Although it’s true that more people are moving to Florida than any other state, the US Census Bureau indicates that about 750 people are LEAVING Florida every single day. So, WHY are so many people leaving Florida?

I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life and I LOVE Florida, but I can tell you that there ARE reasons to leave, and today I’ll be addressing the top 7 reasons people are leaving Florida. These are not in any particular order, but I’ll say that the last one is one that is often overlooked, so stick around for that one.

Weather

First, let’s start with the overall weather. We all know that Florida is the Sunshine State, and we’re all sold on this sunshine, but what we aren’t told about is the flip side of this sunshine…and the humidity that sunshine brings with it. The humidity can be oppressive here for 7 or 8 months every year, reaching 100% humidity daily from June through August.

And while it does moderate in the “offseason”, whatever that is, here in Florida, seasons are not much of a thing. It’s pretty much just “Summer”, and “NOT summer”. Yes, the offseason is nice, but for many, it isn’t enough to keep them from moving to the most popular destinations like Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and even Texas.

Hurricanes

Next, let’s keep with the weather theme and address hurricanes. Rising global temperatures are fueling an increasing number of named hurricanes on an annual basis, and these storms are becoming increasingly violent, and there’s more of them. Florida has more hurricanes than any other state, nearly twice as many as Texas, the state with the second most hurricanes. While I’ve been mostly inconvenienced by these hurricanes, an article by the Environmental Defense Fund noted that Hurricanes are becoming stronger and faster.

They are less predictable and thus more dangerous because there is less time to prepare and evacuate. Flooding from hurricanes is worsening due to higher sea levels, more rainfall, and slower storm speeds. They further note that there’s been an increase of 260% of category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes in the last 40 years. Maybe this whole climate change thing is just a hoax, but things don’t appear to be getting better anytime soon.

I’ve said myself that hurricanes aren’t a huge issue here, but that often has to do with IF you’re one of the lucky ones to avoid a hurricane coming your way. It’s often just a matter of chance. I remember Hurricane Matthew several years back. It shut down my power for over a week. Yes, I had generators, so I had lights and my refrigerator, but I still had no air conditioning.

My windows were open, so that humidity was stifling, and I had my in-laws LIVING WITH ME as they had no power at their home next door. I love my in-laws, but I can tell you, that it was NOT what I would call a pleasant situation. As soon as I had power restored, I had an electrician at my home so that they had the comfort of a hard-wired generator in advance of the next hurricane. It was a short-lived traumatic event in my life, and maybe it was just family dynamics, but I can see hurricanes being a big reason why someone would move out of Florida.

Climate Change

Of course, there’s always the climate change issue that seems to be gaining more momentum. Florida sits pretty close, like less than 100 feet above sea level. Miami is considered Ground Zero for climate risk, and the Florida Keys are an average of just 3.2 feet above sea level. I read an article that spoke of the infrastructure issues that they’re already dealing with due to rising sea levels.

NOAA expects sea levels to rise another 10 to 12 inches in the next 30 years. It’s crazy expensive to live in the Florida Keys NOW, but just imagine the expense to deal with these issues moving forward. It’s scary.

High Costs

Next, people are leaving Florida because it can be expensive to live here. Although Central Florida, where I live and work, is right around the national average, most of Florida is not so cheap. Even here, we’ve shot UP from well below the national average not too long ago.

Florida has over 1,350 miles of beaches, second only to Alaska, and it’s NOT cheap to live here. Not only is it expensive to live ON the beaches, but it’s also expensive to live CLOSE to the beaches, where 76% of Floridians reside. Although the overall cost to purchase a home is right around the national average, primarily because the cost of homes well inland is reasonable, the cost of insurance has skyrocketed across the Sunshine State.

Florida has the highest cost of homeowners insurance in the nation according to bankrate.com and has the second highest rates in the nation for auto insurance. Although Florida does have no state income tax, and that’s a huge benefit, the property tax rates have been soaring. I’ve seen property taxes double in the last few years where I live.

For some that don’t have Florida’s Homestead exemption, including snowbirds living in Florida during the winter months, that’s a real problem. According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Florida is near the top of increasing costs in recent years. These rising costs are putting a huge squeeze on all of us, but some simply cannot afford to stay here and are forced to leave Florida for other states with lower costs.

Poor School Systems

Most of us have children, or will one day, so school systems matter. A study by World Population Review shows Florida as being #42 of 50 states. It’s not the worst, but it’s surely not GOOD news for Florida’s youth. There are plenty of good schools around the state, but this, combined with some of these other issues, could be a good reason for some Floridians to move out of Florida.

Aging Population

Florida is dealing with an aging population, especially since so many are moving here to retire. And although Florida is home to some of the nation’s leading hospitals, the overall quality of healthcare services can vary quite a bit throughout the state. It seems to be fine where I live, but then again I’m not really dealing with many health issues…yet.

For every person leaving Florida, two are moving in. If you’d like to be one of those moving TO Florida, give us a call. We’re always helping people like you move to Florida and we’d be happy to help you.

Overcrowding

I noted earlier that more people are moving TO Florida than any other state, but people aren’t leaving fast enough to slow the booming population, which is leading to all sorts of issues. The little town that I live in here on the north side of Orlando had like zero traffic just 5 years ago, but that’s just not the case today. All this growth is putting a lot of stress on the educational system to keep up with demand, infrastructure issues to address traffic congestion and much more, and urban sprawl which affects us all.

Politics

As I record this today, Florida is a generally conservative state, although perhaps not so much down south around Miami. Our governor is quite conservative and is pretty outspoken, and most Floridians absolutely love it. But some aren’t so thrilled with this conservative viewpoint that many Floridians hold.

I’ve had many homebuyers move to Florida BECAUSE of our increasingly conservative belief system, but there are some with differing viewpoints that can’t wait to get out of Florida for that same reason. Of course, Florida could have democratic leadership in the future, and perhaps the conservatives will then leave, but for now, many with progressive mindsets are leaving Florida for political reasons.

Published on November 26. 2024 / no comments.