Not-So-Fun Living Under the Sun

As snowbirds flock to the Sunshine State, Florida residents express their questions and concerns about the growing population.

Story and photos by La'Kennya Huggins

When Todd Soard, 56, and his wife moved to Coral Springs, Florida in 1988, they found themselves in a sparsely populated area with only a few homes, stores and restaurants.

"If you wanted to eat out, there were a few places in Margate, or you had to still go back to either Deerfield, Pompano (or) Fort Lauderdale,” Soard says. “There wasn't much here.”

But Coral Springs is no longer the quiet town it was in the ‘80s. The city has received an influx of residents from all over the country — from star-studded California to pizza-loving New York — and has become a melting pot of cultures, races and states.

This increase in out-of-state residents is not unique to Coral Springs, however; it is happening throughout Florida.

The beloved vacation destination is opening its sunny arms to “snowbirds” who do not plan to give up Florida’s warm weather anytime soon.

Over the past 35 years, Florida’s population has grown by an annual average of 777 people per day, according to the Miami Report.

That number jumped to nearly 950 per day in 2019, as waves of newcomers said goodbye to their winter coats and hello to swimsuits and sunglasses. While they enthusiastically flocked toward a place with no state income tax, refreshing beaches and gators for neighbors, they brought with them baggage that has affected Florida’s longtime residents.

According to the U.S. Census, Florida has experienced a nearly 15% increase in its population over the last decade, growing from about 19 million residents in 2010 to over 21.5 million residents in 2020. The main source of Florida’s new residents is New York.

“New York has five boroughs, and I think Florida is the sixth,” Soard says with a laugh.

Cars with varying state license plates adorn a parking lot in Pompano Beach, Florida.

The steady growth of newcomers did not resonate with many Florida natives until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Soard, for instance, recalls that since the pandemic, he has noticed Coral Springs has been bombarded with license plates he hadn’t seen in previous years. 

“I saw one yesterday from Alaska,” he says. “I was like ... now that's a hike!”

Long-time Coral Springs resident Todd Soard, 56.

Though Florida residents share Soard's license plate observation, many do not understand why the state is attracting so many newbies.

Soard suggests the pandemic has played a role in the influx.

“I think that COVID has changed the mindset of a lot of people,” he says. “They’re in fear of the future of the pandemic kicking up again. … At least here in Florida, and especially here in South Florida, we can still get out.”

Like Soard, Nia Mars, 28, has answers to some of the questions that pester Florida residents. And she has a simple reason why she moved from Brooklyn to Fort Lauderdale in March 2021. "(New York is) too cold for my mom (now that) she's getting older,” she says.

Along with Mars came her mother, daughter and three nephews. When it was time to leave New York, she had no trouble choosing Florida as her permanent destination.

Since moving south, she says they have reaped the benefits of improved health care, easy transportation and more welcoming school districts.

"My nephews were homeschooled in New York,” she says. “Coming down here definitely was the best place to transfer credits, versus the curriculum and credits that they require in a state like Georgia."

While academics were a major factor in the move, the final nudge was the cost of living in Florida compared to New York.

"Everything is a lot cheaper here,” Mars says.

For example, she states that a two-bedroom apartment in Southern Florida can be found for $1,200 per month, compared to nearly $2,000 per month for a one-bedroom unit in New York.

Though Mars enjoys living in Florida, she misses her friends and family in New York, as well as its community-minded atmosphere. “(New Yorkers) are a lot friendlier,” she says. “We thought we would have gotten the Southern hospitality moving down.”

South Floridians can be solitary, so this perspective comes as no shock. It can even be difficult for long-time Florida residents to get to know each other.

Elma McKenzie, 76, has lived in Florida for 27 years, and as the original owner of her home in Coconut Creek, she has seen people come and go. However, when asked if she has noticed an increase in out-of-state people moving into her neighborhood, she found an answer difficult to produce.

"You wouldn't really notice because people don't interact that much,” she says.

Though it is tough for McKenzie to know where people are coming from, she is certain that the population is growing; it is evident in her bills.

“You pay more taxes and house taxes,” she says. “You pay more in the shops, you pay more gas price, you pay more for everything! That’s how you will notice the increase.”

McKenzie states that, even with the higher expense of living, new houses are spreading like wildfire.

A house for sale in Coral Springs, Florida.

Part-time real estate agent Cristian Manga, 45, can attest to that fact. In his five years of working, he has seen residents from California, New York and other states flood the counties of Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward. With them came an increased demand for homes. However, according to the Miami Report, less than 1% of the houses in these areas are on the market.

“Prices are still on the rise,” Manga says. “There’s not a whole lot of inventory in the market. People are very cautious of selling because the prices have gone up so much that they may not be able to afford to move from where they're at, even though they may want to.”

Elliman Report: Florida’s New Signed Contracts June 2021

With residents choosing not to sell, one option for buyers is to build new homes. However, as the housing demand rises, so does the demand for materials.

“Homes were not being built fast enough to keep up with the demand,” Manga says. “On top of that, there was a supply crisis for wood and lumber. Right now, it’s a seller’s market; there’s people selling more than what a house is appraised for.”

With the impacts of population growth weighing on Floridians, what are their feelings toward new residents? The answer seems to be: kindly and respectfully, please stop coming.

“I think they need to get a Visa and a passport to get in,” Soard jokes. “For the economy and taxes, yes it’s good, but sometimes you reach capacity.”

So, if you plan to move to Florida — the land of oranges and mosquitoes — come on down! Just do not be surprised if, in 20 years, you feel the effects of snowbirds flocking down to the good old Sunshine State.