Being far North Florida since 1967. We get about 20 mornings per year that would be classified as a "hard freeze". Usually on those days it is 50 degrees at 1 pm. Snow flakes about once every two years, Once every 20 years it may be visible on the grass. Last time it stayed below freezing all day was in December 1984.
I grew up in North Miami. Have little use anymore for anything below SR 40. The tropical paradise I grew up in is just wall-to-wall people.
When I was younger we made fun of the "snowbirds." Now, I realize they were laughing at us for staying through the summer.
In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :
To someone in Minnesota, like OP, overnight freeze and 50 by noon is known as May.
I know a guy that moved from Oswego ny. to crystal river FL about 2 years ago... moved in the springtime. When winter came, he said that was the coldest winter he ever survived... ‘cause he was not at all prepared!!!
cold as up north, heck no. But colder than summer!
Like stukndapast said, Orlando is miserable. I'm not a big city person and knowing that 3 mile will take 15 minutes is just... ugh. It's also expensive, crowded, and just all around not worth it unless you're stuck here. As for FL in general, the only other place I've lived down here is Port Orange and that was neat until the Canadians all came down for the winter with their Honda Odysseys and RVs with matching trailers. Also bike week and 'otberfest, a busy time to be an EMT I would imagine what with all the dipsh*ts cruising around with a full tank o' Bud wearing nothing but jorts and aviators. Central FL on the whole... I would avoid it like the plague. I4 is, in all seriousness, a deathtrap. It's constantly being changed, the pavement is crud, their are stretches with multiple sets of lines so you just kinda guess, and everyone wants to drive 15+ over through all this in a construction zone with their chintzy (or factory?) LEDs blasting straight into your retinas.
Cost of living can be pretty high down here. Have a hurricane plan if you're buying something. You will use your AC 11.25 months out of the year as we get 1 week of fall, 1 of slightly cooler fall, and 1 of spring before we roll back into summer. You'll wake up one day and the trees that were green will suddenly have no leaves, you don't get that autumnal changing of the colors down here. Your initial vehicle registration is gonna be hefty (impact fee or whatever) unless your car is 20+ and they wave it like my Mustang. If you're anywhere central, the wet season will see showers every afternoon (noon on the west, 3-ish on the east). Lots of transplants, both snowbirds and retirees, mostly from the Patriots/Steelers region of the US. On the plus side, you can generally find an assortment of ethnic foods within reasonable range, assuming you're not too deep into 'old florida'. From what I've heard from people who grew up here or were here several decades ago, it's not nearly the same as it used to be.
Oh, and there are lizards everywhere. Seriously. You'll get in your car in the morning, be halfway down the block, and a lizard will jump onto your windshield from behind your wipers. Or crawl down the A-pillar. Or both.
Lastly, and say it with me now, HUMIDITY. December and January aren't terrible but that's also relative to the remaining summer months. All in all, most days I miss the Carolinas.
I've lived all over the state between my childhood, college, and adult life. Hurricanes are a reality no matter where you live or what others say. They are unpredictable and just a part of life here. There is no state income tax, sales tax is fairly reasonable, and property taxes are okay but vary depending on county. Gas prices are relatively low in most of the state and auto registration is reasonable.
- Southeast Florida (Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade Counties) are going to be the most expensive near the coast. You'll also experience a lot of traffic, higher crime rates, and more population density. There are great food options, a lot of culture, and the coastline is beautiful. IMO it's a great place to visit, I don't think I could live there again.
- Martin/St Lucie Counties - Jupiter inlet area is awesome, cost of living is moderate, and the beaches are beautiful. Close to Palm Beach County so if you need your big city fill it's close by. Lots of rural land as well. Fort Pierce has had its issues in the past but its getting better.
- Florida Keys - expensive due to location, lack of viable land to expand, and absolutely beautiful. If you love to fish, want a boat, and actually live a vacation life this is the option for you. Monroe county is a little wil wild west in their politics so things change often. You'll be looking at some of the more expensive gas rates in the state as well as property taxes.
- Southwest Florida - (Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Fort Meyers Sarasota) - this is retirement central. You'll find it to be pretty easy living, quiet communities, beautiful beaches/keys, and less traffic than the otherside of the state. There are some sketchy areas and lots of drug issues in some parts of SW Florida. There are also some of the nicest parts of the state down there.
