Real Florida vs Tourist Florida: A Floridian’s Perspective

 
December 10, 2025

MIAMI, Florida (FLAN 35) — Miami, Florida, and Florida in general is an extremely huge melting pot of cultures, organizations, businesses, and gangs. 

When everyone thinks of Florida, they think of Disney World, Universal, the beach; but people do not realize that Florida is not always as beautiful as it seems. 

South Florida specifically is a difficult place to grow up and live in if your pockets are not full of money or if you do not know the right people.

South Florida is full of hard workers, everyone has one common goal, and that is to survive. South Florida has raised tons of athletes such as recent NFL players Amari Cooper and Teddy Bridgewater. 

Whether it be the busser taking your plate, or someone running a football route, we all just want to make it out of the trenches.

Little Haiti is a neighborhood in Miami that is currently undergoing gentrification, but it is still dangerous none the less. 

The mixture of local business and petty theft/violence brings opportunity for menacing behavior. Little Haiti comes out more dangerous than 19% than the national average. 

Neighborhoods like this show the opportunity that is there if it happens to find you, but it also shows the dark side of Florida.

Writer: Austin Dowdy

Photo credit: Austin Dowdy