Remember the headlines? "Florida is Booming!" "Everyone's Moving to the Sunshine State!" For a while, it felt like the great Florida migration was unstoppable. Lower taxes, warmer weather, and perceived opportunities drew people in droves. But is the tide turning?
Signs suggest the boom might be coming undone. Rising home prices, soaring insurance rates (especially property insurance), and increasingly frequent and severe weather events are making some rethink their Florida dreams. The cost of living, once a major draw, is catching up with or even surpassing other states.
Anecdotal evidence points to a "reverse migration" – folks heading back north or west. While it's too early to declare the great Florida migration definitively over, these challenges paint a complex picture. Is this a temporary blip or the beginning of a significant shift? Only time (and migration data) will tell. But one thing's for sure: the Florida dream isn't quite as simple as it used to be.
