waaz_up:

Well this is one of the many reasons I am posting.  I realize that weather and climate in certain geographical regions tend to be the same.  But there are anomolies.  That's one of the reasons I have been wondering about Northern Florida.

 I have experienced tropical environments and, yes, my allergies ruined an otherwise nice Hawaiian vacation.  But I also realize that Northern Florida has had winter like weather from time to time (orange crops freezing, etc).  So, it made me wonder if the entire state had identical weather patterns or there were areas that did not have typical tropical climates.

Florida is not the only state on my list.  But information is power.  And before I invest money in traveling to research areas, I would like to find out as much as possible beforehand.

I went to Texas 2 times in the past 2 years.  I honestly can say Dallas and Houston do not impress me.  I also went to San Antonio in '98 and went to the Gulf during the trip.  Unfortunately, choppy waters and unseasonably cold weather (per the locals) didn't leave me wanting more.  But San Antonio is a nice city to visit.  Wouldn't want to live there.

Florida may not be for me, but I won't know until I ask.

Panama City Beach may suite you well.  We have the most beautiful beaches in the world.  You can take a dip in the water for the most part during the winter.

CECAA850:

You can always pick a nice climate to live and take allergy shots.  I took shots for 4 years.  It was the single most quality of life improvement I've ever done.  I don't have to mow the yard with two handkerchiefs in my pockets any more.

Carl, the proof of your cure is that you live in Beaumont and aren't writing from a hospital on oxygen! 

Seabrook is SO much better...

Dave

CECAA850:

You can always pick a nice climate to live and take allergy shots.  I took shots for 4 years.  It was the single most quality of life improvement I've ever done.  I don't have to mow the yard with two handkerchiefs in my pockets any more.

Amen to that!

I used to LIVE with a box of tissues (or roll of TP) in the car, another next to the bed, another at the office and I STILL kept a pocket full of tissues.  I was miserable.

I was stung by a wasp & had a bad reaction.  4 hours later at the emergency room, I left with my wind pipes fully operational.  Because my house is 15 miles out of town, another episode like that could have been nasty so what to do?

I looked into allergy shots for the stinging SOB's and figured, while doing that, may as well knock off cats & pollin & pine trees and the like.

For me, it was a 5 year regemine of weekly shots AND once a month, I had to go in again for the sting shots so that specific week I was there twice during the month.

I finally graduated & the Doc said I was but a few people who were so dilligent to only miss 2-3 appointments in the total 5 years.  I would not have missed those had I not been out of the country.

Regardless...  today, I might blow my nose once every three months (not that anyone cares ) verses almost non-stop prior to my shots.  For me it was a huge success.  I am not kidding when I say almost non-stop. 

I'm in Jacksonville and my experience so far here is, I hate the water (I'm on a well in TN).  This water here is blechhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That said, I DO love the fact that I'm within 2-3 miles of Lowes, grocery, gas, Dr's, shoppes..... just in the thick of it.  In TN, if you ran out of milk it was a 15 mile one way drive into town so this is a real culture shock being in the middle of things.

I have found the people I work with and anyone I've met to be very nice.  What I find really positive about that statement (and I do not intend for this to sound racist or anything negative) but I find EVERYONE I've met to be very nice....  this includes ALL races of folks to date.  It really seems like this area is a "let's just smile & get along with everyone" kind of area and I like that.

Perhaps I had a couple too many friends in TN that were rednecks.....   

I was in Fort Walton Beach in 1963. I liked it a lot (Lido's Lounge) and the food was great but I did miss the seasons.

JJK

willland:

Give me a heads up when you know your tour plans and maybe we can meet up.  Maybe even a Florida Forum get together at Mike L's place in Oveido.(Mike are you listening?).

I'm listening. I definitely plan on a get-together this summer.

waaz_up,

I was in your shoes 11 years ago. I was 42 at the time, same job for 20 years, same townhouse for 14 years, still single and not dating.  I wasn't a big fan of change then, but knew I needed to do something. My family (4 sisters and my mom) started to move to central Florida in the early 90's and were all relocated by the late 90's. I would come down every winter over the holidays, and couldn't believe that I could play golf in shorts when there was a foot of snow on the ground where I lived (northern VA).

When I visited over the winter of 2000 I made up my mind to just do it. I haven't looked back since. I have a new career, new house, and a new girlfriend. Life has never been better, even though the economy has been unstable. I play golf and drive my Corvette all year round. In VA, the Vette would be under a cover from November to March. Life is good my friend. I say just do it!

Mike

You are certainly welcome to visit Okeechobee. I can put you up for a couple days and you can drive around and see what really layed back livin' can be. The cost of living in our county is very much less than the coastal counties. Real estate is not so much expensive, but if you spend time looking for "buy owner" deals you can avoid the dealers and banks that just will not let up on their prices. It's cheaper to find a pre-existing house, etc on good land in the "sticks" than buy from a real estate dealer or bank who's only interest is to make more profit from bad financing from previous "suckers".

Youcan email me or PM me when you decide to head south for the recon operation.

PS... I have a pool and you can relax under the palm trees.....

waaz_up.

I lived on the west coast in a town called Crystal River from 1980 to 1982. Located about an hour north of Tampa. Fairly protected by the shape of the western coast as most hurricanes running up the coast would be too far out to wreck much havoc. Of course the big one that went across the state (Hurricane Andrew was it?) affected alot of the state including Crystal River. Orlando is about 1.5 hours away, Ocala about an hour. etc. Local Hospital in Crystal River also.

