The biggest reasons I wouldn't want to live in Florida: The place is too flat, scrubby, and geographically uninteresting. Even its beaches are boring - just a line of sand on a featureless coast. All of its pleasures (apart from nice warm weather in the cooler months) are artificial/man-made. And having to keep a constant eye on storms for half the year and being ready to evacuate would be very wearing.
I simply can't get into the headspace of someone who would rank Florida as #1 for weather. The humidity is disqualifying alone. Agree on most of the other points. I'll stay in high humidity but not humid Washington state with no income tax, thanks :)
Florida is orderly, productive, sunny, and accessible. I've had friends visit from the NE and the West coast who marvel at the flourishing shopping centers, the accessible goods on shelves (no locks or plastic covers), and the dearth of deranged homeless people and drug addicts on public display.
This is what a well-run society looks like...
I just wish people were willing to admit the possibility that their ideologies and their pet causes actually entail costs and negative effects. Such people seem to be in a small minority.
I feel like a lot has changed on the politics point specifically, since this post was apparently originally published in 2014. The email didn't make it obvious that the post was originally so old; it seemed pretty shocking to me that anybody would say (in 2025), that Florida's state-level politics are neutral and easy to ignore.
I don't want to talk about Florida, although this directly concerns Florida. As long as all the civilized nations of the world elect power from political parties, and not from the people, they will die like homeless dogs, and it doesn't matter what their income is, the majority will live in poverty. Elections with the participation of parties have nothing to do with democracy, it is a deception and a fictitious democracy. Democracy is when the people elect power from the people, and there is no participation, and there can be no parties and organizations. We have been fooled for hundreds of years, citizens Sufferers! You can live 1000 times better without making an effort, but the lack of knowledge forces you to be like plants. People cannot live like this! It is EXTREMELY NECESSARY to elect power from the people themselves, and only then will it be DEMOCRACY! Power must be elected from the people themselves by drawing lots, approximately the same way as juries have been elected in the USA for hundreds of years!!! And immediately corruption, political parties, 99% of levies and taxes will disappear, wars, genocides and thousand-year-old murderous exploitation will disappear by 90%! What to do? Boycott elections with the participation of parties and force all your friends to do the same, and your friends, their friends. As soon as the number of those boycotting reaches 30% or more of those eligible to vote, the elections will not take place, at which point an initiative group of voters submits a demand, certified by the signatures of citizens, for a general referendum to change the rules for holding elections. Changes according to the new rules are when the government chooses the people from the people themselves, without the participation of parties and organizations. Demonstrations, barricades, revolutions and violence are not needed! All that is needed is the confidence of each person in what he MUST do if he is a Human Being. The first political parties appeared in history only in the last 5-6 thousand years. Parties were created by ancient bandits after capturing trading cities, with the aim of organizing FICTITIOUS democratic elections. Of course, all the parties of the city consisted of bandits and renegade traders. These were organized groups consisting of professional robbers. Since then, all the dishonest, ambitious, thirsty for glory, power and royal life, inexorably and irresistibly go into politics. And it does not matter, right, left, religious or fanatics of an idée fixe, they are 100% made up of swindlers and crooks. And the naive and ignorant peoples of the world, VOLUNTARILY, with cries. HURRAY! DEMOCRACY! are breaking in, like animals to a watering hole, to hand over the government to thieves and bandits and, in ecstasy from the victory of the party, to put a YOKE on their necks!!! Such masochistic imbecility is impossible to tolerate, this cannot be allowed even for a second, and we have been living like this since the advent of civilization. And our laws, norms and morals are from bandits, and we think like bandits!
Interesting that you put weather first. That factor is close to a deal breaker for me. I hate humidity. I live in Arizona so I'm used to heat but here you can walk outside and stay there for a while without instantly breaking into a sweat. Also, what about the hurricanes?
On the Mercatus index: Florida has moved up to #2 since this was originally published. (Arizona is at #5.)
Well before you head south give Our regards to Mr and Mrs Davis in Richmond - as the Duchess of Grand Fenwick would have said in the Mouse that Roared.
Real estate taxes are high, particularly in Broward and Dade County. If you buy a house or condo in Fort Lauderdale, you will pay 2.5% of the appraised value, and unless you are homesteaded there, you will get reappraised every year.
The biggest reasons I wouldn't want to live in Florida: The place is too flat, scrubby, and geographically uninteresting. Even its beaches are boring - just a line of sand on a featureless coast. All of its pleasures (apart from nice warm weather in the cooler months) are artificial/man-made. And having to keep a constant eye on storms for half the year and being ready to evacuate would be very wearing.
I simply can't get into the headspace of someone who would rank Florida as #1 for weather. The humidity is disqualifying alone. Agree on most of the other points. I'll stay in high humidity but not humid Washington state with no income tax, thanks :)
Ironic that half the stuff in this post ended up being totally wrong in 2025.
