Leaving Paradise

Florida is not the PARADISE I thought it was…

When we first visited Florida in 2021 with our Airstream, I was drawn in. It was PARADISE. When we decided leave our nomadic lifestyle, we chose Florida as the place to land, after all, it’s PARADISE.

Paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, peace, and delight. It can also refer to a place that is ideal for a particular activity or person. — Wikipedia

At the time, it seemed like a logical choice. The cost of living was supposed to be reasonable, taxes were manageable, so we thought. The promise of a great quality of life was undeniable — days on the beach, margaritas, laid back lifestyle. And then there were the endless days of sunshine, the beaches, the palm trees… PARADISE.

I was so enthralled by Florida when we first returned, I wrote an article titled, 7 Reasons Florida is Dangerous. The title is misleading, I actually wrote about the 7 things I enjoyed most about Florida and they were dangerous because they were so enjoyable. But it was what people don’t say about Florida that started to seep in and created a niggling doubt that maybe Florida really isn’t always PARADISE.

First let me state — there are things about Florida I do enjoy — sunshine, palm trees, the food, some of its unique quirkiness. But…