South Florida Children

I realize this website is called SouthFloridaChildren.com but we have actually been living in Central Florida for a couple of years now. When I bought this domain we owned a home in Fort Lauderdale after having lived in Key West and Miami for most of our lives. We assumed we would be spending our lives in sunny South Florida and although we visit often it has been some time since we were permanent residents.

Central Florida is far and different from the Southern portions of the Sunshine State and what goes on in Ocala is not the same as what goes on in Boca Raton. These two cities could not be more opposite than each other and the differences are more than just financial. Boca is a retirement community for wealthy Americans who travel here each winter from places like New York and Canada. Ocala is a retirement community for people from the exact same places with a lot less money.

I have seen single family homes in Ocala sell for the same price as single car parking spaces in downtown Fort Lauderdale and everything from real estate to a gallon of milk is cheaper in Ocala. At the same time I find it was easier to make money in South Florida because more people around you had some to spend. Here in Ocala its hard to find any kind of work locally and most of our friends and neighbors are on some form of government assistance.

The economy has been tough all over and in South Florida it seems the pain is being felt more by those who have never had to do without. In Ocala it seems like business as usual with poor people being just a little more poor but still able to adapt unlike their counterparts in wealthy areas where crime rates are soaring for petty theft and robbery and the suspects are rich kids who can’t do without their expensive toys.

I miss South Florida and soon will come a day where we live there again but for now it seems like we’re doing just fine without.