Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

pauls371

Member
Location
West Palm Beach Florida
Im moving to Ft Myers from Buffalo NY in spring 2006. I plan to get my Florida state license sortly thereafter. I hope to get a job as a elcetrical forman or master electrican. I have 16 years experience in electrical construction and troubleshooting. What can i expect to earn? Apartments are quite high as well as home prices how do you guys make it? :cool:
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Most of the affordable homes and apartments in the Lee County area are places most people would not choose to live. The housing is totally not affordable where most of the work is taking place which means you may have to consider living some distance from the good work which is generally at waterfront and in gated golf communities.

Lehigh Acres and other locations east of the Interstate are your best bets. Just realize that what looks like a 20 min trip on the map will be 2 hours on a typical rush hour work day.

An electrician with your experience is in very high demand but will only fetch up to $20 an hour for high end residential and commerical projects. It will require you to do some searching though. Most contractors will try to low-ball you right away.

Good luck, Fort Myers is the new Miami.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Originally posted by bphgravity:

Good luck, Fort Myers is the new Miami.
Click to expand...
That sounds like reason enough to not go. No offense meant to anyone! My brother is selling out and leaving Naples, says he's had enough. Moving to the hills of Tennessee (culture shock for him I think).
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

I left Naples 6 years ago because it was becoming Miami.Guess what,it followed me to Tampa.Fort Myers is not a place i would want my kids to grow up in.Wages will likely be far under $20 more like $15 to start.Think this move out some more.As of 6 years ago Northport seemed ok but no idea what it's like now.Bonita Springs has turned into Mexico several years ago.If you can find a nice place left in Florida please share the info.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

My brother is selling out and leaving Naples, says he's had enough. Moving to the hills of Tennessee (culture shock for him I think).
Click to expand...
I beg your pardon! :) (from a TN hills inspector) long as he moves a couple of junk cars for lawn ornements and can spit 'backer juice..he'll be welcom' to join us :D

[ November 21, 2005, 05:04 PM: Message edited by: augie47 ]
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Originally posted by augie47:
long as he moves a couple of junk cars for lawn ornements and can spit 'backer juice..he'll be welcom' to join us :D
Click to expand...
augie,

He's looking at a place that is 100' above the road, long steep driveway. I think he is going to wonder "what was I thinking?" when he gets that 16" of snow and can't move. He'll be in the mountains NW of Asheville, NC and a few miles from VA.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

C'mon guys, before I was a contractor just 7 months ago I was making $21.56 as a foreman at a company I was only with for 9 months. The wages aren't great but a master electrician should easily get more than I was getting prior to being a master.
I know that many companies will pay a per diem amount for masters since it takes so much to get the FL EC license. One company was and may still be paying a FL EC $15K per year per diem just for carrying the master license.
With housing where it's at you will struggle but should make more than is being told here.
PS my work was in fort myers and I could turn you on to the contractor I worked for, I know they are looking for lead guys and ther are based in Albany, NY, you could probably go interview with them before moving.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

I second Jim's question, what would you pay him? ;)

Roger
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

By CWSolo: One company was and may still be paying a FL EC $15K per year per diem just for carrying the master license.
Click to expand...
Why in the world would someone go through all the Schooling and work to get a Florida master's and go to work for another contractor, just to get paid an extra $15k a year when you know this contractor will make millions off it????

I know that there are some who don't posses the skills needed to run a company, But it's part of the Florida test, And what about the Credit evaluation, that also a requirement, I think I heard it's now up to $200,000 value of credit you have to have?

I'm I missing something here?
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

I have no employees as of yet, but when I do hire some help I will pay them above the average guaranteed as I have seen and worked for less than top dollar and that inspired no loyalty out of me. I believe you get what you pay for, and I know what you get if you pay them bottom dollar.
As far as your info Hurk27, some of it is very wrong when I tested just in March of 2005 you needed a net worth of only $10K and that can be equity in a house, a far cry from $200k. If that was the requirement I would never have been able to qualify.

