What's the matter with Florida?

[big_electron]

From the outside, Florida seems like a pretty good place. You have Alan Grayson.

But it seems like there are a lot of the teabagger types there too. Pensacola was home to Paul Hill, and Dr. Teabagger lives just outside Orlando. I have heard that southern Florida, Miami and Tampa, are really good, but northern Florida is something else.

[erictheblue]

It takes all kinds. I live in northern FL (Jacksonville). There are twits here, sure. On the other hand, according to my fiancee, there is a pretty active pagan community here. Sex toy stores and strip clubs are scattered in with gas stations and restaurants. Women can sit on the beach in next-to-nothing bathing suits and don't get preached at.

[Tiger]

Basically, it's the South. The Panhandle is basically part of Alabama. It has more high-population density areas than most Southern states, which is why it doesn't have the same sort of reputation as the rest of the South, but you've still got plenty of loons, especially outside the bigger cities. Plus, people come here to retire, so the older folks tip the balance even more.

And eric: I think that sex shops and such are actually standard fare for Southern cities. I moved down here from Chicago a few months ago and I never saw so many adult stores back home.

[Mira]

We're too busy being Chicago street thugs.

[DeadpanDoubter]

There's a sex store on the interstate we travel to get to my grandmere's and back, with the outline of a naked woman on it. It took me forever to figure out why I got quite so flustered if I looked at it.

[big_electron]

I had to ask because I see people's locations, and they say things like "Florida, please help." (I'm looking at you, nickerson)

[m52nickerson]

What is the matter with Florida? A lot, I will try and keep this short.

Lets start with how this state set it self up economical in the last decade. It was all based on growth. The state leader thought that growth could and would pay for it self. They let developers buy and build on land before infrastructure was in place. The politicians all ran on lowering taxes because they could pay for things with the money from impact and building fees. They cut money to schools and government services to make up shortfalls.

......then the economy tanked.

Growth stopped. Not slowed to a crawl or paused, it died. Large subdivisions and communities that were being built now sit half finished with thousands and thousands of homes that were never sold and have never had anyone living there. The state now faces huge yearly short falls and more cuts to education and other government agencies (like the health department) happen. The state can't even put in a state income tax because it is against the state Constitution and we would need 60% of the population to change that. Well the older retired people who don't have children in schools won't vote for that.

The stupidity contiunes.....

Now the state legislature is about to pass a bill that will end teacher tenure and tie 50% of a teachers salary to how well their students do on tests. Oh, and if the students don't do well (show improvement) the teacher and be fired and loose their license.

Now because education has been so bad in this state for so long there is a ridiculous amount of stupid uneducated people here. Sorry there is just no nice way to say it. If you get much out of the large cities you find people who will believe what ever the talking box tells them. In some places that might not be a problem, but in Florida the sheer numbers of those people make it hard to get things done. Look at the fight the school board had just to get evolution taught in biology classes. That was not 20 years about, but 2.

So Florida has plenty of problems.

........and I did not even mention the heat.

[mice34]

There's a reason Fark has a special tag for them...LSD in the water supply.

[Old Viking]

My wife and I retired to central Florida seven years ago. Like any other area it has its pluses and minuses. But the churches do tend to get piled one atop the other, and political preferences are generally to the right of Attila the Hun.