Retired in Florida or in the Planning Stages? Please share Here.

[ShokWaveRider]

We retired in Florida 10 years ago in North West Florida 2 miles from the coast in a nice small town. The heat does not bother us (We like it) neither do the other items that people love to bring up like; Alligators, Bugs etc., so please refrain from commenting on those.

We are considering downsizing and moving further South to an area that does not have ANY Frost or Freeze Days. While we only get a few, we still do not like them, we want an area that does not stress my Banana, Papaya and fruit trees .

According to what I have read one has to be south of Tampa on the West Coast and Melbourne on the East Coast.

We like over 55 Gates communities with a good HOA. There are so many to choose from on 55Places.com.

We would like to hear from folks that have done, are doing, have moved and have comments on their communities.

Some Criteria:

• We do not like any communities that have Manufactured homes, currently prefer single family (That may Change).
  
• Within 5 miles from the Beach (Like Ocean Breezes).
  
• We do NOT like the Villages or any communities like them.
  
• We prefer homes build after 2002 (Concrete Block & Stucco).
  
• We currently live in a Country Club community and like the way they keep up the property, However neither of us play or like Golf.
  
• Out of Flood Zones A, B or C are preferred.

We are thinking of looking in the Sarasota, Ft. Myers and Naples Areas. Thanks in advance for sharing.

 

[Silver]

I live in central Florida, and the only community I am personally familiar with in the areas you mention is "The Landings" in Sarasota. I have accompanied a friend to an open house of a treehouse condo there, and it was lovely. The entire community is beautiful....but that's about all I know about it.

Looking at Realtor.com and searching just "The Landings Treehouse" will give you a few that are currently for sale. Searching just "The Landings" will give you more homes in the community.

Sorry I don't have more info on that area.

 

[Moemg]

Why not consider Venice , Fl ? It is smaller than Sarasota ,has several communities that would fit the bill within 5 miles to the beach .Venice golf and Country Club comes to mind but there are a lot to chose from. Sarasota is really built up so most of the new developments that meet your criteria are a hike to the beach .

 

[Bamaman]

I was looking at properties online in Ft. Myers yesterday, as my old college roommate is a realtor there.
Properties there are very pricey. Florida Property taxes, HOA fees and homeowners insurance are simply out of sight.
While winter weather is great south of Tampa, I am not so thrilled to pay so much for such expenses on top of very high prices for homes.

You might want to take a vacation to South Florida to investigate properties that meet your requirements.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Check out Calusa Lakes in Nokomis, Fl. Single family homes, excellent HOA. Low fees, 3 miles to beach, well maintained, golf course optional, out of flood zone, not age restricted but most folks retired. Easy access to Sarasota culture. JMHO

 

[imoldernu]

Try Lakewood Ranch

About 10 miles to water, but a new community. Big, Not as big as The Villages.
Son and his DW picked out their home in August, moved in, in October.
Happy as can be. They live in a newer section of the development. Homes start at about $250k.
The company just finished the various Pools, Meeting Rooms, Health Center etc.
What they like the most about moving in on the ground floor, is that the neighborhood is growing together. They've made friends and are in the middle of the activities. They like the biking on the quiet roads of the community, and at the other end, having access to the beach, and all of the culture around Sarasota and the nearby cities.
They're both 57, and feel that the age group is in the lower end of the many retirement communities that have been around for many years.

https://www.lakewoodranch.com/

Do also take a look at the Mid-Florida Chain of Lakes. Our place is in Lake Griffin Harbor, but that's a manufactured home park. We love the area, and enjoyed the 212 miles of shoreline on the connected lakes. All about 15 miles south of The Villages, but a totally different world.

 

[pb4uski]

Lakewood Ranch is quite nice... a planned community... we golf and dine there regularly.

 

[pb4uski]

I was looking at properties online in Ft. Myers yesterday, as my old college roommate is a realtor there.
Properties there are very pricey. Florida Property taxes, HOA fees and homeowners insurance are simply out of sight.
While winter weather is great south of Tampa, I am not so thrilled to pay so much for such expenses on top of very high prices for homes.

You might want to take a vacation to South Florida to investigate properties that meet your requirements.

Our HOA fees, property taxes (not homesteaded) and insurance are ~3.7% of our property value.

 

[Moemg]

Lakewood Ranch is very nice but it is a distance from the beach . It might be 10 miles but it will take you at least 30 minutes on a good day.

 

[NYEXPAT]

We are going up to look around in a few weeks. Primarily focused on the Gainesville area now. Only plan to spend 5 years there, before returning to Peru.
In order to qualify for my SS survivor benefits, it is required that my young wife live in the USA for five years. We chose Gainesville (never been their) so my wife can attend Santa Fe College and my older son (12 now) will probably go to University of FL.

Toying with the idea of renting student housing and later buying it, if we like it.
We have a thriving AirBnb market here in Peru and may look at doing something in that line.

 

[Carpediem]

Lakewood Ranch is very nice but it is a distance from the beach . It might be 10 miles but it will take you at least 30 minutes on a good day.

Why does it take 30 minutes? Traffic? Winding roads?

Does anyone have any membership info (i.e., costs) on the Lakewood Ranch golf and country club? It appears they don't post it on their website.

 

[socca]

If you want 100% frost free you'll need to head south of Sarasota, although being close to the Gulf helps moderate temperatures a bit.

