Just Wow

[spenser1058]

Well, after several weeks back and forth, it’s finally official: effective February 15, I’ll be moving to Jacksonville. I’ve always liked the city - some have observed it’s the closest to being what folks think of when they think of a city as far as Florida goes: it’s a little gritty, it has got a “past” and had some manufacturing along the way. The river, and ohhhh those bridges plus the beach. My favorite thing of all is still the Mayport ferry; its way out of town but I still like to go out there to ride every couple of weeks.

I never could do it before because its politics were, like most Southern cities, too Republican. That, of course, has changed; like much of the country, the serious GOP folks have voted with their feet and moved to the suburban counties, leaving Duval to us more progressive sorts.

Anyway, in addition to working with some of the preservation groups I’m going to be working on a mayoral campaign ( unlike Orlando, they really have those up there rather than just going through the motions). I’ll be living in a fixer-upper in Springfield, which is just north of downtown.

It’s going to be hard to leave my hometown but the core of Orlando has become much more corporate than I am these days. Did I change or did it? It’s an interesting question and I may never know. All I know for sure is that the group I’m working with now is wide open to all kinds of ideas for bringing back downtown and I look forward to the same type of situation we had back in 1983 when I first moved back to Orlando.

I’ve learned so much here on UP from a lot of very smart folks these past 14-some years and I have been passing many of your thoughts, especially regarding transit, to those I’m working with in Jax.

I’ll be looking in on y’all to see how things are going. Some years ago, I started checking sites every day to make sure we had things to post on here so the forum never died like SSC/Orlando did. It seems that @AmIReal has taken up those duties of late so things should stay active until the next wave of building activity kicks in.

All the best to all of you and here’s to an even better City Beautiful in the coming decade!

Edited January 28, 2021 by spenser1058

[AmIReal]

38 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Well, after several weeks back and forth, it’s finally official: effective February 15, I’ll be moving to Jacksonville. I’ve always liked the city - some have observed it’s the closest to being what folks think of when they think of a city as far as Florida goes: it’s a little gritty, it has got a “past” and had some manufacturing along the way. The river, and ohhhh those bridges plus the beach. My favorite thing of all is still the Mayport ferry; its way out of town but I still like to go out there to ride every couple of weeks.

I never could do it before because its politics were, like most Southern cities, too Republican. That, of course, has changed; like much of the country, the serious GOP folks have voted with their feet and moved to the suburban counties, leaving Duval to us more progressive sorts.

Anyway, in addition to working with some of the preservation groups I’m going to be working on a mayoral campaign ( unlike Orlando, they really have those up there rather than just going through the motions). I’ll be living in a fixer-upper in Springfield, which is just north of downtown.

It’s going to be hard to leave my hometown but the core of Orlando has become much more corporate than I am these days. Did I change or did it? It’s an interesting question and I may never know. All I know for sure is that the group I’m working with now is wide open to all kinds of ideas for bringing back downtown and I look forward to the same type of situation we had back in 1983 when I first moved back to Orlando.

I’ve learned so much here on UP from a lot of very smart folks these past 14-some years and I have been passing many of your thoughts, especially regarding transit, to those I’m working with in Jax.

I’ll be looking in on y’all to see how things are going. Some years ago, I started checking sites every day to make sure we had things to post on here so the forum never died like SSC/Orlando did. It seems that @AmIReal has taken up those duties of late so things should stay active until the next wave of building activity kicks in.

All the best to all of you and here’s to an even better City Beautiful in the coming decade!

Just Wow!

Quite a loss for Orlando and this online community. Quite a gain for Jax. Quite a change for a hometown lad.

As you already know, you have a significant challenge ahead, but I am certain we all wish you well. I "did some time" in Jax in "80-83" and even met my 2nd ex-wife there ('87) during the Gator Bowl. I have very fond memories of the City and I am confident you will make it better.

You'll be happy to hear, per 538, that although Orange had a very slight rightward turn in '20 that Duval continued a hard left. I'll keep an eye (and maybe some $) on your candidate.

Hope you check in on us occasionally to provide updates. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by AmIReal

[JFW657]

It's the internet.

Anyone can post on any forum from anywhere.

