DiscussMormonism.com

As someone who has lived in Florida for the past 18 years,

K Graham wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:19 pm

I lived in Orlando for roughly 7 years. Florida is riddled with sink holes due to porous soil and most of the state will likely be under water in the next couple of centuries. If you take away the beaches, the state is mostly swamp/everglade, and quite ugly. It is the luck of the draw that Florida has more miles of beaches than California. That is what drives revenue for the state, from out of state tourism, which is the only reason they can afford not to have a state tax. Florida has more hotel rooms than the next two states combined. Constant road construction makes life miserable there and seems never ending. Every time I go back to Orlando I'm amazed how they're still doing construction on I-4.

Also, I was there September 2004 when Orlando was hit by four hurricanes in September. It was literally back to back to back one after the other, each hitting the state from different angles and Orlando got pummeled. My grandma's house had these huge trees that were hundreds of years old, completely wiped out.

ajax18 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:05 pm

You mean you didn't die of COVID?

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:57 pm

I may have painted an uglier picture than I should have. I have some great memories of the several times we took our daughter to Florida for Disney and the rest. I just remember that I hated the drive. The most important part of any road trip for me is the scenery.

I suppose my comment to my wife was more about how when you take away the amusement parks and a child to take them to (she's an adult now), there's not much to draw me there any more. This conversation happened in the context of places we still want to go for vacation.

K Graham wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:23 pm

Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando and Miami are college towns. Higher education tends to lean blue.

Kishkumen wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:41 pm

The alligators are damned cool. The birds too. In my neighborhood I see and hear hawk, owl, deer, the occasional sandhill crane, ibis, bats, etc., etc., etc. I really like nature, and there is a lot of great nature all over the world, but Florida has some nifty stuff. The beaches on the opposite coasts are quite different, and each version has its charms. The giant freshwater springs are stunning. The manatees are a favorite of mine, but they are abused and probably not long for the world.

canpakes wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:55 am

Hey, you didn’t even mention the jellyfish, including the tiny, adorable blue bloblets on the Gulf Coast side that want to gang up on and sting you when you least expect it.