[ November 21, 2005, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: cwsolo ]
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

i just left,cape coral,worked in fort meyers,
heres the story,
i'v been a mass. liscenced electrician since 1983,self employed for many years,mostly residential,light commercial,a seasoned veteran,,
my better half wanted to move to the sunshine,so i rented out my place,loaded my harley on a trailer,,and rented a place in cape coral,
let me tell ya,this place was beautifull,on a canal,screened in pool,,dolphins in my back yard,every day,place was great,,,,
thought i would get a job,,bought the paper,and set up some interviews,,
had three interviews,and three offers,,
"CAPS ON"(shouting loudly)
"16.00 AN HOUR"
YOU GUYS MUST BE NUTS!!!
caps off,,
i took the offer that came with the van,for a really good company,down by the airport,
did it for a while,then decided it really was'nt worth killing my self for 100.00 a day,,
so if you can live on a 100.00 a day,,go for it,,
stuff is'nt that much cheaper,,down there,,
not 50% cheaper,,
good luck,,
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

What hurts is that i was getting $100 a day 17 years ago and just slightly more now.Cost of living is anything but cheap here.I drove to Pittsburgh last week and no gas prices were higher than right here in Florida.But it did remind me just how cold and nasty it is up north.No idea where you will find good money in Florida other than work for yourself.Most i ever seen here was $17 and for that i had to run service calls,estimate,run crews.field super,and wire anything and everything that came up.Typical mornings started with 10 pages of " :mad: try to get to all of them today "
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Originally posted by cwsolo:
C'mon guys, before I was a contractor just 7 months ago I was making $21.56 as a foreman at a company I was only with for 9 months. The wages aren't great but a master electrician should easily get more than I was getting prior to being a master.
I know that many companies will pay a per diem amount for masters since it takes so much to get the FL EC license. One company was and may still be paying a FL EC $15K per year per diem just for carrying the master license.
With housing where it's at you will struggle but should make more than is being told here.
PS my work was in fort myers and I could turn you on to the contractor I worked for, I know they are looking for lead guys and ther are based in Albany, NY, you could probably go interview with them before moving.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Thanks for all your help. I am not looking to get rich working for someone else. I own a small electrical contracting company here in Buffalo. I will get licensed there as soon as possible. As far as a I can tell the cash on hand requirement is $10,000 not $200,000 I hope. You guys complain about Florida try Buffalo No work, no jobs, no investors and city is $150 million in debt. Is $25.00 an hour out of range? Will I be able to hold out for the best wage as there are so many electricians needed there?
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

So is it safe to say.... if i am a good electrician and nice to customers, I should have no trouble finding electrical contracting work in the area. ?
I am planning on working for someone else for income but also to learn the the?differences. I am used to building stick builds and commercial with ligher structural building codes.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

As a contractor, you will not have a problem finding work, you will have a problem finding qualified workers.

As a worker for a contractor it is not likely you will see $25 an hour, especially not for light commercial and residential work. $20 an hour is the top limit unless you forman a large project with a large contractor like maybe a school or hospital.

And you must also undertand that work here is not like work in other parts of the nation. A 30 story condo building will only be a 9 month project. Homes average 90 days out of the ground. The new 76,000 sq ft City Hall and 35,000 sq ft Police Station in my jurisdiction only took 1 yr and 10 months from land clearing. We are moving in next month.

I just finaled a Home Depot that took exactly 8 months to complete. The bottom line is don't expect to be in one place for too long.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Some of these threads make me think I might just possibly have made a good career move in bailing out of that area soon after High School.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

Nah...There are a few areas of Tampa and Fort Myers that are pretty bad, otherwise its a great place to live and work.

I personally live in the best place in the entire state. I'm half way between the two big cities along the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor. Things are alot slower here as compared to those two places. I will never live anywhere else.
 
Re: Moving to Ft Myers. Florida electricans help

pauls371 i'm from WV and i was looking to move to FL also in the spring, I would tell you what i found out but this thread will get deleted. Good luck, and let me know what you find.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top