I’m a Democrat Who Moved to Florida Last Year. It’s Been a Mixed Bag.

• David Maughan, 32, moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Oakland Park, Florida, last year.
• As a progressive, Maughan said he is nervous about culture war politics in Florida.
• But he has found Floridians to be tolerant and welcoming, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.

This essay as told is based on a conversation with David Maughan, a 32-year-old human resources analyst who moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Oakland Park, Florida, in August 2023 to be closer to his boyfriend. He shared his thoughts on life in the Sunshine State with Business Insider.

David: My Florida story began in 2020 when I met a guy named Brandon. We met online, like many relationships these days, especially in the early days of COVID. He lived in South Florida.

I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania, but had lived in Richmond, Virginia since I was about 25 years old.

Brandon and I dated for a few months and then became official. We traveled long distances, going back and forth between Virginia and Florida for about three years. We knew we wanted to be together in one place, so the question was which one of us would move. I work remotely, so it was easier for me to move.

I had a lot of concerns about moving to Florida

First of all, it was a big step away from my entire support system. I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community and it’s something that I feel is very strong in Richmond.

Thinking about starting over and making new friends in your 30s is daunting. I knew I would be with my boyfriend and I had met a lot of his friends, so there would be a built-in friendship circle to some extent, but I still wanted to make my own friends.

But my two main concerns were state politics and the weather. Many of my friends in Richmond understood the first time, but didn’t understand my concerns about the weather. Everyone says the weather in Florida is great, but they don’t realize that Florida is hot Hot. In the summer, it’s 90 to 95 degrees every day. It’s exhausting. You don’t want to go out. Some people like it. But for me, it was a huge concern.

The other major concern I had was politics. I consider myself a progressive and a democrat. I consider myself a pragmatic progressive. In Richmond, I had been very involved in volunteering for local Democratic campaigns. It’s more than just a hobby for me; It’s something I’m really passionate about.

Everyone in progressive circles is looking at Florida in horror because of what the governor, the state legislature and the state Supreme Court are doing. They’ve pushed truly far-right policies, from redistricting congressional districts to passing a six-week ban on abortion. These are not acceptable policies to me.

My boyfriend and I had a lot of conversations about these concerns before the move. He has a little saying: Florida is trash, but it’s my trash. And I understand, he’s lived here a long time.

I moved in August 2023.

I moved to Oakland Park, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Oakland Park is sparsely populated, but surrounding Broward County is home to nearly 2 million residents. So it’s a much larger metropolitan area than I was used to.

Overall, it’s a great place to live. But so far things have been a bit mixed for me. I love the community I’ve been able to find here. I found an adult LGBTQ+ sports league to participate in, and the nightlife nearby is good.

I think one of the reasons it’s so easy to make friends is that a lot of people are also transplant recipients. I haven’t received any criticism from the original Floridians about moving here. They were welcoming.

But as far as downsides go, the Florida has a really car-centric design, making it uncomfortable to get around otherwise. There are six lane roads on which traffic travels. There are signs indicating that bikes can share the road, but you’d have to be crazy to do that. Even cycling to the beach is difficult. I think I only went to the beach three times in eight months.

I’m still getting used to the topography of Florida. Richmond is a place with hills and rivers. But here, it’s obviously as flat as possible. There are lots of single-family homes, low-rise apartments, and shopping centers. Many neighborhoods don’t have good sidewalks, which surprised me.

I can’t complain too much about the weather as I moved here in August when it started to cool off. The fall and winter were pleasant. But we’ll see how my first full summer goes.

Florida has engaged in culture wars

Florida’s elected leaders tend to be far-right. But I don’t think people in Florida are that far-right. That’s an important difference. A lot of races here are very close. And when you look at some of the referendums that are on the ballot in Florida, they often deal with very progressive issues like felon disenfranchisement reform.

I’ve tried to get involved in politics at the local level, where I feel I can make an impact. I was connected to a group called Broward Young Democrats.

The area where I live is largely accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. Wilton Manors, the town right next to Oakland Park, is known as the “gay mecca.” At the local level, there is a strong and supportive community.

But even though I haven’t experienced any direct harassment and don’t fear for my safety, it’s certainly worrying to think about what Florida might try to do in the future. If they try to ban medical care for transgender people today, what’s to stop them from trying to pass laws that discriminate against all gay people tomorrow?

The cost of living is much higher in Florida

The biggest example is my rent. I had a one-bedroom apartment in Richmond that was 700 square feet and paid $1,400 a month, which at the time seemed pretty expensive.

But here I have a one bedroom apartment that’s about 800 square feet and it makes me $2,400 a month. That’s a thousand dollars more for an almost identical apartment.

Car insurance is also more expensive here. I pay double what I paid in Richmond. I had to reorient a lot of things in my budget when I moved here. I had to cancel some services and adjusted my retirement savings.

But my apartment here is really nice. I decided I wanted to make sure I was happy with my living space, knowing my concerns about the state. Because if I was unhappy with state politics and had an apartment that I hated, I would have been really unhappy.

Florida is the right choice for me right now

Living here has obviously been great for my relationship with Brandon. We were able to deepen our relationship and build a life together. That’s the number one benefit, and it’s amazing.

But when I think longer term, I don’t see myself living here for the rest of my life. This is a topic of conversation between us as I don’t see myself buying property here, mainly because of the climate risk with hurricanes and flooding.

I would like to buy property elsewhere, perhaps in Washington DC or Philadelphia, somewhere further north. Then maybe we could rent an apartment or condo here and become snowbirds because I don’t know if I can keep Brandon away from Florida completely. He has roots here.

And I always tell people: love will make you do crazy things.