Anyway, I’m moving to Florida from nova in the next few months. What a difference has taken place in the world since 2020.
Florida is orderly, productive, sunny, and accessible. I've had friends visit from the NE and the West coast who marvel at the flourishing shopping centers, the accessible goods on shelves (no locks or plastic covers), and the dearth of deranged homeless people and drug addicts on public display.
This is what a well-run society looks like...
I just wish people were willing to admit the possibility that their ideologies and their pet causes actually entail costs and negative effects. Such people seem to be in a small minority.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/the-joys-of-a-working-society
I feel like a lot has changed on the politics point specifically, since this post was apparently originally published in 2014. The email didn't make it obvious that the post was originally so old; it seemed pretty shocking to me that anybody would say (in 2025), that Florida's state-level politics are neutral and easy to ignore.
I don't want to talk about Florida, although this directly concerns Florida. As long as all the civilized nations of the world elect power from political parties, and not from the people, they will die like homeless dogs, and it doesn't matter what their income is, the majority will live in poverty. Elections with the participation of parties have nothing to do with democracy, it is a deception and a fictitious democracy. Democracy is when the people elect power from the people, and there is no participation, and there can be no parties and organizations. We have been fooled for hundreds of years, citizens Sufferers! You can live 1000 times better without making an effort, but the lack of knowledge forces you to be like plants. People cannot live like this! It is EXTREMELY NECESSARY to elect power from the people themselves, and only then will it be DEMOCRACY! Power must be elected from the people themselves by drawing lots, approximately the same way as juries have been elected in the USA for hundreds of years!!! And immediately corruption, political parties, 99% of levies and taxes will disappear, wars, genocides and thousand-year-old murderous exploitation will disappear by 90%! What to do? Boycott elections with the participation of parties and force all your friends to do the same, and your friends, their friends. As soon as the number of those boycotting reaches 30% or more of those eligible to vote, the elections will not take place, at which point an initiative group of voters submits a demand, certified by the signatures of citizens, for a general referendum to change the rules for holding elections. Changes according to the new rules are when the government chooses the people from the people themselves, without the participation of parties and organizations. Demonstrations, barricades, revolutions and violence are not needed! All that is needed is the confidence of each person in what he MUST do if he is a Human Being. The first political parties appeared in history only in the last 5-6 thousand years. Parties were created by ancient bandits after capturing trading cities, with the aim of organizing FICTITIOUS democratic elections. Of course, all the parties of the city consisted of bandits and renegade traders. These were organized groups consisting of professional robbers. Since then, all the dishonest, ambitious, thirsty for glory, power and royal life, inexorably and irresistibly go into politics. And it does not matter, right, left, religious or fanatics of an idée fixe, they are 100% made up of swindlers and crooks. And the naive and ignorant peoples of the world, VOLUNTARILY, with cries. HURRAY! DEMOCRACY! are breaking in, like animals to a watering hole, to hand over the government to thieves and bandits and, in ecstasy from the victory of the party, to put a YOKE on their necks!!! Such masochistic imbecility is impossible to tolerate, this cannot be allowed even for a second, and we have been living like this since the advent of civilization. And our laws, norms and morals are from bandits, and we think like bandits!
I love it. Thinking about it as an option for retirement. As noted elsewhere, property taxes can be high in places, but everything is a tradeoff
Interesting that you put weather first. That factor is close to a deal breaker for me. I hate humidity. I live in Arizona so I'm used to heat but here you can walk outside and stay there for a while without instantly breaking into a sweat. Also, what about the hurricanes?
On the Mercatus index: Florida has moved up to #2 since this was originally published. (Arizona is at #5.)
God, it must be hell there in Virginia. Prhaps Zoom will free you from your perils?
The 10 most patriotic states in America:
Virginia (with a score of 64.34)
Alaska (63.40)
Montana (61.73)
Maine (58.42)
Oregon (57.65)
Colorado (57.64)
New Hampshire (57.16)
Washington (57.11)
Maryland (57.04)
Hawaii (56.53)
The 10 least patriotic states:
Arkansas (with a total patriotism score of 26.19)
New York (32.09)
Massachusetts (32.20)
Rhode Island (32.65)
Florida (33.64)
Indiana (34.76)
Louisiana (34.85)
Alabama (35.54)
Connecticut (36.26)
West Virginia (36.92)
Well before you head south give Our regards to Mr and Mrs Davis in Richmond - as the Duchess of Grand Fenwick would have said in the Mouse that Roared.
Real estate taxes are high, particularly in Broward and Dade County. If you buy a house or condo in Fort Lauderdale, you will pay 2.5% of the appraised value, and unless you are homesteaded there, you will get reappraised every year.