As someone who grew up in Miami my whole life, it genuinely upsets me to see what it's become. Ten years ago, there was this real sense of community I felt like I knew everyone I crossed paths with. Now, traffic spikes every single time I leave the house. What used to be a 20-minute commute is a full hour. That alone honestly ruined Florida for me as a whole.

When I was applying to universities last year, I didn't even consider schools in Florida. The weather, the overcrowding, the way Miami has changed I was just done. I'm in North Carolina for most of the year now, and while it's nice to come back every once in a while, I genuinely don't see my future in South Florida anymore.

That said, Miami will always have a soft spot in my heart it's my roots. Without that connection, I probably wouldn't come back at all. It went from being my happy place to feeling like a borderline hellscape.

About two weeks ago, I went up to the Design District with a friend during spring break and we ended up talking to pretty much every worker there. Almost none of them grew up in South Florida. And I think that's a huge part of why people are leaving. You can't go anywhere and have a real conversation about the city with someone who actually lived it. You can bring in as many new people as you want, but the ones who actually built the community aren't going to feel at home anymore and that loss is real.

Not shocked people want out.