Marcia Straub/Getty Images
- Florida residents Natalia and John were increasingly squeezed by rising insurance and utility costs.
- They fled to Wisconsin after their homeowners insurance premium doubled, seeing no end in sight.
- As lifelong Floridians they didn't want to leave but chose their family over their homestead.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John, 41, and Natalia, 38, who asked that only her first name be used for privacy reasons, about their decision to move from Plantation, Florida, a city just outside of Fort Lauderdale, to Dell Prairie, Wisconsin, 127 miles from Milwaukee. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Natalia: In 2016 my husband and I purchased the home I grew up in in Plantation, Florida, from my parents.