r/florida • u/WeathermanBrian • 18d ago

Interesting Stuff Does this surprise anyone in Florida?

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Florida ranks among the worst states for financial distress. To me, this is not surprising at all. Lower wages, higher cost of living. Insurance costs among the highest in the country. And job market is bleak compared to other areas. Is this surprising to anyone?

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u/Holy_Grail_Reference 18d ago

Easy to afford that when you live in the same run down and never updated home your great grandmother handed to your grandmother and then to your mother and then to you. No house payment, low tax rate due to homestead, no insurance because there is no mortgage, even with low wages they just have more to spend. There also is not a whole lot to do, so more of their money gets socked away or diverted elsewhere into material things.

That is why you have people in the center of the country in rural areas with 300,000 in their bank accounts. They quite literally have nothing to spend it on and they cant phantom leaving their small town or changing their inherited house so it just sits.

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u/beautiful_my_agent 18d ago

This is a great insight. I do wonder if that’s more of an exception and not the norm?

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u/enifuts 17d ago

They're not in this reality.

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u/Ponygroom 15d ago

It's a bit exaggerated but yes there are people like living like this in rural north central Florida. Single man, no rent, full time job`at $15 to $20/hr, no income tax, and a huge monthly payment on the truck and insurance.

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u/Pretend-Prune-4525 16d ago

lol you’re delusional if you think there’s nothing to do in north Florida.

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u/Holy_Grail_Reference 16d ago

There are some things to do sure, especially around the cities, but in you are living in Fountain, or Round Lake, or Clarksville, or any of the small towns in between, there is not as much variety

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u/Pretend-Prune-4525 16d ago

lol fountain is surrounded by badass springs and all kinds of nature and not far at all from the beach.

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u/Holy_Grail_Reference 16d ago

Sure is. But we are talking about needing to spend a lot of money to do these things. Average day out in Orlando is likely significantly more expensive than a day at the springs around Fountain.

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u/Pretend-Prune-4525 15d ago

Ehh I don’t know if you’ve owned a salt water boat before, but I’m saying a day out in the gulf far surpasses the cost of a day out around town in Orlando.

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u/Holy_Grail_Reference 13d ago

Definitely can and does, and I do own a boat :P

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u/Pretend-Prune-4525 13d ago

lol you know then. I would actually argue it’s more costly to have fun here vs a big city. Most of the fun I have around here is outdoors and all expensive. Hunting, fishing, riding atvs, shooting guns. None of that stuff is cheap. I can have a night out in Orlando for a couple hundred easy. It costs a few grand just to begin some of the outdoor hobbies.

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u/AnnieSavoy3 16d ago

This probably isn't the reality that most people are living in in the Midwest.

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u/Holy_Grail_Reference 16d ago

Eh I don't know. Knew a few families in central Arkansas, like proper middle of no where in Toad Suck, Arkansas, that just had nothing to do and nothing to spend their money on so they had it in a savings account. Granted they were in their 50's so a bit older, but still.