Critters: Gnats (we called then sand gnats, flying teeth, no see-ums, and other names I will not print.), man when they bit you... We would rub bay oil on our arms and watch then land as they are hard to see otherwise. Fire ants were coming into the area, but were not seen that often when I was there. I would expect them to more prevalent now. Mosquitos during the warmest time would race you to your car when you went out and then again when you came home. I hate mosquitos. Coastal town  -  what can you expect.

Benefits? Seafood, fresh water and salt water fishing, skin and scuba diving, Manatee watching, most water sports in general.

If looking at a coatal town, be sure you ask about salt water intrusion into the areas fresh water. I guess this would apply if you had a well. I had a well and although my water stayed fresh, there was always talk of salt water intrusion occurring around the area. Though in my short 2 year stint, I never met anyone with this problem.

I left Crystal River to hit the road as a contractor to make more money. Not anything to do with Crystal River. It was a nice place. 

Florida State Income tax - none

Florida Gun laws - good

Sorry, I cannot remember anything about property taxes

Groomlakearea51:

As long as you leave calves and goats out for the flying critters, they will leave you alone....

My wife isn't particularly appreciative when I tie her to the stake outside.....

Mike Lindsey:

I'm listening. I definitely plan on a get-together this summer.

waaz_up,

I was in your shoes 11 years ago. I was 42 at the time, same job for 20 years, same townhouse for 14 years, still single and not dating.  I wasn't a big fan of change then, but knew I needed to do something. My family (4 sisters and my mom) started to move to central Florida in the early 90's and were all relocated by the late 90's. I would come down every winter over the holidays, and couldn't believe that I could play golf in shorts when there was a foot of snow on the ground where I lived (northern VA).

When I visited over the winter of 2000 I made up my mind to just do it. I haven't looked back since. I have a new career, new house, and a new girlfriend. Life has never been better, even though the economy has been unstable. I play golf and drive my Corvette all year round. In VA, the Vette would be under a cover from November to March. Life is good my friend. I say just do it!

Mike

Nice to hear from you Mike. Your personal history does sound a lot like mine. I'm 39 and have been in IT for 18 years. Single, no kids and not really foujnd someone compatible to the lifestyle I want.  I've been at my current job for going on 13 years. About 7 years ago I decided to move to my current residence. It was part of a bigger plan. I was starting to hate IT and had ideas for the long term for working for myself.

But my last name wasn't Rockefeller so I needed a plan.  7 years later, here I am in the home stretch of the plan.  I worked so hard for years that I needed a small break this year.  I needed to recharge and let myself decide where I wanted to go and decide the timing of when to leave.  Now, I'm to the point where the "just do it" mentality is taking hold.  So I know it's about time.

"The Great Recession" impacted some of my plan.  But I truly believe the improvement and turnaround indicators are starting to become evident each day.  I don't believe our lives will return to pre-2008 lifestyles.  And I believe what we see now is a new beginning.  So, I think I've waited long enough.

So as I've started to look to exactly "where" I'm gonna land, I'm looking for advice.  And very glad to see some of the outpouring I've seen in response to my questions.   I don't expect to land in the absolute perfect spot for me, because I think ultimately that spot's somewhere in my own mind.

I'm enjoying the advice guys and taking it to heart.  So, keep it coming!  :)

Water Services

I have seen mention in this post and on real estate listings concerning "wells" as a water supply.  With such frequent mentioning, I am curious how prevelant wells are in Florida?

In Kentucky, we still have wells in some remote areas but most counties have far reaching water districts.  I wouldn't dare try to put an exact percentage on it, but most residents have some form of public water service to their home.  While wells still exist and are primary water sources for remote locations, most are backup water supplies or abandoned from usage.

I assume most residents in city limits have public water service and that wells are prevelant in the outlying/rural areas in Florida.  Can anyone shed light on this?

Sewage Services

Also, what about sewer/sewage services?

Here, we have public sewage services within most city limits.  Local building and health mandates require some form of septic system (tank with lines, lagoon, sewage pump, etc) for residents ouside of public sewage service areas.

I can only assume that Florida's water conservation and sewage handling requirements are probably different.

Do most cities offer sewage services?  How far do they extend (outside of city limits)?

What do residents use who do not have sewage services?

Sink Holes

I've heard of this more than once.  It makes me wonder how much of problem sink holes are?

Thanks for all of the input guys!

Just a thought... Reconsider the move...

Definitely see an allergist to rule out allergies to mold. There is a ton of it in Florida. As for critters, consider the palmetto bug. They pick fights with dogs. I was born in Punta Gorda, FL, and have family there. It's a nice little town on the Gulf side just north of the craziness of Ft Myers. A hurricane flew straight over them, and my cousin saw the blue sky in the eye.

My family has allergies, as do I, and I seem to do better on the Atlantic side, cause the salt air seems to dry my sinuses out. Mom and dad spent a winter in St Augustine, and decided it was too far north. They didn't expect 45 degree nights. They were right on the beach and froze. Perhaps one of the keys? Like I said before, rule out mold.

No. Fla is on fire right now. You might want to wait a week or two before moving here.

Boxx:

Just a thought... Reconsider the move...

Because I'm asking questions?  Knowledge is the basis for informed decisions.