I'm actually posting from Chugwater, Wyoming.

Moved there recently from Bugtussle, Kentucky. 

[prahaboheme]

12 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Well, after several weeks back and forth, it’s finally official: effective February 15, I’ll be moving to Jacksonville. I’ve always liked the city - some have observed it’s the closest to being what folks think of when they think of a city as far as Florida goes: it’s a little gritty, it has got a “past” and had some manufacturing along the way. The river, and ohhhh those bridges plus the beach. My favorite thing of all is still the Mayport ferry; its way out of town but I still like to go out there to ride every couple of weeks.

I never could do it before because its politics were, like most Southern cities, too Republican. That, of course, has changed; like much of the country, the serious GOP folks have voted with their feet and moved to the suburban counties, leaving Duval to us more progressive sorts.

Anyway, in addition to working with some of the preservation groups I’m going to be working on a mayoral campaign ( unlike Orlando, they really have those up there rather than just going through the motions). I’ll be living in a fixer-upper in Springfield, which is just north of downtown.

It’s going to be hard to leave my hometown but the core of Orlando has become much more corporate than I am these days. Did I change or did it? It’s an interesting question and I may never know. All I know for sure is that the group I’m working with now is wide open to all kinds of ideas for bringing back downtown and I look forward to the same type of situation we had back in 1983 when I first moved back to Orlando.

I’ve learned so much here on UP from a lot of very smart folks these past 14-some years and I have been passing many of your thoughts, especially regarding transit, to those I’m working with in Jax.

I’ll be looking in on y’all to see how things are going. Some years ago, I started checking sites every day to make sure we had things to post on here so the forum never died like SSC/Orlando did. It seems that @AmIReal has taken up those duties of late so things should stay active until the next wave of building activity kicks in.

All the best to all of you and here’s to an even better City Beautiful in the coming decade!

I’ve always liked Springfield - beautiful historic homes and a neighborhood with even more potential (admittedly I haven’t been there in at least 10 years so I’m sure it’s changed a lot in that time).

[dcluley98]

Good luck in Jax, Spenser, and thanks for a lot of information you have posted over the years. I am sure you will stop in fairly regularly just to keep up on the old O-town news. (hopefully).

[AmIReal]

Anyone in the home buying market? I haven't looked deeply into this, but some new online search resource is doing a pilot in Orlando and other FL cities. "House X provides new home inventory for quick move-in, free renewable energy, free air purification and a "smart mortgage" discounted one percent for the first 12 months"

The Orlando Pilot includes:

• Over 1,822 new homes in over 228 communities with 530 homes ready for quick move-in

• Renewable electricity at zero cost to registered home buyers

• 1% discounted mortgage for the first 12 months, followed by either 14 or 29 years of fixed-rate record-low mortgage rate on FDA conforming loans

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/future-home-buying-arrives-orlando-034200742.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFu6C9M-LhlIyaLRe2k7-rzr2bOA-_OmMHEknQMca8TOygK5_UGRaP__MsxbJvlpLnFU9kmK3X3IZd8ngkHxY_YvNhVxVqch2ZKWIkMWdeT_fuCTg1BcRsDn4egT_uq0YznxuZClyLGnSgE3IVfCh-fVkYuhmSkfAHQFVvfJT4wA

House X | The Smart Home Marketplace

I know nothing about this company other than a quick perusal of the website, but it seems interesting.

Btw, @spenser1058 they offer the same program in Jax.

Edited January 29, 2021 by AmIReal

[nite owℓ]

On 1/28/2021 at 12:29 AM, JFW657 said:

It's the internet.

Anyone can post on any forum from anywhere.

I'm actually posting from Chugwater, Wyoming.

Moved there recently from Bugtussle, Kentucky. 

Those sound like areas where the internet is only available via dial-up lol. Orlando is about as small town as I can tolerate (but that might change as I get older).

[prahaboheme]

4 hours ago, nite owℓ said:

Those sound like areas where the internet is only available via dial-up lol. Orlando is about as small town as I can tolerate (but that might change as I get older).

Wouldn’t it be great if internet was actually inaccessible in Chugwater.

