Florida's great, if you don't mind working in the service industry, servicing older farts.
Fruit was cheap last time I lived there, in 74'.
In 20th century America (U.S.) it was/is part of the dream to reward a lifetime of hard work, etc. by moving to Florida to retire/die . . . surrounded by one's old peer's.
So it's basically the elderly rich and a bunch of younger folks working to please them.
That said, I'm pretty sure there's a thriving "young and rich" community there, too, but it's cost prohibitive for many.
I know that this is an unfair comparison, but in Key West (My Home), you can rent out just a
room in your house for $800 to $1000 per month,
PLUS a share of the utilities. Kids at McDonald's knock down $14 an hour so they can
somewhat afford to live there.
When they (Bastards!!) decided to make S. Fla the playground of the rich, they figured "Hey, we have a readily available service staff" but they forgot that their service staff have to live somewhere. The main problem in Fla is affordable
DECENT housing. There just aint any to be had (unless you count FEMA trailers). We got people "livin' the dream" in abandoned boats, vans, etc. I even knew a Cuban who
lived in an AMC Pacer. If you rent, you can expect New York type rents. A 1 bedroom in a decent area is gonna run you about $1500 or $2000 per month.
Then there is the judicial system. "Come down on vacation, go home on probation, come back on violation" is all too real. Once you are in their system you're fucked for YEARS. I wrote 3 bad checks
25 Fuckin' years ago, I even paid them. I had 3 years probation. This was 25 years ago. 2 years ago, I got pulled over, and ended up getting arrested on a violation of that 25 year old probation, Even after they had ascertained that I had in fact paid the restitution, and had not been pulled over for over 20 years, they
still gave me 3 more years of probation for the
VIOLATION. It seems that I did not get permission to move to Ga. at the end of the probation. So I returned to Ga with 3
MORE years probation (for a 25 year old charge). 4 months before
THAT probation was due to expire, I got a letter from the dept of parole and probation telling me I had been violated (no reason given) and they needed me to come down and turn myself in. We're talking over 30 year old charges by now, and they still have their hooks in me. Well, they can wait till hell freezes over for me to turn myself in again!!!
Imagine being pulled over for a traffic violation say, here in Ga, and the next thing you know, you're embarking on an all expense paid trip to Fla courtesy of the Judicial system. Then Imagine that you have been held for 6 months and are just about ready to do or say ANYTHING to get the hell out and back home (
IF you still have a home). And when they finally DO let you out, they let you out the door and it's all on you to get home. Get caught thumbing, or picked up for vagrancy (remember, you got no money, you just got out of jail) and you're right back in there for another 6 months or so. And have no doubt, they
WILL come to get you for violating probation, I shit you not. I don't know, nor have I heard of
ANYONE who has completed a Fla probation sentence successfully.
And my story is by no means unusual or uncommon. Corrections is a
HUGE industry in Fla, even larger than citrus or tourism. Fla has more Police Officers per capita than any other state in this union.
Then you have the
crack heads. Don't get me started on
THAT one.
EVERYONE is on it, even some Judges. Crack is a huge problem in S Fla
Florida is so fucked up in so many ways, I could devote an entire website to it.
damn.. it just looks too tasty!!!!
