Expensive Hot Garbage - 2/24/2024

I've lived here for most of my 30 years. I'm moving my family away in a few months. Here are the reasons: Climate- it's hot. Unbearably hot. And it's going to get worse. The local politicians don't think climate change exists so they won't address it until it's far too late. It's only pleasant outside for a few weeks out of the year. The beach is the main draw but Ft Myers Beach is among the worst in the state. The water is always murky due to the sand that is imported to combat erosion. Much of the area is still in shambles from hurricane Ian except for Jimmy Buffett-land, which has a charge at the door to enter. Developers have snatched up any property they can from the lower income retirees so they can build another gated, HOA hellhole. The water is being ruined by runoff from Lake Okeechobee's fertilizer choked waters, creating toxic bacterial blooms all around the SWFL coast. Economy- I've been pretty successful here. Learning a trade and establishing a business. I make what should be really good money and while we don't want for much, it's become clear our goal of saving enough to buy a home outright here is unattainable. The home prices are 150% higher than the rest of the country, and those who do have mortgages have seen their payments balloon out of control due to the abuse of the insurance industry after the natural disasters. Auto insurance is the highest in the nation and groceries are high competitively. We are going to buy in a state where our children will have a chance of independence before 30. Politics- Florida is the laughingstock of the nation and Fort Myers is at the forefront. You will hear a lot about how godly these people are, meanwhile our local rep has a criminal record, the sheriff is embroiled in corruption, the school board is being taken over by folks who have no experience in education. They could care less about fixing the insurance prices or making sure our kids are taken care of, they only push their divisive agendas. And because it's at the forefront of the extreme right there is a mass influx of bad actors who think it's a Utopia for conservatives, only to find out there's little opportunity here and no protections for the working class. It's a shame. I love Florida and would stay if I thought it was fixable in a generation, but I have a daughter to raise and I won't subject her to the kind of extremism that is breeding here.

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Moved in for love out for beautiful crazy Florida - 11/7/2021

I can't wait for all the replies especially from people that are from Florida or from up North that had to deal with extreme ice and snow. But I can honestly say in the two years I lived in fort Myers it was an absolute nightmare. Being a military child and because of my jobs I've had I've lived in 10 different cities,4 states,3 countries lived on 2 different continents so to say the least I have some perspective to compare against the city. The nightmare begins with the fact there is no state taxes so the roads always felt like I was driving through a war zone. In the short two years I had to replace three tires and patch one just on my vehicle. And these are some of the worst drivers I've ever experienced and I had just moved from Charlotte North Carolina prior to this. People will ride your butt just to cut you off and slam on their brakes just so they're closer to the driver ahead. Forget 10 feet for every 10mph. I've been driving for 30 years and I have never been cut off so many times which almost caused multiple accidents. And let's not forget Florida is the most uninsured driver state in the nation so you better have full coverage no matter what. Minus shopping at the grocery stores everything is considerably more expensive there and you cannot see where the money goes because a large majority of the city is trashy. And let's not leave out North fort Myers with its extensive variety of face tattoos. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love tattoos but in my book it's pretty official you don't love your mother if you get a face tattoo. Now for any of you that love hiking or trail walking I would completely disregard Florida,a 30 foot incline is a mountain there. Even though it's known for its extreme wildlife and variety of Flora this place is so incredibly flat everything looks the same no matter where you go. Speaking of going, going to the beach is the only thing you will ever want to do. And trust me that gets old very quick. And last but not least let's talk about the weather. Most of the locals that have lived there for years blame global warming because it's changed over the last 10 to 20 years considerably. But there autumn is like summer,Winters are more like spring,their spring is more like summer, their summer is more like Satan's anus which I imagine is hot and moist. It's so aggressive the only time you will walk outside is to go to work smoke a cigarette or go to the store or doctor. Moving from North Carolina prior to this you would see people outside considerably more. So I feel the weather and environment is a big factor why a lot of people there are rude and impatient and obese. I maxed my weight out in 2 years simply because I didn't want to walk outside. Now let me say not all are overweight. And this one last little tidbit will explain a lot. I was used to such a thing as southern hospitality and no matter where you went to Walmart Publix any large retailer or grocery store you will most likely run into a shopping cart or see 10 or 20 nowhere near the cart stall. Now if you are disabled or a senior citizen you get a free pass. But every single time you will see able-bodied teenagers and adults leaving shopping carts just to sit in the parking lot randomly. Just to add to the already warzone that you had to maneuver do you have things to do with. And oh yeah I have changed my standing on exactly how marijuana should be handled because of living in that state. It is so loose and tolerated that it's almost not even a crime. And I can tell you from experience more mistakes from mundane Petty to huge medical mistakes were made and I understand no matter where you go you always have human error but I truly got the sinking suspicion that most people were high at their job here. Rant over. Going back to beautiful NC.

