond mine. I was SURE I would be one of the lucky diamond finders lol...

Yep, seasons are nifty - I can't say I don't miss that cool, crispness in the air sometimes...

[1-Old-Man]

16. I lived there for 11 years, a begging orphan could not get me to set foot back in that State.

The only state I have ever lived in that I despised so much as Florida was Texas, which I consider to be the exact center of the asshole of the world.

[steve2470]

17. sorry to hear that, sincerely nt

[HeiressofBickworth]

19. I've never been to Florida

and, frankly, it isn't on my Bucket List. And at my age, there is no room for additions to the list. I'm not even half-way through the list now.

[RebelOne]

20. I no longer love Florida.

I lived in South Florida since I was 6 years old. My parents moved there in the middle 1940s. I finally moved to the Atlanta area in 1989 and never regretted it. I was sick of the heat, humidity, big bugs and crime. My daughter lives in Hialeah, FL, and knows I will never go back there. If she wants to see me, she drives up here.

[BlueJazz]

21. I live in the Tampa Bay area and must say....A lot of the towns in Florida are fairly Lib/wonderful.

....and then there's Jacksonville and Jacksonville-like towns.

Jacksonville-like towns in Florida are an embarrassment to nature.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

38. I actually like Jax a lot.

Some beautiful beaches, nice zoo, attractive downtown setting on the St. Johns, an airport that's actually attractive, some cool museums, good golf. Close access to St. Augustine, Amelia Island and other natural areas in NE Florida. I like their minor league baseball stadium.

I'm assuming you are referring to the conservative contingent that appears so dominant, but that is slowly waning. Obviously not quickly enough.

But Jacksonville is more than okay in my book. Actually my favorite large Florida city.

[BlueJazz]

40. Perhaps, in speaking from my past experiance in Jax, I am now in error.

I lived there from 1990-1995 and experienced the most right-wing setting you could have imagined.

Tilly Fowler was their Goddess.

If it's changed then wonderful...glad to see it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

45. It's still red, but more of a burgundy now.

Obama nearly won Duval in 2008 and 2012. And they recently elected an African American Democrat as mayor.

So progress is being made. Slowly, but it's for the better.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

24. If it is good enough for Piers Anthony, it is good enough for me.

[trof]

25. I buy all my booze there and most of my groceries.

No sales tax on groceries and booze is much cheaper than here in Alabama.
We have sales tax on EVERYTHING.

And the liquor store gives me a 10% case discount.
I call ahead and order 2 cases of Scotch.
Saves a bundle.


Pensacola is about a 30 minute drive.

[IBEWVET]

27. Been in Pensacola since 1958

enjoy the location and just don't pay attention to the bad.

[B Calm]

26. You still have those nasty love bugs down there?

[IBEWVET]

31. yes

They show up twice a year. Sept is the second wave, wd-40 sprayed on the front of your car helps.

[RebelOne]

34. They really mess up your car.

On my last trip down to Miami, my car was covered with them when I got home. They just stick to the car.

[mnhtnbb]

28. I finally got to spend 2 weeks on Sanibel last January. I LOVED it.

Hated the drive through FL to get there, though. Horrible traffic...and I used to live in L.A.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. I do! Lived on Anna Maria Island for a very short period. Then Okaloosa Island during Hurricane

Andrew....

Loved every minute of being there!

[Callmecrazy]

30. Love bugs start turning up down here in late May, I think...

Being a transplant from Las Vegas, I love the weather here. The desert sun sucks all the moisture out of your body and makes you leathery. First thing I noticed was that my skin was much softer. And I love the wildlife here. Cruising down the Intercoastal waterway and seeing these giant Iguanas hanging out is so cool. Plus raccoons, bald eagles, otters, dolphin, and of course the alligators is a thrill for me. And all the different people from all over the world. South Florida is truly America's melting pot. I don't ever want to leave.

[SiobhanClancy]

32. 10 years in the Keys...

and I will always miss it. The sunsets,snorkeling in the turquoise water,rumrunners,fresh grouper sandwiches,lovely quirky people...I often think of going back,especially when it's January here in Maine

[trueblue2007]

33. no, sorry i DON'T LIKE FLORIDA. A new COP beats up the populace cop action

FLORIDA AGAIN?? WHY?? ..

