My research in going to the Keys to live and work is starting to go in the direction that I wish it wouldn't.  So far I am starting to see reasons in not going there.  But it is still early yet.

First I was told by one of my FB friends that it is expensive to live there and that most people need two jobs just to survive.  On the flip side looking at the rents and house prices, we beat the Keys hands down as far as being expensive.  You can't touch a run down shack around here for less than $300K.  And jobs?  There are none here on Long Island unless you want to flip burgers part time.  But for this discussion, score 1 minus.

One of my LinkedIn connections questioned as to why would I want to move there in the first place.  They are looking to move back to the mainland.  They had or have a business running out of their home and sales dropped by 70%.  They also said that during the months of August and September there is no money there.  No one is working at all during that time.  The whole economy in the Keys tanked.  They also said that they have seen computer consultants come and go as fast as you can change your socks so opening a computer consulting business is financial suicide.

Yet here in New York in East Egg and in the surrounding towns I see a lot of vacant stores.  They too are coming and going so fast you need a score card to keep track.  And we have a lot of high end expensive boutique types of stores as well.  Makes you wonder how they can make it if at all.  Even one of the large supermarket chains here is in financial trouble.  But we have a lot of big box stores cropping up all over and they are pushing the small store out.  So I guess we are no different.  But for this, let's score a minus point.

I read an article in an on-line copy of the Keys News.  It echoed what was said in the first set of comments that you need two jobs just to survive in the Keys.  Unless you are retired or are a millionaire.  Heck you practically need to be a millionaire to live here and with the recent announcement in Newsday that property taxes are jumping up by 30% you really need to be a millionaire to live in Nassau County.  But let's score a minus point for now.

I subscribe to a few blogs.  One of them, "My Key West Diary" by ConchScooter showed a downside of Key West that no one likes to talk about.  The homeless.  We have our own fair share here so that is a washout.  But from his post, some of the homeless moved to the Keys to try and make a go of it and start their own businesses only to have them fail.  Next thing you know they not only loose their source of income, but their homes as well only to wind up on the streets.  And I get the feeling that it is quite a few like that.  So let's give that a minus point.


Another blog I subscribe to is that from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.  OK there is crime in the Keys.  No different than any other place in the United States.  But from is being posted I see only small things, like a few burgleries, a few drug busts, some theft, and an occasional DWI.  No violent crime. 

Yet here on Long Island there are areas where you don't dare drive through in the day time let alone at night.  In a recent news article that made TV the police found a dead child buried in a yard in Farmingdale.  It was a boy of 18 months and the parents never reported him missing.  One of the largest drug busts in the nations history was right here in East Egg as well.  Plus the bodies that they have been finding on the south shore and so far no one has been arrested in it.  There was a murder not far from where I live several years ago where a young girl was stabbed multiple times.  The case is still open.  Those are just a few samples so yes we have violent crime here.  Score the Keys positive point.

In the same issue of the Keys News they echoed what I have been reading in the Monroe County Sheriff's blogs and that is Key West is safe.  Mind you the issue is at least a year old.  So let's score a positive point here.

In a post that I made on FB one of the response was that they could not find work in two years and had to move away from there.  What kind of work did they did was never mentioned.  But for this, let's give a minus point.

Doing some research into the homeless situation there in the Keys I came across an article that mentioned about a family that was made homeless by Wilma.  They lost everything and could not find work in Key West anyplace.  So finally they moved to Marathon where he was able to find work but doing what was never mentioned.  A minus goes here for no work in Key West.

One of my other FB friends who runs a business there told me that is is very rough to survive there.  They never elaborated in how.  So let's give this a minus point.

I spoke on the phone with another FB friend a few months ago.  We had a great conversation for almost an hour.   They told me that there is a crying need for computer consultants there and that there is more work repairing computers for homeowners that what the current consultants can handle.  Looking at what I have found so far, I an nervous about giving this a positive point but will do so anyway.

As part of doing due diligence I posted a survey here in my blog and mentioned about it on FB asking people to take it.  This way I can make a more informed decision if I should say screw it and just move the the Keys and start from scratch.  So far no one responded.  Score a minus point.

I reached out to the Monroe County seat hoping that I could get my questions answered.  So far no one from Monroe County responded and my questions go unanswered.  Score a minus point.

I read that Burmese Pythons were caught in Key Largo.  Looking at the Monroe County website I see mention of the python problem Florida is having.  Yet Monroe county even includes a large section in the mainland as well.  So far I have not read about any pythons south of Key Largo.  But for the fact that pythons have made it to Key Largo, a minus point.

Using Google Streetview I see a lot of newer homes being built on stilts.  Is flooding that bad there?  Even looking at the building codes for Monroe County new residences must be up on stilts and have a specified wind force resistance.  I guess flooding an storms are that bad or can be.  I would think that the bulk of this was because the damage that Wilma caused.  I saw a photo of Roosevelt Blvd under six feet of water during that storm.  A minus point here.

One of my FB friends made a suggestion that I reach out to a particular company there for things are always in flux there.  A positive point goes here.



So far the score is 12 negative reasons in not going to the Keys with only 3 positive.  It really is not shaping up too well for me to leave New York and move to the Keys to start over again.  But right now this is still in the beginning stages.  I am hopeful that things will turn around and that I can find work there as a network engineer / computer consultant.  So I am not giving up the dream just yet.

I long to move there but right now things are so far up in the air.

'till next time