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Nothing but golf, unbearable heat and phonies - 4/9/2021

I've lived in SW Florida on & off for most of my life. When my family first came here over 40 years ago the waterways teemed with fish & wildlife and the beaches, particularly Sanibel & Captiva, along with Thomas Edison's winter home were the area's big tourist draws. Schools were ok, there wasn't much crime and business and job opportunities were easy to come by. After years of corrupt city, county and state government decisions, unfettered growth with no thoughtful planning and sweet public/private contracts are awarded with very little oversight, usually way over budget, not to spec and in need of a redo almost as soon as they're completed, we have some of the worst schools, beaches where you should think twice about letting your kids swim at, crumbling infrastructure, an outrageously expensive housing market, almost no full time jobs and rampant crime. There is absolutely nothing for young people to do here except drink, we get no major concerts,there are local theaters but tickets prices are astronomical. This is no place to raise a family, there are no kids activities and most people who come to the area don't stay.People in the area are very transient and very grifty. Watch your back.

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SO OVERRATED! - 3/21/2021

I've lived in Fort Myers for 15 years and am ready to get out. I don't understand why anyone comes here, because the beaches are horrible, ruined by Lake Okeechobee. This area is too small for all the tourists that invade the beaches from Nov.-April and take over. Traffic and crime are a nightmare and police hard to find. Enjoy at your risk!

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Sketchy Police scam - 8/5/2020

Super sketchy, dirty beaches and an awful police department. Came here for a vacation and received a $50.00 parking ticket for supposedly parking my tiny Hyundai Elantra rental car in two spaces. Couldn’t do that if I tried! Police force must be broke! Sanibel and Captiva are amazing but fort myers is super trashy. I definitely do not recommend.

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Fort Myers- a perspective from a teen to nearly re - 8/15/2015

I have lived in Fort Myers 36 years. We came here when I was in high school. It has changed so much- from a small town with little shopping or transportation to a metropolis with the typical generic business and restaurants. Critically speaking and, as a traveled person, the area does not have many established private businesses like restaurants, etc to discover. It is more the McDonalds or chain restaurant kind of place. Crime is high. It has touched my family three times and several friends as well in various ways. I took a state job here 30 years ago and plan on relocating when finished. Recommendation? If you are from the Bronx, Chicago, LA, etc, you would probably find it a pleasant place in a warm humid climate. If you are from someplace like Columbus, OH, Asheville, NC or Lexington, KY I would look elsewhere for it would seem congested and definitely expensive. Fort Myers is a smaller city with big city problems and challenges in government and in the schools. If you are looking to move to Florida from another state, consider the living costs. Florida home prices for what you get (cheap CBS low grade construction in average homes) is high and homeowners insurance is some of the highest in the nation- gotta pay to live in the highest hurricane hazard zone (south florida). For many years the largest employer has been the school system which only confirms the better paying job situation- hard to find good paying jobs. If you are retiring get your medicare insurance rate established before you move (they base premiums on where you live at the time of initial) Florida is the highest premiums in the nation. As far as the Thomas Edison quote in the post- yeah, that was then, when it was a small river town being visited in the winter only.

