[Coyoteco]

I often think of buying in Florida, but hesitate. Yesterday, we were talking of buying in Wyoming, which is beautiful and great, but it is similar to where we are in climate and beauty. Florida is a place I have always liked as I lived there as a little kid and visited often in my youth. I would like a horse property, in a horsey enough area. Otherwise a beach front house while owning a bit of land farther in.
I don't want to go to a state that will be infringing on my rights and freedoms - I have enough of that here.

[LexInVA]

They don't put stuff like that in the real estate reports. What you want sounds more like Texas than Florida.

[Judysmom]

Not Fl as a whole- especially if you want beach front property.

Google "Stop the Beach Renourishment" 2010 SCOTUS case. It will give you an idea of how FL values property rights.

ETA: What about New Hampshire? I know its cold, but sometimes I think its the promised land....

[stolen virtue]

Actually I know of several democrats in NH, I'm sure the OP is looking for only like minded people to share an island with. I think Cuba has a society where only like minded people live...

[Coyoteco]

Judysmom, yes, Florida does seem to get worse and worse. I wondered what happened to the one case where a city was taking private homes to give to commercial developers. This type of thing is why Florida fell from consideration. I was wondering, though, if there was a locality that wasn't so progressive. Probably not.

I know NH is beautiful. It's an interesting idea.

[Frank B]

From someone who used to live there: Remember that many parts of Florida are populated by Yankees that have moved South -- and brought their Yankee attitudes with them.

[Coyoteco]

Yeah, Frank, I was wondereing if there were still pockets of thinking people. I'm sure there are if one can find them.

[Coyoteco]

Stolen Virtue, the fact that I don't still have you listed on my signature line as "blocked" does not mean that you are no longer blocked. You are.

[LauraKY]

Yeah, Frank, I was wondereing if there were still pockets of thinking people. I'm sure there are if one can find them.

Bored?

[Judysmom]

Coyoceto- I think the case you are thinking about is Kelo. In that case, the City of New London CT took a whole neighborhood for private development. It was really horrendous. SCOTUS upheld the City and held that "public use" means whatever the state legislature says it means.

What that means for us ordinary citizens, is that if you want to avoid having your property taken for private use, you should move to a state that has amended their state constitutions so that "public use" really means public use. I can't off the top of my head remember how many have done so.

Re Kelo, there is a fabulous book written about it- well worth reading if you care about property rights- called "Little Pink House".

[Coyoteco]

No. It's a legitimate question. Florida is more than half conservative, and I want to know some of the conservative counties. Pretty simple really. It wasn't really supposed to be political. Would you want to live in a town inhabited by Southerners? I would love that. I live in an extremely liberal place because it's beautiful. I'd like to have my "vacation" place somewhere that is different. Here it is illegal to work on a classic car on a rural farm even if that car is not visible to passerby. The only way you can legally do that is to have a building "specifically designated" for that purpose, but the building restrictions are such that you are very limited on the number of buildings, and a barn can quadruple your proerty taxes because it is "disfavored".

It is a very serious inquirey as many of these things are determined at the county level.

[happymom]

Florida has become an embarrassment to intelligence. The same people with their little God fishes on their old putt-putts will run you off the road or pull a gun on you in the blink of an eye. Laws are enforced sometimes, depending on who you are. Crime is rampant. The state has become a filthy pigpen.

I can't wait until prices rebound (if they ever do) and we can sell.

Haters and low lives do very well there.

[LauraKY]

You'd probably like the Villages. I hear they don't much like Democrats there.

[Coyoteco]

Coyoceto- I think the case you are thinking about is Kelo. In that case, the City of New London CT took a whole neighborhood for private development. It was really horrendous. SCOTUS upheld the City and held that "public use" means whatever the state legislature says it means.

What that means for us ordinary citizens, is that if you want to avoid having your property taken for private use, you should move to a state that has amended their state constitutions so that "public use" really means public use. I can't off the top of my head remember how many have done so.

Re Kelo, there is a fabulous book written about it- well worth reading if you care about property rights- called "Little Pink House".

Judysmom. I remember that case. After that Supreme Court decision, some city in Florida made such a move on a residential community to take it for commercial business saying that the public use was that the City would get more taxes from the non-residential use of the land so it was within the definition etablished by the Kelo case.

That's a good suggestion about looking for that wording in a state's constitution.

[Frizzle]

You'd probably like the Villages. I hear they don't much like Democrats there.

Spot-on! I have relatives who live in The Villages. It's like Stepford/Disney World for old rich white conservatives. The whole Ocala area seems very Bible Belt-y, in fact--every single billboard is either anti-abortion, bible quotes, or anti-abortion with bible quotes. So, actually, in terms of women's rights, it's not really very much into personal freedom.

[hunt_jumpfl]

No. It's a legitimate question. Florida is more than half conservative, and I want to know some of the conservative counties. Pretty simple really. It wasn't really supposed to be political. Would you want to live in a town inhabited by Southerners? I would love that. I live in an extremely liberal place because it's beautiful. I'd like to have my "vacation" place somewhere that is different. Here it is illegal to work on a classic car on a rural farm even if that car is not visible to passerby. The only way you can legally do that is to have a building "specifically designated" for that purpose, but the building restrictions are such that you are very limited on the number of buildings, and a barn can quadruple your proerty taxes because it is "disfavored".

It is a very serious inquirey as many of these things are determined at the county level.

There are certainly areas of inland FL that have the conservative that you are looking for, but I'm not sure how many places they actually represent a large enough majority to write the ordinances. Probably more in North FL. A good portion of FL is run by developers or is made up of retirees...conservative, yes, but not in the ways you describe.

[batman the horse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Florida
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatka,_Florida

Putnam County - lots of land. They love their guns and the Bible. Half hour from the beach, hour from Ocala, hour from Jacksonville, hour from Daytona, two hours from Orlando. It's a pretty quiet place. VERY southern.

As a 20-something - I got the heck out! Many return, though.

[danceronice]

Actually I know of several democrats in NH, I'm sure the OP is looking for only like minded people to share an island with. I think Cuba has a society where only like minded people live...

Funny, one of the best places in Florida to find freedom-loving people (who tend to lean right) are the Cuban neighborhoods, ie the ones who escaped. Liberals love Cuba, they wish their government could have that kind of power.

[cloudyandcallie]

I recommend the area around Bellglade, FL. All the people there are pretty conservative. It may be spelled Bell Glade? (I've actually been there but don't remember how to spell it.)

I've found that the yankees who have moved to the South are far more, uh, conservative than we native born Southerners. I board my horses in a county full of Yankees and native methhead tweeters. (Tweeting in the cop term of people who are manufacturing and smoking crack.) I find that combination very odd.

Otherwise, Idaho has many "consersative" groups. And southern Idaho has a milder climate than does the rest of that state. (If Texas secedes, that is the place to go.)

[stolen virtue]

"liberals love Cuba".......Gotta love the Faux News crowd.