Florida has seen a population boom in recent years, but many longtime residents and recent transplants say rising costs and divisive politics have them fleeing the Sunshine State.

One of the first signs Barb Carter’s move to Florida wasn’t the postcard life she’d envisioned was the armadillo infestation in her home that caused $9,000 in damages. Then came a hurricane, ever present feuding over politics, and an inability to find a doctor to remove a tumor from her liver.

After a year in the Sunshine State, Carter packed her car with whatever belongings she could fit and headed back to her home state of Kansas — selling her Florida home at a $40,000 loss and leaving behind the children and grandchildren she’d moved to be closer to.

“So many people ask, ‘Why would you move back to Kansas?’ I tell them all the same thing — you’ve got to take your vacation goggles off,” Carter said. “For me, it was very falsely promoted. Once living there, I thought, you know, this isn’t all you guys have cracked this up to be, at all.”

  • Concave1142@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 months ago

    Imagine living in a tourist state and thinking it won’t have the pitfalls associated with everything being catered to tourism.

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      Yeah, but the article doesn’t really discuss issues related to tourism.

      It is more issues related to a lack of services and a more expensive cost of living than expected.