- Central Florida (Tampa/Orlando/Space Coast Corridor) - great parts of the state to live in. Reasonably priced throughout. St. Pete/Clearwater are nice but densely populated and attract a lot of tourist. The spacecoast has it's nice areas but there is also a lot of drug issues/crime in Brevard County. Orlando is seeing a spike in population density and there are nice suburbs scattered throughout. Polk and Highlands county are pretty rural and sleepy but property is dirt cheap and close to Sebring.
- Northeast Florida (Jacksonville/Daytona Beach) - there are some extremely nice beach towns dotted along this part of the state. Ponta Vedra near Jax is one of them. Pretty quiet and reasonably priced. There are some areas with issues but staying away from popular tourist destinations will eliminate your worries on that front.
- The Panhandle - There are some extremely beautiful beaches in this area. A lot of places are filled with high rise condos and see a huge influx of tourists from Alabama/Georgia/Mississippi during the summer months making traffic terrible. There is also a huge military presence from Pensacola to Panama City. They also call this area "Lower Alabama" and there are some less than desirable places to reside. Cost of living is relatively cheap. There are no really big cities and airports aren't huge so flights could be an issue compared to any other metro area in the state.
- The rest - there are plenty of great small towns dotted up and down the coast. Some more affordable than others and some with better crime rates than others. If I were you I'd be looking at the SW portion of the state.
I can tell you places to stay away from in some areas:
- Kissimme/St. Cloud in Central Florida
- The western portions of Southeast Florida
- The eastern portions of Southwest Florida
- Palm Bay/Cocoa in Brevard County
I was born and raised in Florida. I split my life between there and Los Angeles at the moment. You couldn't pay me to retire in California and staying in Florida has no appeal to me. As long as Washington state doesn't turn into a dumpster fire that's where I'm looking to go.
John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:
In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :
To someone in Minnesota, like OP, overnight freeze and 50 by noon is known as May.
October here in Oklahoma = heater on in the morning, AC on in the evening.
In reply to z31maniac :
Here at the lake fall is at its peak color. It's really beautiful and summer by the lake is well my childhood dream. Besides I built this place to be my dream home. I won't be moving to Florida permanently just a snow bird.
I'll probably stay here through Christmas, but January through April is just getting too cold. I doubt I'll even spend all that time. Since flying is free for me and my wife we'll spend a few weeks there and come back home. Get tired of the cold and return to the warmth.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
I used to fly up to Whidby Island Washington on the weekends. Most of the time up there it was IFR weather. ( cloudy and rain) get used to rain if you move up there.
DirtyBird222 said:
I've lived all over the state between my childhood, college, and adult life. Hurricanes are a reality no matter where you live or what others say. They are unpredictable and just a part of life here. There is no state income tax, sales tax is fairly reasonable, and property taxes are okay but vary depending on county. Gas prices are relatively low in most of the state and auto registration is reasonable.
- Southeast Florida (Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade Counties) are going to be the most expensive near the coast. You'll also experience a lot of traffic, higher crime rates, and more population density. There are great food options, a lot of culture, and the coastline is beautiful. IMO it's a great place to visit, I don't think I could live there again.
- Martin/St Lucie Counties - Jupiter inlet area is awesome, cost of living is moderate, and the beaches are beautiful. Close to Palm Beach County so if you need your big city fill it's close by. Lots of rural land as well. Fort Pierce has had its issues in the past but its getting better.
- Florida Keys - expensive due to location, lack of viable land to expand, and absolutely beautiful. If you love to fish, want a boat, and actually live a vacation life this is the option for you. Monroe county is a little wil wild west in their politics so things change often. You'll be looking at some of the more expensive gas rates in the state as well as property taxes.
- Southwest Florida - (Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Fort Meyers Sarasota) - this is retirement central. You'll find it to be pretty easy living, quiet communities, beautiful beaches/keys, and less traffic than the otherside of the state. There are some sketchy areas and lots of drug issues in some parts of SW Florida. There are also some of the nicest parts of the state down there.
