Readers Comments:

I moved to Florida back in 1999 to be closer to the other family members that migrated here from NY and CA. I grew up in Santa Barbara and I can tell you that on a scale of share beauty….........Florida does not hold a candle to California. In Santa Barbara I could sit on the beach with the mountains at my back. And as a diver I can tell you that there is much more to see underwater in California then in Florida. Clear water is nice but gets boring fast. The one thing that hit me when I arrived in Florida was the lack of any mountains, hills, etc. FLAT! And the only thing there is to do here is either sit in your air conditioned McMansion all day, or go to the beach. And if you are on the East coast or Clearwater area on the gulf say goodbye to your hands, feet and maybe life as Florida is the Shark attack capital of the world (Bull sharks gone wild). And depending on where you live you could end up in South Long Island. I also was hit with very rude, loud and hairy New Yorkers, as well as, the other extreme Rednecks. Oh, and in California when I swim in a lake I don’t have to worry about getting eaten by a 10 foot Alligator or being bitten by a Cotton mouth. Throw in 20 foot pythons, 7 foot monitor lizards and you can say goodbye to your pets as well. When I arrived here in 91 the cost of living was much cheaper then California but since then my pay has flat lined while everything else skyrocketed. Florida is a right to work state so you have nothing to say about the pay because if you don’t like being grossly underpaid you have the right not to work. Yes California is crowded and full of Mexicans, but I find most of them to be hard working friendly people VS the trailer trash, Oxy freaks and others I have met here in Florida. Oh, I forgot to mention sink holes, as the whole state is built on top of sand and water, only a matter of time before your $300,000 home disappears into a giant whole (Just had a man killed a couple of months ago when he went in with the house). And don’t bother trying to get sink hole insurance because all the nice people of Florida abused the coverage so it is next to impossible to get it now. Throw in flooding, Hurricanes, Tornados, and Fires as well. And as far as smoking goes…………..put all smokers in a little room and let them kill each other with their poison! I don’t care about rights infringement because I have the right not to be murdered by some moron that chooses to slowly commit suicide himself. I am moving back to California in two weeks and although Florida was a 15 year part of my family’s journey, that journey has now ended and now we set out on a new one.

Posted on 05/20/2013 at 8:51 AM

California Make Florida Look Retarded! No Affense! Beautiful Mountains, Rolling Hills, Stunning BeacheS, Vibrant Wildflowers, And Everything Is Ultra Modern! Did I Mention The Weather, Daytime Highs In The Summer Will Get Into The 80’s And 90’S, But By The Evening Expect Temperatures Varying From The 70’s To The 50’! I Won’t Discount Florida They Do Have Beautiful Beaches, But That’s It! I Live In Louisiana And Florida Reminds Me Of Louisiana Minus The Beautiful Beaches. Its Just ” Pure Humidity” A Devastating HEat Wave! Also Florida HAs Cool Amusement Parks. California Offers All Of The Above Beautiful Beaches, Awesome Amusement Parks, Beautiful Weather, And The Wild Scenic Wildlife And Scenery Right At Your Fingertips! I Like Florida But I Love Cali!!! I ReSpect All Opinions But I’m WIth Cali!!!

Posted on 05/19/2013 at 5:33 PM

People tell me I must be from Sacramento all the time.

Posted on 05/17/2013 at 10:05 PM

As a 21 year old born and raised in California, and a visitor of Florida, I must say that I was happy to return to my home state. The fact that the big cities of both CA and FL are what everyone seems to be basing their opinions on is revolting.
I grew up in a great little city in California called Ventura. Absolutely perfect weather all year round and everything you need is biking distance. It’s about an hour and a half north of LA, and one of the least exspensive beach towns. Even in my city, you can get ANY kind of food you crave. Indian? Have it around the corner. Greek? Go down the street to your left. We are so diverse and cultured in California.
To the people saying Californians are “stuck up”, you couldn’t be more wrong. Sure, there are the assholes who assume they are above the average person, but tell me one place you CAN’T find those people and maybe that argument can be valid. Every neighborhood I’ve moved to, I’ve been welcomed with open arms and felt as though we were a community. Californians, from my experience, are way more open socially than in FL.
I have also lived in LA county in a city called Valencia. From spring-fall, the nights can be so warm and perfect. I frequently wear shorts outside after the sun falls with no problems. Even though the beaches are not as beautiful as FL, the weather is what makes CA amazing.
About the fashion…there’s not much I could say. Based only off of my own experience, I felt as though there was no “Florida Fashion”. Walking around all I saw was cleavage, butt cheek, and stomach…Again, that is all based off of my own experience.
Although my opinion may be completely biased, I stand by it. I left to FL with great excitement and expectation, only to leave with disappointment. Most of my trip was spent inside based solely on the unbearable heat. It may be beautiful, but beauty is only SO important my friends.