The USDA already revised their planting zones a few years ago; after a few more revisions you might find yourself in a frost free area without having to move - very convenient.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I called a realtor today. Got quite a bit of info. It may be too crowded (Traffic) for our liking. Also a lot of the Properties have CCDs, we do not. RE Taxes are almost double ours if there are CDDs in a community. So there is a lot too consider. DW would like to get out of a "A" Flood Zone.

 

[Aerides]

Why does it take 30 minutes? Traffic? Winding roads?

10 miles in 30 mins is pretty much everything in S Fla, especially from Nov to April. I don't have any experience with the planned, 55+ communities, but in general moving south from where you are you will find the traffic to be significantly different. SE Fla more than SW, but both more than where you are.

Be sure to check the evacuation zones as well as I personally would not move to one with mandatory evacs if the last couple of years repeat themselves.

 

[Moemg]

Why does it take 30 minutes? Traffic? Winding roads?

Does anyone have any membership info (i.e., costs) on the Lakewood Ranch golf and country club? It appears they don't post it on their website.

The traffic is horrendous on Rt. 70 & University Blvd. .The main roads leaving Lakewood Ranch . Lakewood Ranch is pretty far out for beaches but it is a lovely place .

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Anyone live in Venice or the surrounding area?

 

[Moemg]

I lived in Venice for six years . It is a beautiful town though development is crazy there now .Beautiful beaches and a quaint downtown.I would move back there in a second.

 

[Tallman4123]

We just spent the month of January in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. Spectacular beaches. I played a lot of golf in the Lakewood Ranch area and can attest that the 20 mile drive usually took 40 to 50 minutes. I was floored by the amount of traffic!

However, the communities I saw from the 5 courses I played looked well maintained; though my view was obviously limited. A lot of options in housing; from single family homes to condos.

 

[neihn]

Some perspective - median age

North Port 41
Sarasota 41
Bradenton 42
Cape Coral 42
Nokomis 46
Port Charlotte 49
Bonita Springs 54
Osprey 54
Siesta Key 60
Estero 61
Naples 61
Burnt Store Marina 63
Englewood 63
Marco Island 63
Punta Gorda 64
Boca grande 67
Manasota Key 67
Venice 69

United States 37
Florida 41

 

[Freedom56]

I would recommend living in Downtown West Palm Beach. The waterfront and downtown core is one of the nicest in Florida. We bought a condo in 2011 and planned to flip it. But we liked the area so much, we kept it and live there a few months of the year or whenever we feel like going there. A lot of developers have projects going in the Downtown core. Plus the new Brightline train is in operation and links Fort Lauderdale and later in the year Miami. We rode it twice since the service started a few weeks ago. By 2020 the train will link Orlando. You don't even need a car if you live Downtown. Plus some of the wealthiest people on the planet live in the Palm Beach area (last count 40 billionaires) so the area is well maintained. The area is also very safe. The gated communities are okay, but they feel like low security prisons to me. In general if you plan to move on the east coast of Florida, don't buy anything west of the I-95.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I would recommend living in Downtown West Palm Beach. The waterfront and downtown core is one of the nicest in Florida. We bought a condo in 2011 and planned to flip it. But we liked the area so much, we kept it and live there a few months of the year or whenever we feel like going there. A lot of developers have projects going in the Downtown core. Plus the new Brightline train is in operation and links Fort Lauderdale and later in the year Miami. We rode it twice since the service started a few weeks ago. By 2020 the train will link Orlando. You don't even need a car if you live Downtown. Plus some of the wealthiest people on the planet live in the Palm Beach area (last count 40 billionaires) so the area is well maintained. The area is also very safe. The gated communities are okay, but they feel like low security prisons to me. In general if you plan to move on the east coast of Florida, don't buy anything west of the I-95.

Our budget may not stretch to West Palm..... Condo HOAs are ~$800pm and the Taxes are 2% amongst the highest in Florida.

 

[ncbill]

Anyone looking around Daytona?

Interested in experiences with that area.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Anyone looking around Daytona?

Interested in experiences with that area.

I live in St Augustine. I would not personally want to live in Daytona.

 

[Freedom56]

Our budget may not stretch to West Palm..... Condo HOAs are ~$800pm and the Taxes are 2% amongst the highest in Florida.

Our condo fees are $599 per month but includes all the building amenities (pool, common room, fitness room, outdoor areas), cable and high speed internet, water, security, maintenance. Property tax is now $4300 per year but would be lower if we lived in Florida and used the homestead exemption. Taxes were $1800 per month when we bought the unit in 2011. It costs us about $1000 per month to maintain a residence there including property taxes, condo fees, electricity and phone. You can't do too much better than that. This is for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom upscale condo (about 1200 square feet). These 2 bedroom units rent in our building for $2200 per month unfurnished and 90% of the 210 units in our building are rented. We paid $90K (cash) for our condo in 2011 on short sale from a bank. The previous owner bought it in 2008 for $445K. These units sell for about $330K now and are slowly creeping back up to the 2007/8 prices.

 

[HadEnuff]

I can't speak for myself but I can tell you how my dad planned it.

Stage 1. Last 10 years of his working life, his plan was "I am not moving to Florida,goddammit!"

Stage 2. First year of retirement his plan was "I am not moving to Florida,goddammit!"

Stage 3. Second year of retirement, "Your mom and I are going to spend the month of February in Naples, Florida."

Stage 4. After 3 days of renting in Naples, Florida, "Your mom and I just bought the place next door."