• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Florida for Boomers

Florida for Boomers

Guide to Florida Retirement Communities and Condos

  • Best Communities
    • All 55+ Communities
  • Best Places
  • Books/Courses
    • Florida Retirement Handbook
    • Inside the Bubble
    • Florida Retirement Masterclass
  • Home Search (Beta)
  • Realtors® Wanted
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Search

The Florida Code

by Ryan Erisman | Updated: January 25, 2023

This list was sent in by a reader and I thought it was just too funny not to share.

It's from one of those forwarded emails which are generally terrible and make you want to reach your hand through the computer and wring somebody's neck but this one is really good, and applicable to all of you “future” Floridians.

DISCLAIMER: The thought's expressed below are not my own (though I agree with many of them), so don't hold anything against me personally!

So without further ado, The Florida Code.

  • When giving directions in Florida , you must always start with the words, “take I-75, take I-4 or take I-95…”
  • If you're a snowbird or a non-working retiree, you absolutely cannot drive between the hours of 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. AND 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. This is considered to be RUSH HOUR and you are not in any rush. NO EXCEPTIONS.
  • Tolls are a fact of life, the state has to make money, so deal with it!
  • I-275 ( Tampa area) will always be under construction … that's the law and there is nothing anyone can do about it, period!
  • We measure the distance we travel in time – not miles.
  • If you travel more than 5-10 miles on any road in any part of Florida without seeing an orange barricade, you're lost!
  • If you miss your exit on I-75, I-4 or I-275, its perfectly acceptable to back up!
  • Every street in Florida has both a name and a number (i.e. Adamo = Rt. 60) just for the heck of it and also for the pleasure we get from reaction of visitors when we give them directions.
  • Once the light turns green, only 3 cars can go through the intersection, eight more go through on yellow, and 4 more on red.
  • Know the difference between SunPass, Sun Fest, Sun-Sentinel, and SunTrust.
  • Flip flops, tank tops and baggy shorts are also known as business casual.
  • Your blinker means nothing.
  • It is perfectly acceptable to brag about the size of your generator.
  • We have alligators here in Florida and they WILL bite you. Don't be stupid and try to feed or pet one.
  • When a hurricane is headed our way, even though you have advanced warning and you are told to be prepared, you're not a true Floridian unless you wait until the absolute last minute to go to Home Depot to pick up plywood or to Publix to stock up water, ice, and potato chips.
  • You know how to spell Okeechobee. There is an Okeechobee Lake, Town, County, Blvd, Street, Avenue, Court, Place and Trail.
  • A true Floridian does NOT own a boat. They make friends with someone who already owns one. That way you don't have to deal with any of the headaches.

ADVERTISEMENT


  • You weren't born here. If you were, you're angry that everyone else moved here.
  • There's always a Walgreens across the street from a CVS on almost every corner – with more being built every day.
  • It's normal to sweat when you are putting up your holiday decorations.
  • There is a city called ‘The Villages' where 125,000 old people live that all drive golf carts and dance in the streets.
  • Jupiter is a city, not a planet.
  • Seniors have to do their errands during the weekdays…not weeknights or weekends…that's for the working folks.
  • There are three types of dolphins: Mahi-mahi, Flipper, and also a football team.
  • You can't say ‘this is how we did it up north'. If you think that way, then go back up north. Just remember, I-95 and I-75 run both ways.
  • No matter what they decide in Tallahassee you will never, ever be able to figure out your property taxes.
  • Learn how to dress in layers. It will be 95 degrees outside. But inside any restaurant or business it's 65 degrees.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura Bowen says

    September 26, 2014 at 7:37 am

    Just an update regarding the reference to The Villages – they now say 110,000 is the population – and YES we do dance AND sing in the streets !

    Reply
  2. Charles Rust says

    March 25, 2013 at 7:53 am

    I am a yankee Retiree that is coming to florida , Im like a careless protestant that just saw Jesus ‘so relieved that there is one ,the only time I’ll gripe when I get there is if I see it snow . I’ll take any road no matter what it’s called as long as it doesn’t take me back to the cold

    Reply
  3. Shari says

    March 9, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    If you are a snow bird and you hear a furious horn-honking, you know you’ve done something wrong!!!!

    Reply
  4. Tom says

    July 31, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    Most Floridians consider I-10 to be in southern Georgia rather than northern Florida.

    Reply
  5. Mary Lou says

    July 31, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    July in Florida is hot. So are June, August, September and most of October. That’s why we have afternoon thunderstorms. Dress appropriately and quit bitchin’.

    Reply
  6. Libby says

    July 31, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    You may hear…”where can one get a really good (put in the blank) like we had in New York, or Ohio of wherever the person moved down here from. This would be pretaining to food generally.

    My answer would be “you moved, this is the South and unless you open your own restaurant (or whatever it is you’re looking for) you probably won’t find it!”

    Reply
  7. joel says

    July 31, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    Interstates don’t run east/west? There is a little road that runs thru 400 miles of Florida that’s called I 10.

    Reply
    • Ryan Erisman says

      July 31, 2012 at 12:30 pm

      Yea, that one is kind of silly. I believe they were mostly referring to I-4.

      Reply
  8. Marilyn Donaldson says

    July 31, 2012 at 7:16 am

    All very true! Would like to add that in Jacksonville Route 9A was changed to I 275. I think that was done to confuse everyone because if you check directions you still here 9A! It happened to me just last week!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Villages of Citrus Hills

Footer

Popular Articles

25 Best Places to Retire in Florida
Best Florida Retirement Communities
Things to Do in Florida
Travel Guides and Trip Ideas

Florida 55+ Communities

Jacksonville 55+ Communities
Ocala 55+ Communities
Orlando 55+ Communities
Tampa 55+ Communities
Full List of 55+ Communities

Regions

Northeast Florida
Central East Coast
South Florida
Southwest Florida
Central West Coast
Central Florida
Panhandle/NW Florida

Copyright 2007-2023 Florida for Boomers

  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
5.1K shares