I moved my family down south to Florida over 7 years ago. I mostly love it, but life here has been f

• My family moved from Maryland to Florida over 7 years ago, when my teens were in elementary school.
• From hurricane parties to political protests, I've experienced a lot and I love living here.
• Florida is more than just Walt Disney World and gators, but both of those exist here.

It's been over seven years since my husband and I chose to relocate our family from Maryland to Florida. It's a decision I've never regretted once, but living in the Sunshine State is very different from life in the Northeast.

Aside from the obvious things like no snow and exponentially more humidity, there's a different political vibe down South and a lot more Southern hospitality. Plus, Disney World is here, which makes me — a journalist who covers theme parks — very happy.

Since arriving here, we've lived in the same place — a concrete, hurricane-proof bunker of a beach house that's steps from the ocean. My kids, who were 6 and 8 when we arrived in Florida, are now 13 and 15. They've grown up eating mangoes fresh from the neighbor's tree, hanging out at the beach, and spending summers at surf camp. 

The life we've built here in our tiny beach town is what I love most about Florida, but such a drastic move is not without its surprises. Here are some things that have given me pause since we arrived as a caravan of cars, kids, dogs, and moving vans in 2016.

We don't actually see many alligators.

I definitely thought there'd be more gator action in the state of Florida — after all, the American alligator is the state reptile.

Although I've seen an occasional gator floating in a pond or sunning itself on the roadside, they aren't running rampant in the streets of Florida as I'd imagined. Instead, when we want to see gators, we go to Gatorland, one of my favorite Florida theme parks.

Driving here isn't always the best, and it can take us a long time to get to most places around Florida.

Whether we're trying to get across the state to visit family or head south to cities like Miami, we're constantly amazed at how long it takes us to get anywhere using Florida's road system. 

There can be a lot of traffic and, in my opinion, there just aren't fast ways to connect from one major highway to another in Florida.

The Florida heat doesn't actually bother us much.

Well-meaning friends and family warned us about moving to a state that has consistently hot weather. But for us, summer in Florida with temperatures regularly hitting over 80 degrees Fahrenheit in August feels no different from a hot, humid August in Maryland.

Fortunately, the super-hot weather typically lasts just a few months out of the year. The rest of the year is blissfully breezy, warm, and sunny, without the extreme heat.

There's really good food in Florida, but I feel like we have to look harder for it.

When we lived close to Baltimore and Washington, DC, we had access to any type of cuisine we desired, as varied as Ethiopian and Thai.

In Florida, I've found that delicious food from different cultures exists but it can be harder for us to find. Do I drive 45 minutes to the best Indian restaurant in the area? Yes, but I have no regrets.

Orlando is also way more than just theme parks.

We live about a 90-minute drive away from Orlando, which has been nicknamed the "theme park capital of the world."

When we first moved to the area, we only visited the city to experience its theme parks. Now we know there's so much more to Orlando, such as museums, parks, and fun downtown areas to explore.

Still, having easy access to theme parks has not gotten old.

My family still spends a lot of time at theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Orlando — we haven't gotten sick of living close to them even after seven years. 

When you live within driving distance of theme parks, it's easier to enjoy them for just a bit and then head home. I don't miss the days when my kids were small and we'd plan theme-park trips from Maryland, exhausting ourselves by squeezing everything into a weeklong vacation.

Hurricane season is a blend of concern and celebration.

The first year we lived in Florida, a major hurricane hit our town. The next year, we were faced with another that seemed equally menacing.

By our third hurricane season, we'd purchased a generator and started thinking harder about whether or not to evacuate our home. Hurricanes can cause devastating damage but we've found some Floridians try to make the most of a looming storm when possible.

After a few years, we've hosted (and attended) a few hurricane parties where people wait out the storm together with food and drinks. If you host or attend one, though, just be sure to exercise caution and stay alert. 

Yes, things can get pretty political... even when you're not expecting it.

Anyone who pays remote attention to the national news cycle knows we've got a lot going on politically in the Sunshine State. It was different to experience it firsthand once we moved here.

I'll never forget when I received the Trump pin pictured above. My family was stopped at a traffic light and a group of protesters, upset about the outcome of the 2022 election, came up to our car window, handed us a Donald Trump button, and tried talking to us about the election.

When the light turned green, we kept on moving.

Golf carts are a huge part of daily life in some parts of Florida.

I never knew street-legal golf carts were a thing until arriving in my tiny beach neighborhood. Here, many people, including police officers and delivery drivers, use golf carts instead of cars. 

There are golf carts in the school pickup line and special golf-carts-only parking spaces at restaurants. I also sometimes see teens I know aren't old enough to have a driver's license flying through my neighborhood behind the wheel.

I've been laying down hints to my husband that I want my own golf cart for my birthday, but until then, I'll catch a ride with cart-owning friends.

This story was originally published on August 4, 2023 and most recently updated on April 17, 2024.

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