Mike it would be a honor if you come down our way, I to am a native Floridian and sometimes takes a little bit to get use to. Tallahassee is quite a way from some of the fun zones but you still have pretty good stuff in that area as well. Florida has always been a lower pay state but we do have lots of activities to get into. If you do decide to stay for a while get a concealed weapons permit right off the bat. This will allow you to purchases and carry weapons instead of the 3 day wait. We have crystal clear springs located near gainsvile fla as well as where Izzy is at, and around central fla as well. There is fishing, skiing (water), parachuting, flying, diving (cave as well), paintball, hiking, biking, etc.. The biggest threats are constant hurricanes, but after awhile it becomes the norm. If you can deal with the heat, it's not a bad place, hopefully the oil spill won't do to much damage. Our governor has indicated he may not approve any more drilling off our shores over a isolated incident but that may be pending on the damage that does on fla. Any way if you get a house, try to look at something below $150K, the market is still falling and may not return to previous levels. Houses use to be in the 85K to 130K before the madness. I just bought mine last year for $107K by a lake with a pool on the outskirts of Orlando less than 15 min. from Disney to give you a example. Shoot me a PM or e-mail me if you have questions. Good Luck.