{"id":1640,"date":"2025-11-08T11:07:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T16:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T10:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:41:31","slug":"floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/","title":{"rendered":"Floridians Feel the Sunshine: Florida&#8217;s Affordability Crisis: Nearly 50% of Residents Consider Leaving Due to Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#The_Sunshine_Squeeze_How_Affordability_Anxiety_is_Pushing_Floridians_to_Leave\" >The Sunshine Squeeze: How Affordability Anxiety is Pushing Floridians to Leave<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#Dream_of_homeownership_under_threat\" >Dream of homeownership under threat<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#Floridas_tale_of_haves_and_have-nots\" >Florida&#8217;s tale of haves and have-nots<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#New_migration_forecast\" >New migration forecast<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#External_Resources\" >External Resources<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#FAQ_Floridians_Feel_the_Sunshine\" >FAQ: Floridians Feel the Sunshine<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/#What_should_be_planned_first\" >What should be planned first?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Sunshine_Squeeze_How_Affordability_Anxiety_is_Pushing_Floridians_to_Leave\"><\/span>The Sunshine Squeeze: How Affordability Anxiety is Pushing Floridians to Leave<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Living in Florida is becoming increasingly unaffordable, with nearly half of the state&#8217;s residents now seriously considering moving elsewhere due to rising costs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Floridians Feel the Sunshine<\/strong> helps improve planning, consistency, and publishing quality when teams follow a repeatable workflow.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Atlantic University\u2019s&nbsp;Business and Economic Polling Initiative (BEPI) released the results of its latest poll this week, revealing that just under 50% of Floridians are &#8220;seriously considering&#8221; moving due to the rising cost of living.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the study, titled &#8220;The American Dream Sentiment Survey,&#8221; BEPI researchers polled 1,000 Floridians aged 18 years and up, quizzing them about their economic concerns, household budgets, and constraints to see if the American dream still feels attainable.<\/p>\n<p>In the survey\u2019s summary, researchers noted that Florida&#8217;s booming economy is shadowed by affordability anxiety\u2014what they call a &#8220;sunshine squeeze&#8221; that is pushing Floridians toward the exits. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That &#8216;moving consideration&#8217; rate is striking,&#8221; <strong>Eric Levy<\/strong>, assistant director of FAU&#8217;s BEPI, said in a statement. &#8220;It suggests that while Florida attracts new residents,\u00a0many current ones feel squeezed enough to think about leaving.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Realtor.com\u00ae senior economic research analyst <strong>Hannah Jones <\/strong>says this finding highlights how Florida\u2019s long-standing value proposition\u2014sunshine, lifestyle, and relative affordability\u2014is increasingly under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Florida&#8217;s surging cost of living is hitting residents hard, with 80% of respondents saying they are concerned about housing affordability\u2014and nearly half describing themselves as &#8220;very concerned.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Inflation also weighs heavily on Floridians, with 90% saying they are at least &#8220;somewhat concerned&#8221; about rising prices and 56% saying they are &#8220;very concerned.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For retirees or fixed-income residents, the squeeze is especially acute as what was once considered a cost-efficient move south is now far less attainable,&#8221; says Jones. &#8220;Altogether, the data suggest Florida\u2019s housing market may be transitioning from a story of rapid growth and migration to one defined by affordability strain and recalibration.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dream-of-homeownership-under-threat\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dream_of_homeownership_under_threat\"><\/span>Dream of homeownership under threat<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A new poll shows nearly 50% of Floridians are considering leaving the state due to affordability challenges.  <span class=\"image-credit\">(Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In fact, struggling to make ends meet each month due to skyrocketing everyday costs has become the norm in Florida, with nearly 70% of survey respondents admitting to feeling that strain at least occasionally\u2014and 43% saying they live paycheck to paycheck. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For most Floridians, financial security feels one expense away from collapse,&#8221; stated <strong>Monica Escaleras<\/strong>, chair of the department of economics and director of BEPI. &#8220;Many of those surveyed attributed the high cost of living to not being able to save more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And while 3 in 4 Floridians still view homeownership as part of the American dream, many now consider it beyond their reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just over half of the survey participants said that they are at least &#8220;somewhat confident&#8221; they could purchase a home today, and close to 80% said becoming a homeowner is harder now than it was five years ago.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More than a third of respondents (36%) cited home prices as the top barrier to homeownership, followed by high interest rates (15%) and down payment costs (11%).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly in light of these revelations, Florida\u2019s housing market has seen the biggest slowdown in the U.S. over the past few months despite falling mortgage interest rates. The typical for-sale home in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/miami-poised-for-potential-influx-of-wealth-as-high-net-worth-new-yorkers-evaluate-relocation-optionsmiamis-luxury-real-estate-sector-is-closely-observing-developments-in-new-york-city-parti\/\">Miami<\/a> was waiting for a buyer 13 days longer in October compared to a year ago, according to the latest monthly housing market trends report from Realtor.com.<\/p>\n<p>The median list price in the Magic City last month registered at $499,999\u2014nearly $76,000 higher than the national figure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a result of this trend, many Florida housing markets are now flush with inventory, with some metros seeing listings increase far beyond pre-pandemic levels. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If current homeowners feeling the &#8216;sunshine squeeze&#8217; begin to sell in larger numbers, those dynamics could intensify further, putting downward pressure on prices and altering the state\u2019s real estate landscape,&#8221; adds Jones.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-florida-s-tale-of-haves-and-have-nots\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Floridas_tale_of_haves_and_have-nots\"><\/span>Florida&#8217;s tale of haves and have-nots<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>BEPI\u2019s latest findings come as no surprise to <strong>Cara Ameer<\/strong>, real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Florida has become a tale of two markets: One for the uber-wealthy, many who have recently relocated to the state to make it their primary residence, and one where many longtime owners who are either native to the state or relocated there many years ago have sensed the shift in affordability on everything, from housing, insurance, condo association dues, along with the costs involved with the maintenance and upkeep on properties,&#8221; Ameer tells Realtor.com.<\/p>\n<p>According to the veteran agent, many Floridians are feeling squeezed by the myriad rising expenses\u2014from home insurance payments to maintenance fees and the cost of repairs associated with climate-related wear and tear on the properties, prompting some to head for the hills.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have had many sellers over the last five years sell their property and relocate out of the state,&#8221; says Ameer.&nbsp;&#8220;The reasons are varied, but some of it had to do with wanting to move to other areas that weren\u2019t so hot and humid and had less overall costs with keeping up with a home or escaping high condo fees.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida saw a massive influx of out-of-state transplants who were able to work remotely and enjoy the warm weather. However, according to Ameer, many of the newcomers had failed to do a &#8220;deep dive on where and what they were really buying into.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ameer stresses that the age-old notion of Florida as a relatively affordable place where retirees and families move to settle down forever has gone out of window as the state has become a &#8220;tax shelter&#8221; for the wealthy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Many of these people can afford to self-insure their properties, so they are not impacted by high insurance premiums and when their landscaper or pool service raises their prices,&#8221; adds the agent. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-new-migration-forecast\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_migration_forecast\"><\/span>New migration forecast <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/na.rdcpix.com\/5e173acaca09d9866fdbbbd4af856aecw-c3978223392srd_q80.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1085105\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Florida real estate analyst expects to see an influx of New Yorkers following Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s mayoral victory.  <span class=\"image-credit\">(Photo by Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But not everyone buys into the bleak narrative emerging from the BEPI survey. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Ana Bozovic<\/strong>, a\u00a0Miami-based real estate agent and founder of\u00a0Analytics Miami, tells Realtor.com that Florida continues to gain residents, wealth, and businesses at a &#8220;remarkable pace.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When it comes to housing markets, what matters is net population movement,&#8221; she says. &#8220;While some Floridians may be considering a move, the inflow of new residents continues to far outweigh the outflow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And Bozovic notes that with the victory of <strong>Zohran Mamdani<\/strong> in the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, Florida stands to benefit from an accelerated flight of taxpayers from the high-tax, high-regulation Empire State.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are not bracing for an exodus,&#8221; she contends. &#8220;We are preparing for the next inflow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to a new study by Florida Atlantic University&#8217;s Business and Economic Polling Initiative (BEPI), the affordability crisis in Florida is having a significant impact on residents.<\/p>\n<p>The study found that nearly 50% of Floridians are &#8216;seriously considering&#8217; moving due to the rising cost of living, with many citing housing affordability as the top barrier to homeownership.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"External_Resources\"><\/span>External Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Search Essentials<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.wordpress.org\/plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordPress Plugin Handbook<\/a> are useful references for best practices.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ_Floridians_Feel_the_Sunshine\"><\/span>FAQ: Floridians Feel the Sunshine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_should_be_planned_first\"><\/span>What should be planned first?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Start with the goal, audience, and deliverables so the final content and media support the same outcome.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need help implementing this workflow?<\/strong> Contact Miami Real Estate Insights &amp; Market Trends to plan a practical content and media process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Floridians Feel the Sunshine: Florida&#8217;s Affordability Crisis: Nearly 50% of Residents Consider Leaving Due to Rising: The Sunshine Squeeze: How Affordability An<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"7 Proven Floridians Feel the Sunshine Mistakes to Avoid","rank_math_description":"The Sunshine Squeeze: How Affordability Anxiety is Pushing Floridians to Leave Living in Florida is becoming increasingly unaffordable, with nearly half of the","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Floridians Feel the Sunshine","rank_math_canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/floridians-feel-the-sunshine-squeeze-nearly-50-want-to-move-due-to-affordability\/","rank_math_robots":"index,follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[1720],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brickell-real-estate-market"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1640"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4220,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640\/revisions\/4220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brickellsold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}