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Thomas A. Edison said it Best - 3/9/2015

He said, "There is only one Ft. Myers and 90 million people are going to find it out." The population of the U.S. was 90 million at the time. I ask could a man of his stature be wrong? Beaches, Great Calusa Blueway, McGregor Blvd. Seminole Lodge, The Mangos, Burrough's home, The RSW, the list goes on and on. Compare , do your homework

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RETIREMENT SEARCH - 11/7/2013

SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS. IS CONTROLED BY CHICAGO AND IS LIKE A SMALL TOWN INSTEAD OF THE CAPITAL.

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Depends on your zip code - 4/15/2013

I was surprised to see Fort Myers' high crime rate. Certainly in some of our areas, the crime rate is high like it is in any town, but I have lived here most of my life (over 40 years) and have never been a victim of any crime. South Ft. Myers has a low crime rate. You want to avoid 33916 and 33905 zip codes and certain areas of 33901. Any low income area with a lot of unemployed people is going to have a high crime rate but most of this crime is same race crimes such as drive-bys, drug crimes, etc. Fort Myers has a lot to offer and I'm not sure who came up with these statistics of our crime rate being a 9 on a scale of 1-10 but I'm positive these statistics are NOT accurate.

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who gets protected by the law - 2/25/2013

what if you was 63 years old and you was given a pill that puts you in a unconscious state and when you wake you see you have been sexuely assaulted, what would you do, you dont really know, i literally went insain and grabbed the guitar and broke the t.v. and window to make hem call the police when the fort myers police got there i told them i was sexuely assaulted but the damage over powered the assault on me so i was arrested for crim. miscif. and went and spent 5 months in jail, went to court and got. $1483.00in fines and restitution and get this anger-management classes and 1 year probationand become a victem of a assault i have contacted from the sheriff to the washington and i mean ever thing in betweenand there is no help. out there no where i have lost all my freedom and all my beleave in our law system and, now im fixing to have to go back to jail for vilation of probation for failing to comply with probation that is not being able to pay the $1483.00 on my $808.00 a month that i get from soceil secuity disabilityall this is killing me where is there any lawyers at that has a heart for there own family. it hurts bad. pray for me thank youim still confussed not knowing which way i should turn i have always been the man of truth honesty and most of all respect, AMEN

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worst place ive lived so far - 1/1/2013

Im 20 yrs old and ive lived in Fort Myers for 4 years now and I'm Itching to get out. the only thing that's keeping me here is finishing the degree that I started in the 1 college they have here. there really isn't much to do except to go to the movie theater bowling ice skating a pet store and maybe the beach if you're willing to drive out to the outer beaches sanibel And bonita springs because Fort Myers Beach is 1 of the ugliest beaches I've ever seen the water is dark greenish blue and the sand is dirty. there arent a lot of jobs that you can find here either unless you've gone to school for years and years. I feel like most of the people that live in fort Myers their families have been living in fort Myers for years and its a cycle that everyone is trying to break but not a lot of people can a lot of people that I talk to always talk about how They want to leave and get out of Fort Myers but only so many actually do mostly because how hard it is to progress in the city the housing is pretty decent a lot of the people that I've met that moved here moved here mostly because the houses were so cheap. as far as the nightlife goes there isn't much going on in the clubs they never really stay in business for too long so everyone is always hopping around from 1 place to the other a lot of people I know go to Miami Tampa or Orlando to party since there really isn't much in fort Myers. 1 of the biggest issues that Fort Myers has to deal with is how horrible the cops are in fort/cape coral area. they are just corrupted on another level and think they can terrorize people just because they have a stupid badge. the judges have no common sense whatsoever theyll sentence a minor for 15 years minimum for something so minor. the trials are dragged on for as long as they can people don't even have a fighting chance because they barely give it any thought when they sentence people and ruin their lives. I feel like it's become routine to them. personally I can't wait to finish my degree graduate and get out of here

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A Truly Boring, Backwards City - 11/5/2012

