Help! Looking for a great place to rent

[funky mama]

Hello,

Thank you for all of your wonderful information. I am hoping you can point me in the right direction. I am a 36 year old gal with parents who are ready to retire to somewhere warm. This past winter in Wisconsin really did a number on my 75 year old Dad and 65 year old Mom. We are looking for a place to rent for them. We like the concept of The Villages (thanks for the very useful review!) but don't want to purchase. We have no set destination other than it meets these requirements:

Allows 2 cats
Close to shopping, dining out, activities
Somewhere with a nice climate (Georgia, Florida or some other southern state with sun!)
A monthly rental of $1000 - $1500
Something safe, possible gated and senior oriented
Near major airport

I have checked out Peach Tree City in Georgia, The Villages, and a few other places in Florida. Does what we are looking for exist? Could you help me with your expertise? I am open to all suggestions as long as it is a rental and nice. Thank you so much for your time, I very much appreciate the wealth of knowledge that you all have!

[Moemg]

Funky Mama are you also moving ? The Villages would be fine for your parents but you (If they even allow you ) would be berserk . Most of Florida is senior oriented so pick a town you like and you will find plenty of rentals . Gated communities are nice but no safer than non gated . The security guards are usually non existent or 90 years old . Your parents need to make of list of what they are looking for ( proximity to beaches ,golf courses ,medical centers , public transportation ,etc. ) and go from there .

[funky mama]

Thanks for the reply. I am not moving, just my parents. I am doing the leg work trying to find the right spot for them. Unfortunately, they won't be able to make a nice long trip looking at places, so I am trying to gather as much info as possible for them. They are very social people and would love to make some new friends. We originally were looking at the Fort Myers area and now I just found Venice too. It is so overwhelming. I would love to find a place similar to the Villages but closer to the Gulf. My Dad would thrive being close to the beach. Any recommendations for something like this in the Venice area?

[Moemg]

That rental price may be a little low for Venice but check out VRBO . Englewood which is below Venice & Nokomis which is above Venice may be cheaper . Also how about New Port Richey it's above Tampa and probably cheaper than Venice .