In this edition of my blog I am  going to pose the questions that I mentioned about in an earlier posting.  I hope that someone takes the time to ready it and answer as many as they can.  I will use this as part of my decision making process as if I should continue to look for work in the Keys, open a business or give up on the idea as a whole.

None of these are true makers or breakers  in my decisions.

First off the business related questions:

1. I used 411.com to see what kind of competition I might have is in the Keys.  I see that a lot of my potential competition doing computer consulting work is out of their houses.  Is the norm for small business being home based or is there a mixture of home base and store front or are they the exception?
2. If it is is the norm for people to run a business out of the house, are there any zoning regulations that need to be considered?
3. What about sales tax?  Is tax collected on material, service or both?
4. What is the sales tax rate for Monroe County?
5. If I decide to incorporate, is it mandatory to have a lawyer in Florida set it up?
6. I decide to have a store front, what are the average rents there?
7. I was told that computer service businesses have come and gone very quickly.  Is this so?
8. So far I've notice only handful of larger companies there, that is with greater than 100 employees and excluding Publix and Waste Management.  That is the electric company, the NAS, Fisherman's Hospital.  Am I missing any and if so who?
9. If I open and run a business there and need internet connectivity, what are my choices?  Note that business internet generally has a different SLA than residential.

Now I call these "Personal Questions" only because they are fairly general and are some personal concerns that I have:

1.  By looking at Google street view, I see a lot of houses on stilts which indicate flooding.  How often does it flood and how severe? 

Houses on stilts.

.

Local street flooding 1 block east from Glen Archer Jr. Dr. 
This is not the only place I've seen water on the road.

Same location as above only from Google Earth

2.  We use oil for heat and natural gas for hot water and cooking. What is used there?

3.  We have Verizon FiOS for internet, phone and TV.  Is FiOS there?

4.  If there is no FiOS, who are the internet providers?  Comcast?

5.  If there is no FiOS, what type of internet connection is there?  DSL, T1, cable modem, etc?

6.  What is the waste disposal, sewer or cesspool?

7.  What are the hospitals there?  Are any of them trauma centers?

8.  What supermarkets are there and where?

9.  My wife likes watching discovery and has seen shows about the invasive species in Florida. She is really concerned about pythons which I am too.  How bad is it there?  I did read that a few were caught in Key Largo.  How much of a problem is it?

18' Python caught in the Everglades in October 2011

      From the Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/florida/howwework/stopping-a-burmese-python-invasion.xml)

      "The Conservancy created a python hotline, 1-888-IVE-GOT-1. Today, Florida Fish and Wildlife
      Conservation Commission call centers in South Florida quickly dispatch a trained responder.

      “We have 24-hour response by law enforcement in 10 counties, although anyone in Florida can leave a

       message,” Millett says. The counties where a Conservancy-trained responder is dispatched are: 

       Monroe, Miami-Dade, Collier, Hendry, Broward, Palm Beach, Glades, Martin, St. Lucie and  

       Okeechobee counties.

      The response force is being built throughout South Florida, with more Python Patrol workshops being 

      scheduled."

10.  If I should happen to discover a python on my property, am I allowed to dispatch it?

11.  If so how?  12Ga?  Axe? Rear wheels of the car? Flame thrower?  Err skip the flame thrower part.

12.  If I happen to come across a python warming itself on the road, am I allowed to make it into road kill with the car?

13.  One of my hobbies is astronomy, what are the night skies like? On any clear night can you see the milky way? 

14.  In NY the humidity in the summer is oppressive, what is it like there?  My wife has major breathing issues and the humidity can affect her adversely. 

15.  What kind of a response do you get from emergency services ie PD, FD?  are they quick to arrive or do you have to wait?

16.  Do any of the houses have basements and if so, are they dry or do we have to worry about having an indoor pool? 

17.  What TV and radio stations cover the Keys and what type of programming do they offer? 

18.  The job market as a whole in NY is horrible to non-existent.  What is it like in the Keys?

19.  Is it true that most people need 2 jobs just to survive in the Keys?  If so what are they?

20.  Crime is everywhere to be sure.  But what types of crime and how often are affecting the Keys?  Are there areas to avoid?  Is it safe to go away for the weekend and leave the door unlocked (we used to be able to do that here 40 years ago but not now)?  Is it safe for a woman to walk alone at night there?

21.  What is on the street parking like?  I've read in a forum that if you park in an area where you do not live, your car gets towed to Stock Island and you wind up paying a fortune in getting it back.  Is there any truth to that?

22.  What type of Fire Department is there?  Volunteer or paid?

23.  What type of ambulances are there? Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support or 'you call we haul that's all'?

24.  NY enacted a salt water license to go fishing.  Do you need one there?

25.  What are the firearms laws there?  Do you need a permit to own a rifle, shotgun or pistol?

26.  Are there helmet laws for riding a motorcycle?

27.  What types of social outlets are there?  Movies, theater, bingo, restaurants?

These are some of the more pressing questions that I have in regards to moving to the Keys or not.  I would hope that some of the readers of this blog take the time to answer them for me.  My email address is easteggbill@gmail.com.  Put 'Questions" in the subject line.  If I need I will write back from another non-published email address.

'till next time.