Learn me Florida.

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

As a non rev passenger I doubt I'll be flying into regional airports. I think Tampa Is about as small as I'll get.  My daughter suggested Miami and just drive over to the Gulf coast. But if I remember correctly isn't that a few hours drive?  

You should move in next door to Stampie in Daytona.  You could build engines in the front yard together.

frenchyd said:

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

As a non rev passenger I doubt I'll be flying into regional airports. I think Tampa Is about as small as I'll get.  My daughter suggested Miami and just drive over to the Gulf coast. But if I remember correctly isn't that a few hours drive?  

Yes, at least a couple hours to get to civilization on the Gulf coast from Miami airport. A little longer to get passed Naples to someplace affordable.  SW Florida/Ft Myers airport is pretty good sized though. I think Tampa and Orlando swap years being the busiest airport in the state.

ojannen said:

frenchyd said

I probably misspoke. They were near a beach But on a canal but that's good enough, I'd park my boat there and take it out in the summer.  

Don't you mean during the winter?  Getting up bright an early for a day on the water with a low of 95 degrees sounds like a recipe for heat exhaustion.

No I meant summer. No sense in have a boat beat up against a pier all summer long if no one is going to use it.   
As a snow bird, I'll be there during the winter months but will be up north when things get brutishly hot  and humid during the summer. 

I understood Frenchy to mean" take it out" of the water during the summer,  not "take it out" to sea.  

I only knew that because I visited Canada last October.

Where i live "take it out" means going out on the water.  Because we never take it off the water.  

In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :

I'm glad you clarified that.  Rereading mine doesn't. 
Thank you b

frenchyd:

Based on much of your criteria I suggest looking into two areas that are out of the box.

The area around Homosassa / Crystal River,  Less than an hour out of Tampa airport.

Or the area along the St Johns River maybe Green Cove Springs, less than an hour out of Jax airport.  

I know you keep saying Florida, but my pick would be St. Marys Georgia, less than 30 minutes from Jax airport (but keep that secret, we don't want it over-run)

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) said:

I know you keep saying Florida, but my pick would be St. Marys Georgia, less than 30 minutes from Jax airport (but keep that secret, we don't want it over-run)

I figured St Mary's got ruint when Kings Bay moves in.  

The historic area of old St. Marys has not become part of the Kings Bay suburban sprawl.  Its like driving through a small Florida town 59 years ago.  Great new boat ramp with easy access to the ICW, Atlantic, and Cumberland Island.

I would like to bring this thread back from the dead and ask what has changed in 3 yrs?  Wife is set on moving to Florida.

Am to begin job search and property search. Was thinking the Tampa side of the state. Not a big city guy, prefer rural/small town but not a long drive to the city or coast.

Lots more people, lots more development, more traffic/congestion...but rush hour is still well below pre-COVID levels in NEFL.  Housing prices & home insurance are also considerably higher.   

Our homeowners insurance situation is out of control. We live about as far away from the coast as possible anywhere in the state, yet our annual rates continue to go up each year by large double digit increases. 

Hoondavan said:

Lots more people, lots more development, more traffic/congestion...but rush hour is still well below pre-COVID levels in NEFL.  Housing prices & home insurance are also considerably higher.   

South Florida is the same as noted above except traffic. All of NY decided to move down here and traffic is insane. 

Homeowners insurance is out of control. Got a 50% increase this year and its not like it was low before.

dyintorace said:

Our homeowners insurance situation is out of control. We live about as far away from the coast as possible anywhere in the states, yet our annual rates continue to go up each year by large double digit increases. 

Don’t forget National Flood Insurance.  Be aware of the flood zone categories and check which flood zone a particular property you may be interested in is in.  The difference can be night and day from one lot to the one next door.  Most banks will require flood insurance (pay cash and take your chances?) and rates can range from reasonable to prohibitive.  Rates are more or less set nationally according to flood zone so shopping around seldom yields significant savings.

Florida was a first choice, Texas was in the conversation as well. She wants to be by a coast and we want to remain south. I am originally from Wisconsin, now in Kentucky. No west coast.

Other states will/are being considered.

Florida is full!

Seriously, everywhere I drive near Bradenton/Sarasota/Parrish, thousands and thousands of acres of forests are being stripped to the dirt to make way for condos and houses and strip malls and condos and houses and more condos.   Its berkeleying disgusting.  The traffic is getting absolutely stupid on I-75 or I-4 at almost any time of day.  Everyday I consider what sacrifices would be needed to move to the panhandle area or GA or North Carolina or Kentucky.   "Old Florida" is gone.  Everywhere in the state will be Miami in no time.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I love the Sarasota Bradenton are but man I just can't justify paying that much money for the trade off I have here in Pittsburgh. I'd have to pay $500k in a cramped HOA compound to get anything close to what I have here. I still check Zillow all the time for that area though. 

Lof8 - Andy said:

Florida is full!

Seriously, everywhere I drive near Bradenton/Sarasota/Parrish, thousands and thousands of acres of forests are being stripped to the dirt to make way for condos and houses and strip malls and condos and houses and more condos.   Its berkeleying disgusting.  The traffic is getting absolutely stupid on I-75 or I-4 at almost any time of day.  Everyday I consider what sacrifices would be needed to move to the panhandle area or GA or North Carolina or Kentucky.   "Old Florida" is gone.  Everywhere in the state will be Miami in no time.

A lot of Texas is also full. Houses, condos, strip malls and more condos. Probably the same developers and the same floor plans.

Scotty Con Queso said:

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I love the Sarasota Bradenton are but man I just can't justify paying that much money for the trade off I have here in Pittsburgh. I'd have to pay $500k in a cramped HOA compound to get anything close to what I have here. I still check Zillow all the time for that area though. 

Up until a few years ago, things were still relatively affordable.  I bought an older 3/2 home on 2 acres of land for about half the budget you mentioned 5 years ago.

In reply to JBruin :

Have y'all thought about the AL, MS, GA, SC coast?

In reply to yupididit :

I have a friend who lives in SC and works in Charlotte.  He has directed me to SC. 

We are looking and liking what we see there. GA is added to the search, but far from Atlanta. 

We are older, mid/upper 50's so be last move.

JBruin said:

In reply to yupididit :

I have a friend who lives in SC and works in Charlotte...

*laughs in crippling I-77 and I-85 traffic* 

Chances are I'll be visiting Miami a few times a year since my daughter will most likely be attending the University of Miami this Fall

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Lol. We were flying back up from a short vacation yesterday, good visibility and our track was over eastern Florida around 15 miles in from the coast all the way up into Georgia.  Wholly carp is there a lot of development down there!  

I kept thinking about all you guys saying to stay out we’re full.  Not hard to see why from above.

In reply to JBruin :

Check out the MS coast. As Florida seems to sink further into mayhem, things are actually getting better here. Plus the MS coast really isn't anything like the rest of the state.