The restaurants are overpriced and the food is exceptionally bad, in addition to, insufficient staffs. There are barely any sidewalks. People here seemed to be oblivous to reality as, they don't stop for stop signs or Pedestrians. They said the south is backwards, just never realized it would be to such a degree of backwardsness. The locals are uncivilized, unintelligent animals, or bi-polar bullies. They drive at break neck speed to get to a red light and will act like they are going to smash into you in the process, they must really live in the Nascar moment always. After being menaced by a local redneck, tailgaiting, yelling, gesturing, he finally decided to throw somthing at my car. So, called the law, which kinda knew beforehand was pointless. Am audibly upset and right away the put-out officer says "your being sarcastic to me" whaaa, I can't help you if you speak that way. Then we get to discussing how law enforcement could make so much money by pulling over all these cretens that do 80-90 miles in a 45. I was told they do not do that because they would be putting themselves in danger. What? Why on earth are you a police officer?? Well don't worry cause I will be out there myself being put in danger, you make sure to stay in and stay away from the lawbreakers. (ba haa aack wards) SHEESH. Will be out as soon as humanly possible.

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Wish we'd never moved here to Mouldy old Fort Myer - 8/11/2012

My family and I moved here not knowing much about the area and took a chance as we have family here. Where do I begin? Well, the jobs are hard to come by. My husband found a job but he was VERY lucky and also very skilled in his line of work. He works his butt off 50+ hours a week and gets no overtime or benefits. But we are thankful he has a job. We came across so many people who said that they needed a job and had been looking for months. There are also many struggling to make ends meet. Unless you have a nice job lined up here, I would fully advise against moving here. My husband said that there are literally piles of job applications at his work. Cost of Living is high. Food prices compared to other states are insane. The electric Bill in summer will run you $200 to $300+ /month if you live in a house. The weather is AWFUL for a large part of the year! It is hot and humid all summer and I find it gross to go outside for 15 minutes and be covered in sweat. I have lived in Phoenix and that is dry heat which is more tolerable. The storms, as beautiful as they are, make it even muggier and sticker. But that is the tropics for you. The crime is VERY HIGH! This year has been one of the worst. Lots of shootings which involve innocent people. We had a break in a few weeks ago with lots of our belongings stolen. It was the icing on the cake! High crime areas: Pine Manor, MLK blvd, Ortiz & Palm Beach Boulevard west of the 75. The people here are quite rude. Some are just plain nuts. We have met some really nice, friendly people since moving here, but they all seem to be from the North and new to Florida. There is an abundance of ignorant, selfish people here (more than anywhere I have lived before) and kids are disrespectful and out of control. The beaches are not that great unless you go to Sanibel. Fort Myers Beach is nice to visit once but crowded in season. Nothing to write home about. And nothing compared to Miami beaches. So I would advise against moving to Fort Myers city to be near the sea as unless you move to Sanibel or Bonita Springs, you will be disappointed. My favorite things about living here? The Everglades are not too far and it is so beautiful down there. i have nothing but good things to say about that area. Seeing the crocs in their natural habitat is great. Fishing down there is fun too as long as you know the few spots that yield a good catch. The people also seem friendlier and more down to earth. The schools in Fort Myers are hit or miss. My son goes to School and I am definitely not blown away. Looking forward to getting him into a school not overcrowded. I have heard from other people that there are some good schools (Edison) but they are hard to get into and have waiting lists. So to wrap this up, our family (the reason we came here) moved away as they were very unhappy and it really affected their health negatively. Humidity is not so good for Arthritis. Also, if you have allergies I would steer clear as mine are the worst I have ever had here. I had gone to a few doctors due to a chronic sinus infection only to find out it is because of the climate and allergens here. Only solution in my case is to move out of Florida. And the mold count is high. Its hard to avoid breathing in all that moldy air. Overall I am unimpressed and can't wait to leave. It sounds like a whole lot of negative but I have tried so hard to like it here. We came here with nothing but hopes that this was the place to settle and raise our family. It is sad, but I wish I had read some of the reviews here before moving, and heeded the advice. I know some people will disagree with my review, which is fine as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I also think that even though I had a bad experience, someone else might love it here. But I have learned a valuable lesson when it comes to moving to a new city: Visit a couple weeks, (stay in an extended stay hotel) and experience the city before just moving there.

