My Story

I arrived in Polk County in February 2023. But the truth is my mind had already boarded that plane much earlier — in November 2022, when something inside me said: "That's enough. If I don't do this now for my kids and my family, I never will."

I was 43, just turned. Three kids, a wife who had more work at home than I did with all the appointments, the dentist, the paperwork that took too long for every single errand. And I kept thinking: I have financial stability, I have my career, but is it enough? Can I give my family more?

Puerto Rico gave me everything — my engineering education, my values, my character, my people. I didn't leave because the island is bad. My island is beautiful and amazing. I left because I wanted my kids to have more options. I saw teachers giving it their all despite the limitations, buying supplies out of their own pockets so they could teach. I saw healthcare professionals doing wonders with what they had. Those people deserve more support than they get, and I admire them deeply.

But the ultimate question came to mind: What are you going to do? Do I settle? Or do I find more options for my kids? I made my decision. I got on a plane for my children and my wife. Because the most valuable thing we have is the time God has given us, and I wanted to invest that time in growing, not in navigating processes that drained my energy.

It's definitely not easy to pack up a family of 5 and a dog. But Puerto Ricans have something special: resilience and adaptability. I remember after Hurricane Maria, many people left and many came back — of course, the ones who left without a plan. But within two days, Puerto Ricans already had PR flags everywhere shouting to the world: Puerto Rico RISES! And as always, we crack jokes about the worst things that can happen to us. That Puerto Rican spirit drives us to achieve great things.

In November 2022 I got on a plane and went to stay with a pana — that's what we call our close friends. "I have a buddy who moved to Florida." I stayed at his place, rented a car, and went on an adventure through Central Florida. I drove through Lakeland, Clermont, Winter Haven — where my buddy lived. I told him I didn't want to live near him because we're too close as friends and our wives easily get jealous since we never stop talking, and if we start gaming together forget about it, we'd be in serious trouble.

In the end I realized Winter Haven was beautiful. Hospitals nearby, not as packed as Orlando — which has honestly been the best decision I've made. I like the peace and quiet but also having access to everything, so for me it was perfect. And I had the advantage of working remotely.

The original plan was to move in June so the kids could finish their semester in Puerto Rico. But man plans and God decides — the house appeared, or what I thought was the house. I was pre-approved and I almost made the mistake of buying something I would have regretted, if not for a realtor who was recommended to me and who truly helped me expand my view of the market to make better decisions.

Without my real estate agent I wouldn't be telling this same story. Maybe I'd be telling those negative stories you hear around. And don't get me wrong — if I have to sleep in a car, let it be because I'm trying, not because I stayed behind settling and wrapping myself at night in that blanket of fear.

I had good credit, so the first step was pre-approval to know I had financial backing. Everything happened in record time, the process simply flowed. And since I wanted a new build, it was a matter of having everything in order — and there was my realtor to guide me.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't like having the game changed on me, and during the process there can be variations as closing approaches, which is super stressful because you don't know if the estimate will go up or down. Everyone wants it to go down, but once again a team of professionals makes all the difference. In the end it came in below the estimate. We locked in the interest rate at its best point for that moment in the market — it went up after, but mine was already secured.

Remember I mentioned the model home? Ufff, I remember a misunderstanding about the cabinet color. I exploded in anger because the developers had shown me a model and I thought mine was going to be exactly the same. My realtor wasn't with me that day — I went alone to see the model. Later, when we were going over the exact details of the house I chose, in the location I chose, they told me the cabinet color and it hit me wrong. I'll tell you now: I love them. It was just a moment of perception, and in reality if they had been a different color they wouldn't have matched the rest. There will be many situations like this, but if you have the right people by your side, you keep moving forward.

Closing was intense. Lots of nerves, lots of people involved, lots of paperwork, lots of legal documents. It's a legal process in Florida and everything is done exactly as the law stipulates — no more, no less. We Puerto Ricans like to jump the fence, meaning skip steps or take shortcuts. But when it comes to the legal process, this is serious, and here in Florida we operate at the highest standards. And from June as originally planned, I ended up closing in February 2023.

I thought Florida was expensive — imagine, my frame of reference was Puerto Rico. But at that time I bought when nobody was buying. Nothing was in my favor and yet, with God's help first and with a team of professionals behind me, it was done responsibly.

Within three months the kids were speaking fluent English — much better than me. My wife learned her way around and errands took her minutes, not days or hours. The driver's license, all the orientation is online and appointments are super fast. I no longer live with the kind of daily traffic and wear-and-tear that used to eat up so much time.

Do we miss it? Not like we thought we would. We miss papi, mami, my siblings, and my wife misses hers too. But we see them all the time — they come and stay here, and we always welcome them with hugs. There's even a room for them because the house has 5 bedrooms... oh my, when I used to think about having that many rooms. We missed the food until we realized we even have bakeries to choose from. You can find pan sobao from Cidra at Walmart, and it's cheap. Lower taxes, no state tax in Florida.

The company I work for is still Puerto Rican and is helping the island a lot by bringing talent from abroad — so it's reciprocal. People come and go, some coming here to the States and others heading back to the island. The economy keeps moving and everything improves little by little.

Moving wasn't leaving Puerto Rico behind — it was taking Puerto Rico with me. Because a boricua doesn't stop being boricua just by changing zip codes. But I know people ask: did I betray my country? Instead of being part of the solution, did I just leave? In the end it's MY family that God gave me, they're MY kids, and it's up to me to make the decisions that help them, encourage them, catapult them to what's next — because everything changes constantly, whether in Puerto Rico or Florida.

The decision belongs to each person. And I want to be there to help my people be happy — whether they decide to stay or to go. If your decision is to stay on the island, I applaud and respect you, because Puerto Rico needs people pushing forward there too. But if you decide to make the move, I definitely don't want you sleeping in a car when there's real data to know ahead of time how things will be paid: government discounts like Homestead exemption, available assistance, the benefits, where not to fall, where to turn, where not to.

Those are the kinds of things that a professional in their own field doesn't know — you need a team. And mine is going to be the best because the foundation is built on my client. You are important to me.

If you plan carefully, there's no reason to be afraid. If you base it on real data, there's no reason to be afraid. And most importantly — if you trust God and He is with you, doing your part, there is NO reason to be afraid.

So from Cidra, this jibarito raised in Aguas Buenas ventured out. Florida welcomed me with open arms — an electrical engineer who left his field to compete in the software world, and who is now entering this market strong, with purpose, with experience, and with the abilities God gave me. I'm putting them at the service of my people.

It's been more than 3 years and the possibilities are tremendous. You just have to keep going. And now I understand that.