After returning from Central Florida, I once again ask myself why I don't live there. This time I was there for a vacation, but even on my previous visit, just a few weeks before for a funeral, I loved being there.
I can't entirely put my finger on why I like being there so much. It's not geologically interesting at all. It's so flat, and the only really interesting scenery is the manufactured stuff in theme parks. The job market for people in my line of work isn't terrible, and it seems to be trying to hard to be like Austin or even Seattle, but it has a long way to go. We don't have that many friends down there either.
I suppose that being Florida makes it feel like a vacation pretty much all of the time. It's summer almost every day. Some people complain that it's too hot in the summer, but honestly it's only a few degrees higher than what you'll find in your average Midwest summer. For people like me who clearly suffer seasonal changes in my mood, Florida is like Prozac.
Four years ago, I would not have had any particular reason to not move there. Now I have Simon. It's not that he wouldn't enjoy living there, it's that the schools generally suck. That's the hang up I have about that area. I love being there, but I have a kid who will start school in less than three years. I need to settle in a place where he has access to good schools.
That said, I'm not opposed to visiting Florida more often. I was going pretty much twice, even three times a year for awhile there, but Seattle made that a little difficult. I'm not saying I'm going to buy into the Disney Vacation Club or anything, but I definitely need to think about visiting more frequently.
The problem with Florida in the summer is there is no break from June until October. It isn't like a one week heat wave. It's 5 straight months with the heat index above 100 and nights no lower than 75 with heavy humidity. The upside is there are no aches and pains in your body. It usually takes about 3 weeks to get used to the heat. After that your body adapts pretty well and your blood will thin out so much that first summer that you'll be putting on a coat at 60 degrees.
As for schools down here, most people that make decent coin put their kids in private. You seem to do pretty well so that might be your best route.
I love Florida.