[JFW657]

6 hours ago, nite owℓ said:

Those sound like areas where the internet is only available via dial-up lol. Orlando is about as small town as I can tolerate (but that might change as I get older).

Chugwater and Bugtussle are both sophisticated, teeming metropoles.

A  lot of people don't know that.

2 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

Wouldn’t it be great if internet was actually inaccessible in Chugwater.

No, because then I wouldn't be able to laugh at and be amused by snooty comments and weak attempts at sarcasm made by humorless, self-serious people. 

I would miss that.

[AmIReal]

On 1/27/2021 at 10:33 PM, AmIReal said:

I "did some time" in Chugwater in "84-85" and even met my 4th ex-wife there ('88) during the Crap Bowl.

[JFW657]

Well, it's like Barretta said....

Some mean streets in that town.

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

Chugwater and Bugtussle are both sophisticated, teeming metropoles.

A  lot of people don't know that.

No, because then I wouldn't be able to laugh at and be amused by snooty comments and weak attempts at sarcasm made by humorless, self-serious people. 

I would miss that.

Don’t be silly - again, and again, and again, boy.

 

[JFW657]

6 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

Don’t be silly - again, and again, and again, boy.

I wonder why some people always seem to be looking to cause trouble and create strife. 

[Uncommon]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:55 PM, spenser1058 said:

Well, after several weeks back and forth, it’s finally official: effective February 15, I’ll be moving to Jacksonville. I’ve always liked the city - some have observed it’s the closest to being what folks think of when they think of a city as far as Florida goes: it’s a little gritty, it has got a “past” and had some manufacturing along the way. The river, and ohhhh those bridges plus the beach. My favorite thing of all is still the Mayport ferry; its way out of town but I still like to go out there to ride every couple of weeks.

I never could do it before because its politics were, like most Southern cities, too Republican. That, of course, has changed; like much of the country, the serious GOP folks have voted with their feet and moved to the suburban counties, leaving Duval to us more progressive sorts.

Anyway, in addition to working with some of the preservation groups I’m going to be working on a mayoral campaign ( unlike Orlando, they really have those up there rather than just going through the motions). I’ll be living in a fixer-upper in Springfield, which is just north of downtown.

It’s going to be hard to leave my hometown but the core of Orlando has become much more corporate than I am these days. Did I change or did it? It’s an interesting question and I may never know. All I know for sure is that the group I’m working with now is wide open to all kinds of ideas for bringing back downtown and I look forward to the same type of situation we had back in 1983 when I first moved back to Orlando.

I’ve learned so much here on UP from a lot of very smart folks these past 14-some years and I have been passing many of your thoughts, especially regarding transit, to those I’m working with in Jax.

I’ll be looking in on y’all to see how things are going. Some years ago, I started checking sites every day to make sure we had things to post on here so the forum never died like SSC/Orlando did. It seems that @AmIReal has taken up those duties of late so things should stay active until the next wave of building activity kicks in.

All the best to all of you and here’s to an even better City Beautiful in the coming decade!

Oh THAT’S why you’ve been talking up Jacksonville for the past few months lol good luck in Springfield, I wish you well. Hopefully Jax begins to change for the better. There’s a ton of work to do, but I’ve always said Jacksonville has as much potential as any city in Florida.

Cheers

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

I wonder why some people always seem to be looking to cause trouble and create strife. 

The mirror can be harsh.

[JFW657]

7 minutes ago, prahaboheme said:

The mirror can be harsh.

Something I'm sure you know all too well.

Time to end this.

Leave me alone and stop harassing me now or I will complain to the admin.

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

Something I'm sure you know all too well.

Time to end this.

Leave me alone and stop harassing me now or I will complain to the admin.

My pleasure. I don’t think the irony is lost on anyone. 

[spenser1058]

On 1/28/2021 at 12:29 AM, JFW657 said:

It's the internet.

Anyone can post on any forum from anywhere.

I'm actually posting from Chugwater, Wyoming.

Moved there recently from Bugtussle, Kentucky. 

Isn’t Bug Tussle in Tennessee? I seem to remember that from The Beverly Hillbillies.

My favorite town name in TN remains Bucksnort.

[JFW657]

13 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Isn’t Bug Tussle in Tennessee? I seem to remember that from The Beverly Hillbillies.

