Central FL Heat: How do you guys cope?

Mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter. 

I've been living in the heat for 50 years. You do get used to it. It doesn't ever really get comfortable though. SVreX is correct about turning off the A/C. If you are going to work in it, get out there in the morning and stay out there. Don't bounce back and forth between the A/C and the heat. Your body treats both situations differently and it takes time for it to acclimate. 

Work in the morning and evenings. On a Saturday, I'm usually hard at it by 7am and done by 3pm. If I haven't finished, I'll start back up around 6pm and go till 8 or 9. The hours from 3-5 are usually the worst. I'll spend them in the pool or taking a nap. 

Pick up a 10x10 canopy and get out of the garage and work in the driveway. There is a lot more air moving outside. If I'm going to be in the heat, I would rather be outdoors. The shop gets stuffy. I have a canopy set up in front of my shop most of the summer. 

Drink constantly. I usually down a large glass of water before I walk out the door in the morning. I keep a large insulated cup of cool water handy and on a hot day I'll refill it 6-8 times. If you are cramping up after a couple of hours, you aren't drinking enough. If you are thirsty, you aren't drinking enough. If you are peeing yellow, you aren't drinking enough. If you aren't peeing, you definitely aren't drinking enough. If you aren't thirsty and you are still drinking constantly, you are probably drinking enough. Personally, I skip the sweet drinks and just drink water. Ice water will wear you down faster because your body has to burn energy to warm it up and absorb it. I don't like piss warm water so I will throw some ice in it to at least cool it off. 

This is a big one. Get the air moving. I keep 2-3 high velocity fans around the shop. Don't buy the cheap box fans. Spend the money and get good ones. If I'm sweating, they are all running and at least one of them is aimed at me. 

Last resort, close up the garage and turn on the A/C. I have a 2 ton mini-split in my shop. It will bring it down to meat locker temperature if necessary. If it's a project that can happen inside, I'll close the shop doors and turn it on. On average I use it 1-2 weekends a month. It's running right now as I'm still cleaning in there. 

I grew up here. It's pretty intense, mainly because of the humidity. I work indoors now, but back when I was doing farm calls, I would keep the truck freezing cold. That way it would feel good when I first got out at the next stop.

Staying hydrated is crucial. No soda or beer, drink water. Sport drinks aren't necessary, and have too much sugar.

Also keep your head covered if in the sun. When autocrossing this summer, the pavement has been intensely hot. I carry an umbrella.

I wet down my shirt repeatedly, and wear a neck wrap that holds water. Evaporative cooling isn't as effective as in the desert Southwest, but it still works. 

Water is necessary and good, but doesn't replenish the electrolytes you're losing through your sweat. I did an Olympic triathlon once only drinking water and was out of commission for 3 days after from depleting my body so bad.

I do some coconut water throughout the day and after my garage-gym work-outs. All natural and has the electrolytes and stuff you need to replenish without the fake sugars and stuff. Just embrace the sweat and you'll be fine. Oh, and if you stop sweating, that is bad lol.

Drink lots of fluid.  1/2 and 1/2 water to gator-aid is your friend.   If you are cramping eat a banana. Seriously, when I used to ride my bicycle a lot training for racing bananas were my friend.  

Shade is your friend, if you can't get it at least wear a hat but you will need more breaks without shade. 

Get a fan to blow on you.  Don't wear cotton - Wear some kind of loose fitting wicking material, shirts and shorts and even underwear.  It makes a difference. 

If you are overweight its going to be tougher than if you are not.  Sorry but its true.

This summer is unusually long and hot, so that's not helping.  It should be semi-tolerable by now, but when last weekend the heat index in Tampa was 93 at 6:00AM, that was just stupid.  Lots of fluids, take breaks, jump in the pool for a few minutes.  Bonus, no need to even dry off when you're done.

Warehouse is a great idea, a group of us share a space in Clearwater (thanks hobiercr!!!).  It's a great concept.  Maybe try Ace Cafe or Martin Sports Car Club to find interested people.

Not gonna lie, the thread title sort of made me cackle with glee. Noone really understands what it's like to be a mechanic in 100+ unless they've done it. Not that there aren't worse things, but when people try to relate to being hot they generally think back to 'that one time' or how it's minorly uncomfortable to walk from an AC car to an AC building when you couldn't park close. So tragic! The opinions of people with desk jobs inside buildings that happen to be in 'hot places' need not apply. The reality of 8+hr shifts with constant physical labor is different. You can add all the layers you want. People living in Antarctica and OUTER SPACE are proof of that. But you really can't dress down too much for heat before you're committing a citable offense, and even shedding clothing completely doesn't somehow make you comfortable. 

