If you’re thinking about moving to Florida, maybe Delray Beach Florida, you need to know about the issues you’ll face here. And after living here 8 years, I’m starting to see the amazing, and no so, each year.
Delray Beach Florida and 9 Things
First let’s take a look at homeowners insurance and the challenges in Florida. If you want to move here, you’ll want to know why are insurance rates so high. Well, over the last five years, a lot of private insurance companies like Farmers Insurance, USAA and other big brands you know, left. Why?
There are fraudulent claims, hurricanes, rising seawater, and roofs that fly off homes. There’s a state-backed insurance company – Citizens Property Insurance Group. They’re taking on the majority of policies because from other insurer who are getting rid of their policies. Citizens is taking over Florida insurance, and in June, 2023, they asked the state for a 12% increase for their premiums. That’s not good for homeowners.
12% insurance increase for a lot of folks will keep them from moving to Florida. It gets worse. If you buy a house in Florida and it’s not your primary residence – you live somewhere else – the state is approving up to 50% increase in your premiums. So, if you’re thinking about moving here, focus on insurance news and be current.
The next thing to share is our water.
Well, if you’ve never been to Delray Beach Florida and you open up your faucet and pour a glass you’ll know it’s hard water. We don’t have soft water. That means it has a lot of chemicals and minerals. It smells like rotten eggs and tastes odd. At my house, we have a double filtration system, one that goes through our refrigerator. Then it goes into our Brita.
When I built and filled our pool, I couldn’t believe what was coming out from the hose. It was yellow. Do me a favor; do not drink the tap water.
Number three is homeowners associations and how they dominate Florida. You need to have the right expectation about the fees they charge. You’ll see in a lot of articles, they say the average HOA fees in Florida is about $385.
That needs a bit more context. If you want to live in downtown Delray or even near the beach, you’re it’ll be between, $650 to $2000 per month. Now take a look at this chart.
In Florida, there are 48,940 HOA’s. Almost 10 million people live in an HOA community. Each HOA in Florida has the average of 197 residents. Almost 45% of Florida residents live in an HOA. 25% of Floridian homeowners are part of an HOA, and an estimated 3.7 million homes in Florida are part of an HOA.
If you’ve been thinking about retiring here, you need put enough of money aside for HOA fees because HOA fees do not go down. They go up.
Number four – heat is never ending. You’ll have days in December, January, February when it’s 85 degrees. My wife always says in October it’s time to get rid of the sandals and the bathing suits and put out the sweaters and the boots. No, you don’t put away the sandals ever. You never put the shorts away while living in Delray Beach Florida. You’re always wearing shorts. And then there’s April and May when the rains arrive and we get tropical depressions.
In June it’s 92 degrees with a 97 index at 70% humidity. This goes on August, September, October, November. By Christmas time it’s 80 degrees. It’s hot. If you don’t wanna wear flip flops and polos…
The fifth reason you’ll turn around and stay is because population is growing fast. If that’s not for you, if you can’t handle the population growth… well. From Florida’s beaches to the wetlands it’s about 15 miles distance. We only have that much space to build. So, when people say they’ll buy land, there just isn’t enough. We take land that’s zoned for R2 or higher and we build up. That’s why we have so many high rises.
The sixth item, about a city who cares for the beaches.
Delray Beach Florida just received the Blue Flag Award. It was the first of two cities in America to ever get a Blue Flag award (you can read all about it here). It’s about a city doing the right things to keep our beaches clean, keep our sea life healthy, educate people about what’s going on in the city and working in our environment. Hundreds of people that showed up for the event. Go down to Atlantic Avenue and A1A… the American flag, and a blue flag is hanging just below.
Number seven is Delray Beach Florida spending money to improve its downtown neighborhoods. They took care of Osceola Park over the last three years. They brought in underground electricity, widened the roads and sidewalks.
Now they’re looking at the West Settlement District area, which is on the west side of Swinton, east side of I 95. It’s a large residential area and an integral part of the greater downtown area.
The City is investing on the west side of I 95 on Congress Avenue. There’s a new apartment unit complex, about 280 units. They’re looking at Congress Avenue as a place for commerce, new residential apartments.
Number eight is about Delray Beach Florida restaurants and food. Lots of people don’t like to be in the midst of restaurants and crowded areas.
On Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove and the streets that go north to south, there’s now over 80 restaurants in just the downtown Delray area.
It’s not gonna stop. There’s Atlantic Crossing with Lake Colonial restaurant. In a couple years Sunday Village, will be on the corner of Atlantic and Swinton. There’s so much food being served in Delray Beach Florida – that’s at the heart of its lure.
And at last, Delray Beach Florida is one of 16 cities in America who has won the All-American City ward. Not once, not twice, but three times.
We have some of the best craft art festivals throughout the south. People are coming here, bringing their skills. They’re adding great things to the city looking forward for the next generation. Delray Beach Florida is positioning itself to be a leader in South Florida and Palm Beach County.
So, if you don’t want to be a part of a place that’s progressive, forward-thinking and doing nice things for its citizens, well you can hit the stop button and we’re done.
Delray Beach Florida just may not be the place for you.