My favorite town name in TN remains Bucksnort.

Nope. Bugtussle (one word) is in ol' Kentuck.

[AmIReal]

Per WalletHub, Metro Orlando is the highest ranked FL city for STEM professionals and comes in #19 nationwide. Tampa came in #22, Jax #63 and Miami #72.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2021/02/01/orlando-among-best-metros-for-stem-workers.html

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, AmIReal said:

Per WalletHub, Metro Orlando is the highest ranked FL city for STEM professionals and comes in #19 nationwide. Tampa came in #22, Jax #63 and Miami #72.

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2021/02/01/orlando-among-best-metros-for-stem-workers.html

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200

Yes, it’s phenomenal just how ignored our high-tech sector is because tourism gets all the coverage. Unfortunately, our leaders tend to divert the funding to tourism (like the infamous Universal bridge built with funds that were supposed to be for distressed areas) even though tech wages are much higher. It would be one thing if we weren’t 50 of 50 metros in wage scales but here we are and they continue to double down on tourism. We’ve turned into Daytona in its  worst days.

[Uncommon]

To be fair, Wallet Hub lists are pretty worthless and nonsensical. Their methodology for generating their infamous lists are eyeroll-worthy and generally not taken very seriously.

It is nice to have a high ranking though, and I agree that Orlando’s tech scene is highly underrated. Most ignorant people just assume most of the city is exclusively employed by tourism. Little do they know Orlando has one of the most quickly-diversifying economies in the United States since 2014.

[spenser1058]

Stacey Abrams nominated for Nobel Peace Prize:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nobel-prize-peace-usa-idUSKBN2A12HY

From Reuters

 

Keep in mind while Stacey was changing Georgia bigly, Andrew Gillum, who was supposed to be doing the same thing in Florida, dropped the ball big time and left progressives woefully unprepared for the 2020 election. 

[AmIReal]

9 minutes ago, Uncommon said:

To be fair, Wallet Hub lists are pretty worthless and nonsensical. Their methodology for generating their infamous lists are eyeroll-worthy and generally not taken very seriously.

It is nice to have a high ranking though, and I agree that Orlando’s tech scene is highly underrated. Most ignorant people just assume most of the city is exclusively employed by tourism. Little do they know Orlando has one of the most quickly-diversifying economies in the United States since 2014.

While I agree they are not the benchmark for lists, at least you can see where they come up with the numbers. They equally weight 3 categories. The first, "Professional Opportunities" we ranked surprisingly well and the numbers come from reliable sources except maybe the job listings on Indeed. 2nd category, "STEM Friendliness" also seem to be valid numbers except maybe the "meetup" number. The 3rd category, "Quality of Life" is where they get squirrelly since 3 of the four ranks come from their own lists. Even in this category Orlando looks terrible in Places to Raise a Family or Places to be Single, but is saved by housing affordability (for STEM workers) and Recreation Friendliness. 

We were really buoyed by that first category.

[nite owℓ]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:55 PM, spenser1058 said:

Well, after several weeks back and forth, it’s finally official: effective February 15, I’ll be moving to Jacksonville. I’ve always liked the city - some have observed it’s the closest to being what folks think of when they think of a city as far as Florida goes: it’s a little gritty, it has got a “past” and had some manufacturing along the way. The river, and ohhhh those bridges plus the beach. My favorite thing of all is still the Mayport ferry; its way out of town but I still like to go out there to ride every couple of weeks.

I never could do it before because its politics were, like most Southern cities, too Republican. That, of course, has changed; like much of the country, the serious GOP folks have voted with their feet and moved to the suburban counties, leaving Duval to us more progressive sorts.

Anyway, in addition to working with some of the preservation groups I’m going to be working on a mayoral campaign ( unlike Orlando, they really have those up there rather than just going through the motions). I’ll be living in a fixer-upper in Springfield, which is just north of downtown.

 

Ooh, good luck and keep us posted. I love old historic homes and renovations. Never been to Jacksonville other than passing by, but the city appears to have "good bones". The homes also seem affordable there, have you noticed if gay people are flocking to the area? That's usually the first sign of neighborhood revitalization.