The Wild, Weird & Wonderful Side of Florida
Think you really know Florida? It's a state with flamingos (real ones and the yard ornaments), manatees, "pirates", and live mermaid shows you'll have to see to believe. Here, hurricanes are both terrifying and expected to help meet yearly party-quotas. Let's run through the local facts, stats, and gator gossip that showcase what makes Florida's sunshine-soaked chaos so irresistible.
Vanessa, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move
Vanessa has moved so many times she basically has her own punch card — seventh move is free, right? After ping-ponging from Massachusetts to Fort Lauderdale, St. Pete, and now Tampa (with yet another move on deck), she’s a master of the “shove-it-through-the-doorframe” school of moving. When she’s not plotting how to downsize from 3,000 sq. ft-worth-of-stuff, she’s watercolor-painting, slinging dumbbells like a wannabe bodybuilder, or serving as parakeet wrangler and dog foster mom. She swears Florida sunsets beat California’s, and she has no regrets about trading in her New England clam chowder and lobster rolls for Florida's grouper bites and Cuban coffee. She'll pass on the gator bites, though. At Snappy Scout, her moving scars and Floridian street cred make her the trusted local to guide your next move.
Read moreWritten with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts
What Makes Florida Florida?
The weird, useful, and surprisingly relevant facts that shape everyday life here.
Locals Know Best
Everyone knows the big, main beaches - Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, Clearwater Beach...but what not everyone realizes is that just a few miles from most of these main beaches, is a smaller, more private and quiet "locals" beach. So if you want to blend in, skip the main entrance and look a couple miles out.
— Vanessa Leikvoll
Florida Local Expert
Ready to See If Florida Fits You?
Compare cities, check the routes, or head back to the full Florida guide for the bigger picture.