First Coast News obtained court papers which state that Wingate was walking down the road in December when a JSO Police Officer stopped him and asked to talk.
When Wingate told the officer that he was running late for an appointment, the officer cited him for walking on the wrong side of the road. According to the court papers, the officer then hit Wingate in the face and engaged his Taser, which is when Wingate called 911 for help.

Wingate had to spend a night in jail, and the State Attorney’s Office took the case to trial. Seriously, they took this case to court and tax dollars are paying for this bullshit. Wingate was actually charged with resisting arrest without violence, and walking down the wrong side of the road. But even in court, the officer testified that he wasn’t sure what side of the road Wingate was on.
And even in real life, we do not get arrested for walking, unless you’re black and in Florida. http://freakoutnation.com/2013/09/11/police-arrest-and-reportedly-assault-a-man-for-walking-while-black-because-florida/

[Tommy_Carcetti]

37. I absolutely love it. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

Said without a single bit of irony.

Best state in the country. Well, maybe a tad below Hawaii, but other than that.....

Love the weather. Love the beaches. Love the springs. Love the forests. Love the Keys. Love the Glades. Love St. Augustine.

Love Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Jacksonville. Love the cultural mix.

I love Florida summers. I'm totally serious here. The heat and humidity don't bother me, and I love the way the clouds billow against the blue sky, and those afternoon showers that keep things green.

Love the alligators and the manatees and the Florida Panthers that prowl in the Everglades. Just the fact that there are mountain lions actually living in a swampy flatland underscores how awesome Florida is.

Love the wonderfully wild and wacky, anything goes atmosphere that envelopes the state. Even more I love the literature--Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, etc.--that can only be inspired by the wacky, wild anything goes atmosphere.

I hate, hate, hate the politics. But I refuse to blame that on Florida itself. That's just plain old Republican dumbassery, a nationwide phenomenon, that unfortunately misrepresents the entire state thanks to the miracles of gerrymandering.

But other than that, I just love Florida. I wasn't born here, but vacationed here every summer as a kid and made it a point to move here when I had the chance. And the only way I'm leaving is in a pine box.

Well, actually I do hate Disney World. Can't stand that overpriced tourist trap/ecological pockmark.

But other than politics and Disney World, I just love Florida. Oh wait, and urban sprawl. Hate that part of Florida.

Politics, Disney World, and urban sprawl. Other than that, I just love Florida.

[steve2470]

39. I can pretty much duplicate your post

I see Orlando as a miniature version of LA. One day...decades in the future....unless the local economy crashes...it will be as big as LA. The Orlando metro area is already at 2,134,411. People are living in downtown Orlando now in apartments and very expensive condos.

The politics suck here as does the racism and the other problems.

We are turning more purplish slowly. Maybe in the future we will be blue ? One can hope. Orange County is blue, yay !

[RebelOne]

43. After living there most of my life, I began to hate it

despite all the amenities you have pointed out. I had to get out of there because I didn't want to leave that state in a pine box. I am in North Georgia now and there is more beauty in nature here than in that swampy state.

[yuiyoshida]

41. Does watching and liking this count?

[steve2470]

42. you get partial credit :) nt

[RebelOne]

44. I lived in Miami since I was 6 years old.

And it is now all glamor and girls in bikinis. I have seen the seamy side of it. That's why I am now living in North Georgia. Sure, there is plenty of crime in Atlanta. But I live just northwest of the city and the extreme crime has not affected my area yet. I say yet because I know it will eventually. I love it up here though.

[UTUSN]

46. Well, since "non rational" is allowed, I'll just say there's something WRONG with FL & TX

[nolabear]

47. Oh yeah, I love the place.

I know the politics is nuts, but the bayous and Everglades, the beaches and the beach life, the casualness, the ease of doing things and the sense that everybody who doesn't live there is cray and working too hard...

Of course my own Gulf Coast and Louisiana bayous are much the same. There's a reason Jimmy Buffett is popular down there.