- Central Florida (Tampa/Orlando/Space Coast Corridor) - great parts of the state to live in. Reasonably priced throughout. St. Pete/Clearwater are nice but densely populated and attract a lot of tourist. The spacecoast has it's nice areas but there is also a lot of drug issues/crime in Brevard County. Orlando is seeing a spike in population density and there are nice suburbs scattered throughout. Polk and Highlands county are pretty rural and sleepy but property is dirt cheap and close to Sebring.
- Northeast Florida (Jacksonville/Daytona Beach) - there are some extremely nice beach towns dotted along this part of the state. Ponta Vedra near Jax is one of them. Pretty quiet and reasonably priced. There are some areas with issues but staying away from popular tourist destinations will eliminate your worries on that front.
- The Panhandle - There are some extremely beautiful beaches in this area. A lot of places are filled with high rise condos and see a huge influx of tourists from Alabama/Georgia/Mississippi during the summer months making traffic terrible. There is also a huge military presence from Pensacola to Panama City. They also call this area "Lower Alabama" and there are some less than desirable places to reside. Cost of living is relatively cheap. There are no really big cities and airports aren't huge so flights could be an issue compared to any other metro area in the state.
- The rest - there are plenty of great small towns dotted up and down the coast. Some more affordable than others and some with better crime rates than others. If I were you I'd be looking at the SW portion of the state.
I can tell you places to stay away from in some areas:
- Kissimme/St. Cloud in Central Florida
- The western portions of Southeast Florida
- The eastern portions of Southwest Florida
- Palm Bay/Cocoa in Brevard County
I went through flight training in Pensacola Florida ( thank you Uncle Sam) so I know what that was like but throughout my flight training I only got off base 1 time for a couple of hours. So while I know the weather ( and it's no where near as nice as the almost 7 years I spent in San Diego ). I don't know what traffic is like now.
frenchyd said:
DirtyBird222 said:
I've lived all over the state between my childhood, college, and adult life. Hurricanes are a reality no matter where you live or what others say. They are unpredictable and just a part of life here. There is no state income tax, sales tax is fairly reasonable, and property taxes are okay but vary depending on county. Gas prices are relatively low in most of the state and auto registration is reasonable.
- Southeast Florida (Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade Counties) are going to be the most expensive near the coast. You'll also experience a lot of traffic, higher crime rates, and more population density. There are great food options, a lot of culture, and the coastline is beautiful. IMO it's a great place to visit, I don't think I could live there again.
- Martin/St Lucie Counties - Jupiter inlet area is awesome, cost of living is moderate, and the beaches are beautiful. Close to Palm Beach County so if you need your big city fill it's close by. Lots of rural land as well. Fort Pierce has had its issues in the past but its getting better.
- Florida Keys - expensive due to location, lack of viable land to expand, and absolutely beautiful. If you love to fish, want a boat, and actually live a vacation life this is the option for you. Monroe county is a little wil wild west in their politics so things change often. You'll be looking at some of the more expensive gas rates in the state as well as property taxes.
- Southwest Florida - (Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Fort Meyers Sarasota) - this is retirement central. You'll find it to be pretty easy living, quiet communities, beautiful beaches/keys, and less traffic than the otherside of the state. There are some sketchy areas and lots of drug issues in some parts of SW Florida. There are also some of the nicest parts of the state down there.
- Central Florida (Tampa/Orlando/Space Coast Corridor) - great parts of the state to live in. Reasonably priced throughout. St. Pete/Clearwater are nice but densely populated and attract a lot of tourist. The spacecoast has it's nice areas but there is also a lot of drug issues/crime in Brevard County. Orlando is seeing a spike in population density and there are nice suburbs scattered throughout. Polk and Highlands county are pretty rural and sleepy but property is dirt cheap and close to Sebring.
- Northeast Florida (Jacksonville/Daytona Beach) - there are some extremely nice beach towns dotted along this part of the state. Ponta Vedra near Jax is one of them. Pretty quiet and reasonably priced. There are some areas with issues but staying away from popular tourist destinations will eliminate your worries on that front.
- The Panhandle - There are some extremely beautiful beaches in this area. A lot of places are filled with high rise condos and see a huge influx of tourists from Alabama/Georgia/Mississippi during the summer months making traffic terrible. There is also a huge military presence from Pensacola to Panama City. They also call this area "Lower Alabama" and there are some less than desirable places to reside. Cost of living is relatively cheap. There are no really big cities and airports aren't huge so flights could be an issue compared to any other metro area in the state.