Posted on 05/17/2013 at 5:49 PM

Well here my post ... I am from Brooklyn, NY and I have lived .. in Raleigh, Richmond, Cleveland, Tampa, DC, Maryland,  Now Miami ... say what you want I love Miami but as Brooklyn born person Miami dont get this from other people when you walk in the door ... Oh WOW !! You must be from New York ... we have a style of our own ... Have you ever heard someone who says that you are from Miami ... So come on call it what you like ... I love Miami because it has that New York Flavor mix with the South ...

But NY is still my Home ...

Posted on 05/17/2013 at 4:35 PM

Hello! My name is Arutiun, im 21. I live in St-Petersburg, Russia.
I Have been to Miami beach on vacation summer 2012, and i really would like to come back. Im looking for job related with sports, it might be fitness, crossfit, judo, etc.
Or it might be landscape designing because thats what im majoring in the university.
Thank you very much. Sincerely, Arutiun.

Posted on 05/16/2013 at 8:28 AM

Miamis the bestttt im glad it taking care of our citizens im gonna arrive on monday and the citizens and us resident lane is only fair;)

Posted on 05/13/2013 at 2:04 PM

Hi Joe,

The Clevelander is a good hotel, if you are looking for a festive place to stay, and no, you won’t find any swingers banging on your door. How crazy and loud the hotel will be, depends on when you’ll be here. Keep in mind, Memorial Day is approaching—and that is by far the craziest weekend of the year.

Posted on 05/11/2013 at 8:57 AM

Is this a really bad hotel to bring your wife when ur young but want to party but no swingers are nothing

Posted on 05/11/2013 at 7:30 AM

Loved, loved, loved them all my life in Cleveland. Graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, and we had one right across the street, corner of Cedar/Lee Roads. Yummy memories!

Posted on 05/09/2013 at 7:15 AM

wlado528 i have emailed you so get back to me okay so we could delivery you once we finish with the minimal okay bro

Posted on 05/08/2013 at 10:14 AM

WTF thanks HYPO any luck anywere eles man…... fuck

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 6:34 PM

Its a scammer.  U send cash and then he never ships.

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 6:31 PM

hernadez can I email you or you can email me what-ev

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 6:06 PM

yo hernadez you still good in da hood I live in north Miami whats up

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 5:47 PM

pat we have diamorphine and MS Contin, then Oxycontin, then Tramadol and then Fentanyl.and some others too they are all good

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 9:12 AM

hyatt yeah email me with the drug you want and you full home address okay??

Posted on 05/07/2013 at 9:01 AM

I emailed u

Posted on 05/06/2013 at 3:07 PM

hyatt we can get them to you home okay

Posted on 05/06/2013 at 1:01 PM

Don’t have a car for over town.  Looking for boy tho.  Staying at the hyatt

Posted on 05/06/2013 at 11:12 AM

pat you can have them contact me at my direct email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) so we could talk better ok waiting

Posted on 05/04/2013 at 8:45 AM

Um, are you saying the University of Miami is NOT a great educational institution? As a proud member of their faculty, I"m insulted. Especially since I spent my final exam period today talking about strip clubs with my students.

That said #3 is ridiculous and something I’ve made a career of complaining about. It’s the worst part of living here, hands down. The crime is no worse than any other big city.

Posted on 05/03/2013 at 5:26 PM

I came on the MPD just as all this was hitting and like so many others on the force we were like WoW.  Even today MPD has problems look at the North End.  One of the main problems I ( just me ) think in MPD is you have a lot of officers think there worth as a police office is the amount of arrest they make each month or tickets they write. There are many good officers on MPD but when the promote always from within, always shit happens. Miami needs to look outside there own department to make a chief the one before this one we got now wasn’t really well liked BUT he did a good jobs for Miami and the dept. Miami MUST stop giving people command based on there race or friendship one has with another and start placing the best person in those commands.

