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I Live Here

Brandon

Fed up with the snowy winters, a Jersey girl leaves her home state for Florida's blazing hot summers, and loves it.

By PERONICA GLADDEN
Published September 23, 2005

That winter two years ago was exceptionally brutal for the state of New Jersey.

Many mornings, my husband and I would wake up to several feet of snow that had accumulated overnight.

We would face the task of shoveling a path on the sidewalk for pedestrians to safely walk through. Then, to top it off, we would sprinkle rock salt to melt the layer of ice that developed under the snow.

We would also have to shovel and de-ice our 50-foot driveway. All of this had to be done before we could begin our day. In the town where we lived, you were fined if it wasn't done. We would commute to work while the snow continued to accumulate, only to repeat the snow-removal process when we returned home.

Although I was born and raised in New Jersey, after that winter, this thin-skinned, anemic Jersey girl was fed up. I expressed this to my husband, Michael, who grew up in the South and thought that all the snow was "cool."

"I don't want to spend another winter here," I told him.

After some serious planning, we listed our New Jersey home with a Realtor. My husband circulated his resume within three Southern states on the East Coast. Although he received several offers, I wanted him to accept the job farthest south. Everyone in New Jersey warned me of Florida's brutally hot summers. That didn't deter me any.

We traveled to Florida in September 2004. We wanted to find a town to live in within a 25-mile radius of my husband's new workplace. The employees at the hotel where we stayed warned us not to be fooled by the nice autumn weather. They said that the summer months were unbearable.

We met with our real estate agent to find the perfect home. He told us he tries not to spend many daylight hours outdoors during the summer.

Everyone we crossed paths with warned us repeatedly of what we were getting ourselves into.

Not only had we honeymooned in Florida five years ago, but we had also spent a couple of vacations here. Although our vacations were in the spring, we refused to believe that the summer would be much different.

We sold our New Jersey home, purchased our Florida home, and settled in Brandon in February. We have since experienced the end of Florida's winter, all of its spring, and finally its summer. I must admit that the summer was blazing hot.

However, it was not much hotter than it gets in New Jersey. There were days, during the summer, when New Jersey had temperatures higher than 100 degrees, while here in Florida, we basked in the mid 90s.

I am enjoying the warm weather, palm trees, beaches and southern hospitality - my paradise. To any Northerners contemplating the move to Florida, I say to you, Don't believe the hype!

- Peronica Gladden lives in the Heather Lakes subdivision in Brandon with her husband and four daughters.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 10:20:06]