- The rest - there are plenty of great small towns dotted up and down the coast. Some more affordable than others and some with better crime rates than others. If I were you I'd be looking at the SW portion of the state.
I can tell you places to stay away from in some areas:
- Kissimme/St. Cloud in Central Florida
- The western portions of Southeast Florida
- The eastern portions of Southwest Florida
- Palm Bay/Cocoa in Brevard County
I went through flight training in Pensacola Florida ( thank you Uncle Sam) so I know what that was like but throughout my flight training I only got off base 1 time for a couple of hours. So while I know the weather ( and it's no where near as nice as the almost 7 years I spent in San Diego ). I don't know what traffic is like now.
The traffic part is mainly on 90 near Hurlburt and Destin beach over by the Air Force bases. Pensacola seems to have more infrastructure to handle the crowds. I just remember summer time being miserable with all of the traffic there. I find it hard to believe an aircrew member only went off base once -_-
I've spent a lot of time at Lewis-McChord and don't mind the weather at all. The summers are worth it. Washington was like all of the best parts of the east coast (minus warm water) without the swampy humidity.
At the end of the flight line at NAS Key West there are some beautiful homes right next to a nude beach. You get F-5s, F-18s, random mobility aircraft, and old dudes letting it all loose in one package.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
I was one of very few NESEP candidates allowed to take flight training back in 1968. My fundamental flaw was absolutely no prior experience flying. Most aviation candidates arrive with a fair amount of flying experience a lot already have private pilots licenses some with instruments and a few with commercial.
I knew zip. Nada. Nothing. So it was like learning a foreign language, while learning a skill. In a foreign country. Most nights and every weekend I spent studying. When lights out came I shifted into the head( naval term for bathroom ) because those lights are on all night and crammed harder. Often until 2-3 in the morning.
I would then memorize each and every word assigned and try to imagine what I would be required to do.
I avoided my fellow students because I saw them as a distraction who's goal was to prevent me from flying. The one and only time I went off base was the "mandatory" solo bash.
I eventually graduated ( near the bottom ) and went on to type training at Corpus Christy Texas. Where I did the same thing as well at VS 41 where I got my squadron training. I kept up that practice in VS38 where I volunteered for every training mission, Test hop, and cross country flight available until I felt myself fully qualified.
My Co-pilot Ltjg Bangs was pretty much the same way. We found that by doing all the night and weekend hops we weren't required to be around during the day and didn't have to deal with the ego's and aggression so many Navy pilots exhibit
I spent a bunch of time in Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston in the summers. I can't stand that humidity compared to So Cal. I can't imagine what it its like in the dead of summer in FL.
My best friend just moved to Boca Raton with his 3 kids. Bought a place in "West Boca" Said its a small place. I went on redfin to check out the properties. Any of the ones I would want to live in is $990-$1.2M with 700$+ month HOA. If I am not saving, by living in FL (aware of the tax), it isnt worth a move for me.
Here in So Cal, people laugh, if HOA (in single family homes) are over $200. Townhomes or high rises I can see higher HOA. But the West Boca Redfin search was HOA everywhere. Not only that Days on market was 700-1200 days, which is crazy. Around here DOM is 4-8 days before houses are sold.
Fla. has lots of unexploded ordinance 
DirtyBird222 said:
At the end of the flight line at NAS Key West there are some beautiful homes right next to a nude beach. You get F-5s, F-18s, random mobility aircraft, and old dudes letting it all loose in one package.
You make it sound soooooo appealing 
BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:
DirtyBird222 said:
At the end of the flight line at NAS Key West there are some beautiful homes right next to a nude beach. You get F-5s, F-18s, random mobility aircraft, and old dudes letting it all loose in one package.
You make it sound soooooo appealing
When I lived in Key West my co-workers said "go check out this beach, watching the planes take off is awesome." Little did I know that it was a trap.
have employees in Melbourne... I really like that area.. not super expensive.. close to cool stuff.. Good aerospace companies helping to drive the economy..
Florida is a pretty big state and prices and congestion vary significantly.
Florida has some of the most affordable beach towns in the US, but also some of the most expensive. Keep in mind winter can also have some very winter-ish weather at times, depending on where you are. Don't expect to swim in the Atlantic in January unless you're in the mid/southern end of the state (or the Gulf).NE FL can be more like Georgia than Florida. You can check average water temperatures for different beaches online.