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Terrible Place, Low pay, - 5/4/2012

I spent two years of my life in that crippy town trying to find a good job, but nothing came up. Despite i work in hospitality industry, must of hotels are express hotels or motels where you are exploited, at 8.00 or maximum 9.00 dollars hourly. After two years of being unhappy in that job I saved money, quit and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where it tool me a week and a half in finding a great job, good pay in a great company. Feel glad to have made this decision.

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Looking for a place to go for a couple months in w - 2/3/2012

I am not sure this is the correct website to ask this question, but maybe someone out there can lead us in the right direction. My husband and I live in Minneapolis, MN and are looking for a warm climate to go to for one or two months out of the year. We are not looking for anything fancy but want something decent to probably rent. Does anyone know where we could rent either an apartment or mobile home cheap? I would like to go to the Tampa or Fort Myers area in Florida, but really anyplace warm that is not too expensive. We are both on Social Security so don't want to spend a fortune. If someone could direct us to a website that could assist in what we are looking for that would be wonderful. I just don't know where to start. thank you. You can email me at janesteve_nyberg@yahoo.com

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Love, Love, Love Ft Myers - 1/23/2012

I was shocked to read some of these reviews.. I moved to South Ft Myers from Maryland and couldn't be happier. Friendly people, shopping, designer outlets, fine dining, breathtaking sunsets and white sand beaches with clear blue water.. All within a 10 mile radious of my home. What more could you ask for? It's a laid back area.. As for crime, there's a little bad everywhere. South FM is very quit, alot of gated communities. Homes in the mid 200s and up. Guess the bad areas are north of here. I love it..Just my thoughts.

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Stay Away! No Jobs! Crime! Corruption! Entitled Sn - 1/6/2012

If you are thinking of moving here do not! Unless you are the typical snobbish Snow Bird (6 months here with the "Florida hicks" and then "back home" for the other 6 months). People here are beyond rude, impatient, Entitled a**holes! They drive with this attitude and act this way to your face. We moved to this hellhole a little over a year ago and cannot wait to get the hell out. Crime is outrageous. Drugs. Poverty. Unemployment is rampant. My educated, highly skilled husband has finally (after a year) found employment at a $10 an hour job! Yankees come here and want to hire locals for $8 an hour and then treat them like crap. The beaches are dirty and ugly. Plenty of bars surrounding Fort Myers Beach too. Police, local government and public school system are totally corrupt and in it for themselves! Be Warned. Stay away! Try Lakeland area if you are looking for a small town located between Tampa and Orlando. Very nice.

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If you are in working age, do not move here - 12/9/2011

I came from overseas to live in the Ft Myers-Naples, area and is the worst mistake I could ever make, salaries are very low, there are no jobs, no big companies, economy relies in seasonal tourism after the season your hours are cut, snowbirds, high crime rate, not enough things to do. If you are a young professional I advise you to move to a major city where you can have more employment opportunities and career growth. rent is affordable, but if you don't make enough money, you can't enjoy. I made the decision to move out of state, made it late but at least I made it, and cannot wait to get out of this big ranch.

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tempature - 10/28/2011

Whats it like

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A Great Place To Live If You Have Staedy Work! - 3/20/2011

Fort Myers has a lot going for it: beautiful scenery and constant sunshine; a warm, year-round climate, and fairly low utility costs. It also has very nice people and wonderful restaurants. If you love all the above (along with outdoor activities), then this is the place for you. Please note though that this area, along with much of Florida, relies primarily on tourism. As a result, jobs are mainly service-related, and not always very easy to get. When the tourist season ends, companies cut back on hours, and steady work is a challenge to get during the off-season unless you are lucky. My advice to any person of working age considering a move to Fort Myers is simple: make sure that you have a stable, full-time, year-round job with a financially sound company before you move here. Otherwise, don't even think of living here as a permanent resident. In addition, when considering the area of Fort Myers in which you plan to live, you should certainly do research to determine which parts are nice, and which ones aren't. Failure to do such research can cause serious problems for you. If you consider everything I have stated, and still want to move to Fort Myers, then my response is: go for it!

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