Comfort and motivation exist as some sort of ratio to each other. I stayed moving in 100 degree shops when it was my job, but once i became my own boss or are simply doing something to my own cars for fun, the ratio swings wildly and it's difficult to be motivated to endure the discomfort. Everything everyone has said about shade, mornings/evenings, fans, evaporative coolers all apply. 

I somewhat disagree with the not using AC statement in the sense that there comes a point where temperature is dangerous. In my little shop this summer i had a car running checking for leaks and the temperature in the shop with the ac running got up to 121f. Then the AC broke (seriously). My girlfriend was pregnant at the time and I sent her out of there somewhere around ~105. If that AC hadn't been running the place would have been unsafe for human habitation. Again, it's easy for people to talk about heat who are dealing with '100 degree heat' when they really mean 100 and i mean 112 or 120. The ability to deal with temps is on the  far side of the bell curve at that point. 

I love a good swamp/evaporative cooler, but i doubt it would do much in Florida. Their effectiveness is inverse to the ambient humidity. In your case i really would just put a window unit in the garage. They make them up to pretty huge sizes if you've got 220v out there. .

I sweat a lot and buy myself victory slurpees. 

I run a dehumidifier 24/7 throughout the year. The dehumidifier hose is routed out through the wall so there are no tanks to empty. Makes a huge difference in how it feels in the shop plus keeps tools, bare metal and other stuff from rusting or mildew etc. we are in the gulf coast of Alabama. I also added a window A/C unit built in the wall it will usually drop temp 10 to 15 degrees below outside temp. Shop is 20 x 20.

Living in the heat isn't bad, as there is the beach, boating and of course A/C wherever you go.  My body certainly acclimated to the heat, and it really doesn't bother me much day to day anymore.  I do spend a lot of time with only a swimsuit on---- being naked helps. (might not help my neighbors, but it helps me!) 

When it comes to working on cars--- that's a different story.  As others have said--- you just get used to sweating...a ....lot!   I usually have a towel nearby to wipe my head and face free of the sweat, and of course I drink lots and lots of cool water.   I usually take breaks, head  inside to cool off a bit, and eat healthy food.  (cold fruit is like a drug)  I avoid sports drinks, as sugar is the devil--- I stick to water and fruit.

Cold showers are also handy for when you really get overheated.  This time of the year it's rough.    Give it a week or two, and the weather will magically become PERFECT!   Very soon the humidity will break, and we'll have 75 degree days, and 60 degree nights.  The A/C will come off, my windows will be open, and my power bills will drop dramatically!   

It's hot down here for July, Aug and Sept, but generally by Oct it cools down and is lovely until next Summer!  

The 100+ degree stuff with humidity is just AC or bust for me. I can do 80s to mid 90s with humidity, but after that the AC goes on. There is only so much you can acclimate to and once the temp exceeds a normal periodic average by 15-20 degrees or so you’re just not acclimated to that. Humidity just adds to the misery. If you want to keep your mildly hot weather acclimation and think AC is killing it then only cool the place to 85. Just the fact that an AC dries the air out is helpful.

When it comes to hydration I’m of the opinion that unless you’re an endurance athlete that sugar drinks are no good. Even then people differ quite a bit in what they can tolerate when it comes to loading up on sports drinks. Gatorade has a lot of sugar in it. Even endurance athletes will water it down. Salt replenishment is important, but most people intake a lot more sodium than they actually need overall. If you aren’t one of those people then consider taking a break for a meal or a mildly salty snack, but stick with water.

One of those 20oz Gatorade containers has more added sugar (36 grams) than the average person is supposed to consume in a day (25 grams according to the WHO). You might be working hard, but sweating it out in the garage is not the same as running a marathon.

To be clear this is added sugar, meaning food and drink where sugar is thrown in to make it taste better. Eating fruits or vegetables that contain sugar naturally is generally not the same because the fiber and water content in those foods make them more filling and also slower to digest. This is also why juice is bad. You remove the fiber from the fruit and it’s just sugar water at that point.

If you’re packing a lot of extra weight, take a look at the foods you consume that have sugar added to them as an ingredient, it’s probably more than a few.