It’s a dream that every Disney World fan has: to pick up your life and move to Central Florida to spend your days basking in the glory of Walt Disney World. Or to retire from your 9-5 in a cold state and pick up and move to the sunshine of Florida.
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But sometimes, that dream can turn into a nightmare. Northerners often struggle with the humid Florida summers, and then there’s hurricane season to deal with.
Florida has seen a population boom over the last two years, and with that comes a massive increase in prices for everything from housing to groceries.
Since 2022, Florida has had more than 700,000 residents who have moved to the state, which has driven up housing costs in once-affordable Central Florida. The state that has sent the most people to Florida is, by far, New York.
While the state has seen a boom, those who have made the move have a message for those who want to live near Walt Disney World: don’t come to Central Florida.
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Jodi Cummings, who moved to Florida from Connecticut in 2021, told NBC:
It wasn’t the utopia on any level that I thought it would be. I thought Florida would be an easier lifestyle, I thought the pace would be a little bit quieter, I thought it would be warmer. I didn’t expect it to be literally 100 degrees at night. It was incredibly difficult to make friends, and it was expensive, very expensive. I had been so disenchanted with Florida so quickly. There was this feeling of confusion and guilt about wanting to leave, of moving there then realizing this is not anything like I thought it would be.
There are several unexpected costs associated with moving to Florida that new residents don’t factor into their budgets, nor do they have in other states. The state has seen a massive spike in homeowners insurance rates in the past decade as hurricanes and storms have battered Florida.
Across the country, the average cost to insure a home is $2,500. In Florida, the average homeowner pays more than $6,000 annually.
Florida does not have a state income tax, so towns have had to raise property taxes on homeowners to make up for that money.
Related: Central Florida Businesses Are Worried About the Long-Term Effects of the Disney/DeSantis Feud
The infrastructure has also not kept up with the state’s population boom, as Florida highways struggle to keep up with the new population. While schools are stretching to keep up with this new population, the state has over 5,000 teacher vacancies this year as educators flee over low pay and politics being injected into the school systems.
The Florida legislature and Gov Ron DeSantis tried to address these issues during the last legislative session by offering homeowners a rebate on insurance. Still, Sunshine State residents say it was not enough to offset the overwhelming costs.
Overall, new Florida residents say to be weary of thinking that moving to the Sunshine State will mean spending every day on a Disney World vacation. Unlike your vacation, life gets in the way, and you still have to deal with all of your responsibilities.
Have you moved to Florida to be closer to Disney World? If so, please let us know how it went in the comments.