Once something happens as it always does here, they throw a bone out to the people and think, ok we addressed the problem be happy. I know this is really not what this story is about but sad to say Metro ( not saying there better ) should that over the Dept.

Posted on 05/03/2013 at 1:49 PM

pain killers or H? help a guy out in midtown Miami

Posted on 05/03/2013 at 1:16 PM

Must say, the times I’ve been a pedestrian in MIA-Dade (Mostly in MB, but some in the Grove/Brickell) I have not felt especially more endangered than in other major Eastern urban centers—but then again, I’m not in a very large theme park but in the middle of an actual commercial district in an actual large city, and drivers there are as likely to be driving distracted as anywhere else, so it doesn’t hurt to have another reminder now and then.  OK, so the remark about Latin culture is reminiscent of Dave Barry’s “it’s just that everyone is respecting what the rules of the road were back in their home countries” but sometimes buttons need pushing so people will wake up.

Posted on 05/02/2013 at 9:31 AM

Well that is fair but I know a lot of professionals who have not moved to Miami just because of:
1. Crime in the upper middle class suburban areas let alone the city proper.
2. No great educational institutions especially secondary and post secondary.
3. The perniciously tribal nature of the Cubans with their least offensive behavior is thinking that talking in English (esp. to nonhispanics who they spot a mile away)  is sacrilegious leaving aside no “American” civility that is the hallmark of America globally and generally recalcitrant clinging to the 3rd world mindset/ethos here in USA.

No I am not some redneck and I have traveled and lived globally.

If even 1 and 2 were addressed I would move there tomorrow.

Posted on 05/01/2013 at 7:24 PM

Well, you know, I DID spend most of my life in CA before moving to Miami. And if you’ve read other stuff I have on here I"m hardly a Miami cheerleader. I just happen to think it’s better than California.

Posted on 05/01/2013 at 6:56 PM

Hahahaha What a puff piece. Don’t you think that you writing for Miami 411 maybe has some bearing on what you are writing? I am not saying that SoCal is better but come on other than affluent areas in SoBe etc. who really wants to live in Miami—the city? A wrong turn and you could head into a shootout or think you are in Cuba since there are no signs in English leaving aside Miami is still USA not little Havana! Besides San Diego is nice too.

Posted on 05/01/2013 at 9:06 AM

The Golden Girls has always been a staple in my life as I used to watch with my grandmother growing up…as I am extremely close to her. When the beginning song plays, it takes me back to those days. This was a true classic that will never fade. I have all 7 seasons on DVD so I can own this piece of history forever so that when my grandmother is no longer around, I can still have the memories. No other show compares. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. I live in Florida and had no idea the house wasn’t really located in Miami until coming across this and this was posted over 4 yrs ago and people still reply. Thanks so much for posting.

Posted on 04/27/2013 at 12:57 AM

P.S., All of this is a generality, and are just my personal beliefs. It is what I look for as an active, outdoors-oriented single person, from living in and repeatedly visiting various places. There are numerous wonderful (and numerous slightly miserable) places out there, many times contained in the same state. For my list of needs, I would live in Vegas or Phoenix for cheap real estate in a metro area if I didn’t mind that brutal July/August heat (loving golf and having a speed boat requisite for entertainment I think—not minding gambling and drinking for Vegas). I would raise kids in UT or CO (social life difficult I’ve experienced, and suck it up for winter, as I have….brrr). South Florida if I was 20 again and wanted to have some fun partying, or retired/die-hard sports fisherman (and disappear during July/August at a minimum). Wish I would have done that when younger (so could fit into the scene—I’m in 40’s now even though still have the desire, they would see me as just an “old man” trying to enjoy Tiesto—as I do!). San Francisco if I was more politically liberal and didn’t mind it cooler/more overcast (they really do have it all though, quick access to ocean, mountains, hiking, skiing, boating, culture, etc.—best overall in my opinion). San Diego for closest to my personal idea of perfection, if I could afford it. No money left over though for lifestyle/hobbies/life if buy place in LA/OC/San Diego/San Fran. Median detached home now $600,000. Tired of lifetime of roommates and condos so detached home is desireable. Manhattan would be a blast for a couple years to have all types of experiences, then go elsewhere after that I would think. (Why not sample a lot if you are young, or single, and have opportunity?) Life is short. Good luck everyone!

Posted on 04/25/2013 at 1:21 AM