treimche

Hello all. I've been toying with the idea of moving down to Florida from North Dakota. Yeah its cold here! I'm just looking for a little insight on how things are down there. Initially, I would consider the Miami area. Been there a few times (heading there next Wednesday for 6 days too), and really like the area.

How are jobs down there these days? I would be looking for something Accounting related so I can use my Bachelor's degree.

I'm assuming there are some decent tracks and car meets down there. If I'm bringing my S2000 I definitely want to use it a lot more than I get to up here. Also have a 2009 Yamaha R1 and a 2017 TRD Pro Tacoma. Gotta have toys.

It looks like the cost of living arrangements down there really depend on what part of the city a person wants to live in. I would rent for a year or so before committing to buying anything, just to get a feel for the area.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks people.

Ricky_Flowers_

Hey man. Glad to hear there's another S2000 guy potentially moving to the Miami area.

Living: Have you narrowed down where in Miami you're looking to live? Rent is really expensive down here, but it does vary between areas, and the greater Miami area is pretty huge. If you have an S2000 and a bike, you'll probably want a place with a garage. On the low end, you'll find garage units for around 1400-1500 a month for a one-bedroom townhome or apartment, and costs go up quite a bit from there. That's also for a place that's nowhere near Downtown Miami or Brickell. If you want a garage near there, it's typically $2000 and up.

Work: The nice thing about Miami is that there's plenty of money, and work, to go around. I'm a project manager for a large general contractor, and can tell you just on the construction side of things that business is booming. I'm sure you'd catch on as a CPA, but it does help quite a lot if you know Spanish. If you're willing to learn the language, you'd be much more useful most employers, but even if you don't you can get a great job that compensates well.

Meets: As far as the S2000 community down here is concerned, we'll have a few official meets every now and then, and we meet up most Wednesdays at Sports Grill by Sunset Place (going on ten+ years now). I'm the community organizer down here, but I've been slacking because I'm in my final year of my double bachelors and have next to no time haha. I graduate in Fall so that should change, so if no one picks up the cup I'll be making a point to schedule more meets for us.

Track: As far as track time, you'd be really spoiled living in South Florida. Homestead events happen year round, usually 2-3 times a month, between Chin/NASA/PDG/HOD/SCCA/FARA etc., and it's located within 45 minutes of everyone in Dade county. The facilities are world-class, and it's a fun, simple track that is great for shaking down setups or going to have some fun with friends. Sebring is kind of our state track, and is considering one of the best tracks in the country, if not the world. It's an internationally famous circuit with a TON of history, so if you're into sports car racing it makes it that much cooler. I always get goose bumps when I go out for some laps at the start of the day haha. Sebring events are also really plentiful, and it's about 2.5 hours of driving away from Miami. PBIR is local-ish too (about an hour and change away) but is a meh track that doesn't have much runoff and is good at killing your tires and brakes. I haven't ran at PBIR in a couple years.... Daytona is awesome, and there's usually 3-4 events there every year. The FIRM is far as hell from Dade county, but entry is cheap and people have said it's entertaining. I've never been, so I can't comment. I go to anywhere between 8-10 track days a year on the low side, and when I graduate I'll be going 1-2 times a month. If you have any questions in this regard, you can ask me, or I'm sure others will chime in. There are a ton of S2000 drivers down here that frequent the track, so you won't be alone!

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I'm usually on this forum a couple times a day (perks of a desk job I suppose) and can be reached via PM. I, like you, moved down here from somewhere else, so I can sympathize with what you'd be going through. It's a bit of a shock to the system, but once Miami gets under your skin, it's pretty hard to leave.

treimche

Thanks for the response! I don't really have a clue of what part of the city I would be looking at yet, but as long as its safe, decently nice and affordable, that's all I would want to start. I have a friend who lives down there so he should be able to help with ideas as well.

I figured there would be a good amount of meets and tracks close by, so that's really good to know. This is all a thought as of now, but ultimately I want to get out of this frozen place and live somewhere warm with a lot of things to do.

jimreaper

Alexs '05

Know that theft is a huge problem down here, especially in certain areas.
Brickell & downtown are flooded with accounting positions. Not sure on the amount of open positions, let alone what the compensation rate is on average given the amount of potential applicants.
Homestead-Miami Speedway, Palm Beach International Raceway, Sebring and Daytona I think are the only true 'track' tracks. Then there's some BS drag racing at HMS, PBIR & Orlando Speed World have full 1/4's.

There's car meets of all sorts in Miami, until August or so and I think some thin out due to the heat.
Don't waste your time or money at the International Auto Show when that comes around.
That's kind of the part that sucks too. Cheap stuff is either out west or down south, or just in an area you don't want to be in. CoL is stupid and traffic has gotten ridiculous, both in time & amount of impatient idiots behind the wheel.


Good luck. Maybe check out Broward Co while you're down there.

slowd16