Bye, Bye Tampa
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9/19/2006
I agree with David and thank him for his posting. It's hard to imagine why anyone, like myself, who escaped harsh, brutal winters in the Great Lakes region to move to a beautifully landscaped, sunny city called Tampa would, in only 2 years, grow to hate almost everything about it!!!! It's safe to say up north most people view Florida, including Tampa, as a sunny paradise. Not me or my boyfriend, anymore. People who come from all over the world live in Tampa - and drive that way!!! The city is an accident attorney's dream come true! There seems to be a lack of care for human life by some drivers who are more into road rage, selfishly speeding, and blowing through red lights as if they're self-entitled. I hear all the time how bad Tampa driving is from people who have visited Florida or just moved here. Car accident fatalities are going to continue to rise unless somebody does something. It's truely sad.
The average price for a house has risen, it seems to be $225,000 - $250,000 in Tampa. And that's a house that won't put you "three steps ahead" of everyone else, it just will keep you safe out of the ghetto neighborhoods that call themselves "communities." Please. It took me a while to realize that many thirysomethings earning an average salary can only afford to be renters! Some that I know are still living with their parents. Why isn't housing affordable here??? It seems unless you're rich or have other income aside from your regular job, Tampa can become a hard place to have a house, raise a family in a safe environment, and enjoy luxuries.
Apartment living is no walk in the park either in Tampa. We have lived in only one complex, it's changed owners 3 times in 2 years. It's now going condo, but won't officially tell their tenants because they don't have to, but their breaking lease agreements and forcing people to leave each month. Rent increases continue. We've shopped around the city for a new apartment complex and they are taking advantage of the "apartment turning condo" increase by raising fees. Pet fees are astronomical. It forces good, hard-working people who can't afford the annual increases into complexes in bad locations and bad people.
This is the first city I've lived in where, as a woman, I don't feel safe to jog or walk by myself. And I've lived in NYC! The beaches are beautiful, however, the cost of living, children's educational costs, property taxes, and homeowners insurance costs far outweigh the georgou
Stacey | Egypt Lake-Leto, FL