After living in Tampa for 6 years, I agree that the Sarasota beaches are the finest in the bay area. The water seems much cleaner to me than Clearwater, where the water isn't clear. It is also much less crowded, free parking still exists, and the public facilities are nicer.
I am leaving Florida - I'm taking a break from packing right now - for all of those reasons. But compared to S CA, FL may be much better. It is crowded, though. Houses are usually very closely spaced, imo. Although real estate values have shot up in FL as well, it is still not as ridiculous as S CA. A friend in LA is looking at $250K starter homes. Taxes are much lower in FL, but wages tend to be lower as well. A lot depends on your exact location, as FL is a very diverse state. There are plenty of rural areas easily reached by a short drive.
I am a trader living in Boca, have been living here on and off for 10 years, compared to the Northeast this is much better.
Home prices more resonable compared to florida. Cost of living lower. Beaches are superb here in the St pete beach area. have a small 3 bedroom home approx 1300 sq ft that i'm listing for $132, 000 seling myself instead of realtor.. 5 minutes max to ST Pete Beach. WHite sandy beaches . 2 blocks to coastal interway and a dock to fish off. New central heat /air. House in super good condition and concrete block. 2 minutes to major shopping in a nice section. If anyone is interested my addy is in last post i made. I love it here but going for the condo life nearby as my mo is getting up in age. Has 5 fruit trees on property and a fenced in yard. Make a great second home also. Kathy
whoops, meant to say home prices better here in Florida than in California. No earth quakes is a plus lol...Kathy
I have lived in Siesta Key for about a year now after relocating from Southern California. The beaches here are more beautiful than those in California, but you will encounter lots of humans here, too. Regarding traffic noise, first of all there are lots of idiots here who take pleasure in racing their motorcycles without mufflers down the roads where they presume more fortunate people live. Also, they have a couple of brothels in the village that produce significant noise pollution on and before holiday weekends with the sh!t they blare at you instead of music. The air and vegetation are beautiful, but you also have lots of bugs (and red tide stench if you live on the beach). Cost of living is still a little lower than in California, but not by much. Bottom line, I am seriously considering moving to South Carolina, or maybe Colorado (if my trading goes well), but for the time being, it's ok I guess. I have lived worse places.
Hey Right now I'm in Ocala. spent most of my working days in the Venice area, although I worked all of Florida south of tampa , mostly on the gulf side.Am now retired and do a little day trading (mostly scalp) to help finance my other vices. If I was a younger man and was moving to florida and like the beaches, boating, girls,and more girls, I'd look into FT. Myers area.Not a large town but if you like to get out away from it all on week ends and get some salt in your hair you can't beet it.The only place better for beihg on the watter is the keys, but boy, they are crowded with tourists. any way good luck with what ever you do. terry
Have you ever been to S. California? They drive worse out there. I used to live in S. California near Thousand Oaks. The weather there is a little nicer... not as humid anyways. Orlando is no where near as crowded as CA unless you get down to the tourist part of town. Even that doesn't compare though. I like it here a lot more! And s&p's open at 930 here!!!!
I moved to FL in 89 from Beantown and haven't looked back! Great lifestyle trading from home here on the beach at Siesta Key(where Joe DiNapoli resides, and Ned Davis is close by, along with the usual collection of rock stars and movie stars). Siesta like other keys in FL attract tourists in winter but it just makes life more interesting because the arts and culture must constantly be improved. Nothing like jogging the beach and watching the scenery after a great day trading. Weather here is never a factor which makes life that much more enjoyable; and with So Beach/miami and Key West close by adds to the flavor. Of course with the influx of people comes the inevitable environment degradation but that appears constant across the US. The key is: