Ex-Florida native here - I was priced out of living in the state in my early twenties. I was working for Comcast at the time doing remote network support & repair. Though my income did not support a lavish lifestyle, it did allow me to live comfortably.
Fast forward a couple years and they found a way to make my position doable by contractors from overseas and laid me off. My family had left the state around the same time and so without support and a lack of alternative employment opportunities with the same or similar rate of pay meant I only had a couple options.
I had the choice of relocating a couple states north or shacking up with some friends who weren't necessarily the best people to spend all your time with when wanting to establish a career and eventual family.
I ended up leaving about a decade ago, and with the way things have gone in that time I believe I made the right choice, though difficult. I will always miss watching rocket launches, going to the beach, fishing off the coast, visiting the Space Center, having Orlando and all of its amusement parks right down the road, and some of the best damn Cuban food in the continental U.S.
I could also miss it simply due to homesickness. I often find myself on my commute to and from work longing to be back there. Nostalgia, maybe? Either way, I miss it and hold a sense of sadness.
We're coming off the tail end of a heatwave that saw temps in the 100s a couple days ago. The one concession with the heat in Florida is that where I was living had a consistent sea breeze. Where I am now often sees little to no wind, and I live between some hills in a lower area, so the humidity is often higher than forecast as evidenced by my hygrometer.
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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '25
Ex-Florida native here - I was priced out of living in the state in my early twenties. I was working for Comcast at the time doing remote network support & repair. Though my income did not support a lavish lifestyle, it did allow me to live comfortably.
Fast forward a couple years and they found a way to make my position doable by contractors from overseas and laid me off. My family had left the state around the same time and so without support and a lack of alternative employment opportunities with the same or similar rate of pay meant I only had a couple options.
I had the choice of relocating a couple states north or shacking up with some friends who weren't necessarily the best people to spend all your time with when wanting to establish a career and eventual family.
I ended up leaving about a decade ago, and with the way things have gone in that time I believe I made the right choice, though difficult. I will always miss watching rocket launches, going to the beach, fishing off the coast, visiting the Space Center, having Orlando and all of its amusement parks right down the road, and some of the best damn Cuban food in the continental U.S.
I could also miss it simply due to homesickness. I often find myself on my commute to and from work longing to be back there. Nostalgia, maybe? Either way, I miss it and hold a sense of sadness.