Here is why we are considering the move and why FL.
PR is a lovely caribbean island with nice tropical climate. We are a US possession and have US citizenship by law. PR is also an expen$ive place to live as residential properties are very expen$$ive (especially in the metro area) and public education is disastrous. So, we are 2 woking parents with a mortgage paying private school and preschool (which will soon cost more than our mortgage). Of course, San Juan is never as expensive as NY or DC, but it's not too far behind.
Government here is grossly mismanaged. Mostly due to political battles between the prostatehooders and the prostay-as-we-are-but-with-a-few-little-changes. They have bankrupted the govt and are in the midst of doing furloughs and closing several state sevices as part of the budget battle, plus hiking taxes.
Costs of living here are rising. We live in an island, with limited land space (expensive housing). Not only do we pay through the nose to get everything shipped here (literally), but we have huge energy and water costs (no offense to those in CA), we pay very high income taxes, we will be getting more taxes and hikes-- several sales and property taxes, and government services are just lousy and don't work like they should. Gvt here is so awful it's a hassle to get baby Letty's US passport, a real pain in the neck for us who have family living all over the world. We figured that when we go to FL we can go and get her passport issued and sent home to us.
I've lived most of my life in cities (San Juan, DC, Barcelona, etc.) where you can get everything just around the corner and there was a lot of nightlife and restaurants. I've already had my share of nightlife and am now in wife mommy mode (nesting stage), so I don't want to party until the wee hours. Now I'm thankful for whatever sleep time I can get. Besides, if I want city life I can always visit Miami or anywhere else.
We would just love to live in a nice area with good services (not so crowded), a big backyard. Hopefully, the area should have good/excellent public schools and quality of life.
Dear Sis and Dear BIL live in Ocala. They work very hard as veterinarians. Their daily expenses are way lower than mine (their child will be attending private preschool) and their quality of life is way better. Having family and friends nearby would be a huge plus for us. Besides, we could vote for the Prez, something we can't do now even though we are US Citizens.
The only things that bugs me about FL are that you have to drive everywhere, and evacuate in case of an emergency. At least here you can take the metro/subway to move around, although we have nowhere to evacuate in an emergency. I'll also miss having almost everything available, but you can get anything and everything through the internet nowadays. Health services would not be as accessible in central FL as now because I live 20 min by car from some of the best hospitals in the Caribbean, but Shands (Gainsville) and Mayo Clinic are nearby, just not as close.
DH has an accounting degree and an MBA both from universities in PR. I'm pushing him to study for and take the CPA exam. I have a college degree from American U. (in DC) and a law degree from UPR. Hopefully I could pass the FL Bar Exam and practice Immigration Law. Of course, I would have to learn immigration law, but I'm working on taking seminars and talking to other lawyers in the field. There is a huge wave of immigration in FL, so immigration law is a very viable, comfortable option. I'm also offering to help DH expand his food business to FL so a move can be made feasible for us. Of course, this is a move planned for the next few years. (Unless the US gives PR the boot, which would make us run for the airport.)
When we go to visit Dear Sis & family, we plan to scout the area and get to know a few locations. That's why we would love to hear about the different cities/towns so we can make a list of the nearby places to scout.
Thanks for allowing me to vent. I feel so much better already.
Joselyn
Mom to Karla and Ada Leticia "Letty"
Click to join GuaynaboPRFreecycle
Posted by mom2karlamarie
at 4:46 PM ADT
