The Elkarout family moved from Dearborn to the Miami area five years ago.

FLORIDA — A wave of Arab American residents in metro Detroit are finding a fresh start in the sunshine state.

The community has always had a major connection with Florida, as residents end up retiring there or frequently stay in vacation homes during the summer and winter months.

The year-round warm weather combined with the family friendly environment has always made it a popular destination for residents, especially during the brutal winter months in Michigan.

For decades, the city of Dearborn even owned an eight-story tower in Clearwater Florida, for retirees to enjoy vacation time year-round. However, due to economic setbacks, the city sold the property in 2012.

Now it appears that more than ever, residents are deciding to leave Michigan behind and look to Florida for a very promising future.  In recent years, many Arab American residents have pursued job opportunities in Florida, having settled there with their spouses and children. 

Former Dearborn resident Tarek Bazzi, a law enforcement agent, moved to Florida almost a decade ago, after having lived in Dearborn for 15 years. 

Bazzi now resides in Hallandale Beach, a town located in between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, with his wife— who also is from Dearborn— and daughter. 

“The economy in Michigan wasn’t going too good, so I had to look elsewhere and South Florida was the place to be,” Bazzi said. 

Bazzi admitted that the transition to Florida was difficult at first. The cost of living was higher and the area was more of a tourist attraction than residential. 

“The produce and shopping is a little more expensive,” Bazzi said. “But people that have jobs here are being paid more than in Michigan, so it evens out.”

In the first few years in Florida, Bazzi said he had difficulty finding halal meat. Now, with more Arab Americans settling in the state, it is very easy to find. Bazzi noted that Middle Eastern markets and restaurants, as well as mosques, are all in close proximity to his home. 

Former Dearborn residents, the Bazzi family said south Florida  is where they would like to raise their daughter.

“There’s a lot of Arabs here now, but they are pretty much spread out,” he said. “Halal meat has become a lot easier to find because there is an influx of Arab Americans coming to South Florida. I’ve been here for 10 years and it’s a lot easier now.”

Bazzi said he still frequents Dearborn with his wife and daughter to visit family, but he has no plans to move back. He said the area they are settled in has plenty of economical development potential and will be a great place to raise his daughter.

“The school systems are progressing,” he said. “The housing industry has become a lot stronger. In the future, I do see more of this area being for family than being for vacationers.”

Former Dearborn couple Fayssal and Abir Elkarout moved to Florida with their three children five years ago.

Fayssal relocated there after accepting a job in the Tampa area. Several months later the rest of the family followed suit. The family would also end up relocating to Miami before finding their current home in Hollywood, about 11 miles south of Fort Lauderdale.

“We are where we want to be right now,” Abir said. “Florida can be pricey. There are pros and cons. But my husband is not stressed like how he was in Michigan. There was no work there. It was just really bad.”

She said there isn’t an established Arab American community in Florida, like there is in metro Detroit. Instead, she said her family has been exposed to a diverse group of people from all over the Middle East and South America. 

“I have friends who live here that are from Iran, Morocco, Palestine, Columbia, the Dominican,” she said. “It’s good to know different people from all around.”

Fayssal believes the area is a great place to raise their three daughters. While many Arab parents would be hesitant to raise their kids outside of an Arab or Muslim community, he said many Dearborn parents aren’t aware of what their children are into these days. He said there is a perception that because kids make friends within their own culture in Dearborn, parents don’t question what they are up to. 

“I think our community in Michigan is having big trouble with their  kids,” Fayssal said. “I think it’s worse to raise my kids in Dearborn than in any other part of the country. There is a narcotics problem in Dearborn. Here we are able to monitor each and every friend they have. Miami is a multi-cultured city. My kids already speak Arabic and English and they are learning Spanish.”

Abir also noted that the weather comparison between the two states is like night and day. The family visited Michigan a few weeks ago and were reminded why Florida was the better place to live. 

“Actually we visited Michigan two weeks ago and it was a very cold day,” she said. “I said ‘this is it. I will never come back to Michigan,’” she quipped. 

One Dearborn Heights family is also in the process of getting ready to relocate to Florida. Hussam, a local salesman, said he rented a home in Orlando for his wife and two kids to relocate there in December. The family will still keep their home in Dearborn Heights, as work commitments will require him to travel back and forth between Michigan and Florida.

To prepare for the move, Hussam spent some time in the Orlando area doing his research. He came to the conclusion that moving his family just might be the best solution. 

“I went down there a couple of times to check it out,” Hussam said. “I looked at homes and schools and I decided that this could be the right thing for us. If it doesn’t work out, we can always come back.” 

Oliver Harajli, Hussam’s neighbor in Dearborn Heights, might also be following his lead. Harajli told The Arab American News that he’s lived in metro Detroit for more than 40 years and made a good living as a businessman. But now that his children are all adults and both he and his wife have retired, he feels that he has nothing to lose if they were to make the move.

“We are seriously thinking about it,” Harajli said. “The weather is the main factor. Our health is another factor because of the arthritis. The really cold weather just makes it worse. We really don’t have to put up with this anymore. I put up with it for the last 40 years and that’s enough.”