The snowbird areas as you go further south tend to get more expensive. I'd definitely spend a winter traveling around to get a feel for more areas before buying anything. See if you can rent a condo for a month in 3-4 different places. The dynamics of lots of towns changes quite a bit between thanksgiving and March. Traffic, attendance at Church, lines at your grocery store, etc can double or tripe when the snowbirds show up.
Property tax rates usually go down every year and there is no state income tax. This great, unless you actually need government services...then you'll wish you were back up north. Out of state tourists pay a decent share of the taxes, which is nice. Some things still seem really backwards (we vote for the person in charge of our Mosquito Control Districts WTF). Condo fees obviously depend on the building. If you do own a condo at the ocean you can likely subsidize the cost by using a vacation rental service. I hate the fact my neighborhood is mostly investors running "hotels"via VRBO & airb&B...but there are no rules against it.
As for hurricanes, the old rules no longer apply. NE FL used to be safe (storms would either hit SoFL, the Gulf, or follow the Gulfstream to NC). Matthew wreaked havoc on Daytona & St. Augustine ~4 years ago. Other storms have flooded Jacksonville and several have been legitimate threats in more recent years.
Gas tends to be less than the national average. Groceries seem roughly the same as other places, but that probalby depends on where you shop and where you are.
My parents have been "wintering" in the Tampa-ish area for the past 3 or 4 years. They're upstate NY'ers. They just rent a condo for the 2 or so worst months of winter (late Jan-early March) and drive down and back, taking about 5 days for the trip each way. The fact that our house makes a convenient point for a days' travel south of their house is helpful for that plan.
Dad loves fishing, mom loves the beach. They have friends down there they do stuff with. They've invited us to come down and spend a week; one of these years we'll take them up on that.
This year they were heading north just as the China Virus hit. It was a stressful few weeks. Luckily getting _out_ of Florida at that point wasn't too much of a problem.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Thank you. I intend to be a snow bird but I doubt I rent out anyplace I buy.
I also think I'll get as far south as possible. The whole idea of Florida is an escape from winter.
I won't need to go swimming ( I'll be 75 when this happens). Though I wouldn't mind wading through the water at the beach.
Nearby commercial airports will be a big plus. The idea of flying into someplace and paying for an expensive cab ride to get home doesn't thrill my budget. Maybe a one way car rental?
frenchyd said:
In reply to Hoondavan :
Thank you. I intend to be a snow bird but I doubt I rent out anyplace I buy.
I also think I'll get as far south as possible. The whole idea of Florida is an escape from winter.
I won't need to go swimming ( I'll be 75 when this happens). Though I wouldn't mind wading through the water at the beach.
Nearby commercial airports will be a big plus. The idea of flying into someplace and paying for an expensive cab ride to get home doesn't thrill my budget. Maybe a one way car rental?
I seriously suggest Southwest Florida then. You have some major airports, beautiful beaches, warm weather, great fishing, and less congestion than SE Florida.
Central Florida is another great spot with major airports (Sanford, Orlando, Melbourne), great beaches, cheap cost of living, rocket launches, and GRM. Kissimmee/St Cloud/Poinciana are areas I would avoid South of Orlando. East and West Orlando have their mix of nice and not-so-nice areas. North Orlando suburbs are fairly nice (Altamonte Springs is not so great). The coastline has nice areas as well like Merrit Island, New Symrna Beach, Melbourne, Satellite Beach, and Rockledge. Cocoa (not to be confused with Cocoa Beach) is a no-go, as is Palm Bay. and some other parts of Brevard County.
I've only really been to Daytona Beach (stayed in a hotel right on the beach, to go to the 24 Hours, twice) and Gainesville for the challenge last year.
I wanna live somewhere that's like that hotel on the beach, but not in a high-hurricane area. Maybe gulf coast side would work for me.
slowbird said:
I've only really been to Daytona Beach (stayed in a hotel right on the beach, to go to the 24 Hours, twice) and Gainesville for the challenge last year.
I wanna live somewhere that's like that hotel on the beach, but not in a high-hurricane area. Maybe gulf coast side would work for me.
That's called Southern California.
