Depending on where you live, you can pay more in taxes and insurance (if you can get it) than you do in a mortgage payment. Other places are just way, way out of reach of Florida teachers. I live in unincorporated Pinellas County, and my taxes are $3800+. Thankfully, I have USAA as my insurer and pay about $1800 a year in insurance, but because I live on a “mountain” (58 feet above sea level), I am not in a flood zone and therefore do not need flood insurance. If I lived in a city and needed flood insurance, it could cost an additional $2500 - 3000.
People like to think Florida is just for retirees, but we are getting much younger each year. New jobs, new opportunities, new families moving down here to get away from the cold, and to get away from the rust belt.