What do we need to know or to buy that is somewhat unique to FL?

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Scuba

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I’m starting a new topic because we’re in escrow now on a home in the Sarasota, FL area. We will be relocating from the CA desert in the next few months, and would love some input from FL residents about the nitty gritty of South FL life.

I grew up on the Gulf Coast and lived in Houston for 10 years, so I understand it will be humid while CA is dry. I know not to ever allow our home’s A/C to go above 80 for extended periods of time even if we are traveling. Just wondering what else we need to know about living in FL, and/or what some essentials are to enjoy the FL lifestyle that we may not own now (examples - beach wagon, portable cabana). Also what things should we not bring to FL (shag rugs? Lots of winter clothes). Should we insulate our garage and put in a mini-split?

All local knowledge appreciated!
 
Get used to lizards, they eat bugs! Baby ones will appear in your house. I like to try to catch them and release them in the garden. Do try to get rid of the green iguanas. They won't be inside but they will poop on your deck.

Don't put too many planters/pots/knick knacks in your garden. Everything you put outside needs to be carried inside/garaged before a hurricane. Don't be so sparse you don't enjoy your outdoor space, but just be mindful everything that can be lifted can fly through a window in a storm.

Keep enough winter clothes for trips or for a long weekend. Winter here is usually about 48 hours, though it might be 24hrs in jan and 24hrs in feb. And by winter, I mean overnight it dips to 38F. Instead you'll want a lot more (guessing) open toed shoes. Sandals, flip flops. Casual light clothing.

I wouldn't worry about beach gear for now, figure out where you'll drive to, the parking, how far you have to carry your gear over the sand, before investing in anything beyond a couple of nice chairs.

Your AC needs you'll do best to evaluate once you're there, and talking with neighbors with similar layouts to your new home. We have just a standard setup, but our house is only 1800 sf.

You will want to shop around for an AC service company. Having someone on tap to call when you have an issue is priceless, and these annual services usually mean they come out twice a year to check on things for you. Humidity means you can benefit more from these, and learn to flush out the lines or you can get water backing up which stops the system. Easy to fix, but having someone you can call when you have issues vs. paying for the emergency services will be a good savings. Ask neighbors for reqs.

Consider adding whole-house surge protection. Cheaper than a new TV or computer. FPL has a monthly service, getting an electrician install it permanently breaks even in a couple of years.

Everyone seems to be installing portable generators these days. We have not. There is a lot of maintenance and testing with these, and the operating costs are high too. Our plan is to lock and leave. No concerns getting out "in time" if needed, more likely we stay and leave after if power is gone.
 
One important tip is knowing when to venture out as traffic can be horrible at certain times of day. I avoid traveling on weekends and during the morning and evening commute if I can avoid it. Traffic to beaches and parking once you get there can be horrible.

DW likes Lido Beach. What we sometimes do during the season is to go early and park, walk into St. Armands Circle and have breakfast and then walk back to Lido Beach and get our gear out of the car and then go out onto the beach. We've done the same thing at Siesta Key Beach but it is a much longer walk into Siesta Key village for breakfast. Alternatively, if you go to the beach in the late afternoon/arly evening parking is usually much easier to find.

Another thing that you will want to do is to get a copy of The Ticket which has goings on in the Sarasota area each weekend. It comes with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune each Thursday (paper or electronic) and is also put our for free in certain locations.

If you like baseball, be sure to catch a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Baltimore Orioles spring training.

We also like to occasionally do the lunch or dinner cruise of Sarasota harbor with friends on the Marina Jack II.

The Ringling Art Museum is open to the public for free on Mondays.

Another thing I would highly recond is the Florida Studio Theater caberet performances. We have has season tickets since moving to Sarasota and really enjoy it.

And of course, keep an eye out for the thread on the annual e-r.org SWFL get together each spring.
 
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As far as AC is concerned, I second the Annual Service contract that companies offer. Most companies offer a 10 - 20% on labour and some even offer free diagnostics visits in case of an issue. 20% is a big deal on Labour. The AC unit(s) will have a 10 year parts warranty.

Not sure how big your new home is, but ours is 3,200sqft with 2 AC units one for the main living areas and another for the FROG (Guest Suite Over the Garage). I leave the FROG AC at 82 Degrees, and it has not posed any issues for the last 15 years.

If your new home has a pool, and even if not, get a screened in porch if it does not already have one, it helps with keeping the area clean and of course keeps the bugs out.
 
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Realize you will have "bad hair" days.....all the time. I don't have a clue on how to fix that!:D
 
So I am really curious why you would leave the land of perfect weather and not many bugs for just the opposite. Sounds crazy to me:)).
 
Aerides said:
Consider adding whole-house surge protection. Cheaper than a new TV or computer. FPL has a monthly service, getting an electrician install it permanently breaks even in a couple of years.
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When we replaced a curcuit breaker panel a few years ago the electrician told us that whole-house surge protection was required by code. So your new home may already have it.

You may want to consider adding a better quality model for better protection. We did. Although it may not matter much if your home gets a direct hit from the lightning. The Tampa Bay area is among the leaders in the US for most lightning strikes.

Might want to consider individual surge protectors for expensive electronics in addition.
 
ransil said:
Contractors suck in Florida.
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Never take a quote from someone who won't do can do your thing with a permit. At least nothing you can't otherwise do yourself. Even though we always go with established providers, I cannot remember the last time there wasn't something the inspectors caught. It takes longer but it's usually worth it, especially for electrical stuff.

aja8888 said:
Realize you will have "bad hair" days.....all the time. I don't have a clue on how to fix that!:D
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Dyson Air Wrap.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
As far as AC is concerned, I second the Annual Service contract that companies offer. Most companies offer a 10 - 20% on labour and some even offer free diagnostics visits in case of an issue. 20% is a big deal on Labour. The AC unit(s) will have a 10 year parts warranty.
Click to expand...

Our A/C service contract is also good for $1000 off on the next new A/C.
 
ransil said:
Contractors suck in Florida.
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Generally speaking, yes... but I have found a good general construction guy and a good HVAC guy who seem to be straight shooters and do good work for reasonable prices.

Whatever you do though, pay only as the work progresses and don't make a large advance payment. There have been too many instances of people doing so and then the contractor flys the coop and the homeowner is screwed. However, I tell them that I pay my bills on time, have an 822 FICO score and pay promptly once a bill is presented.
 
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We're new also and bringing common-sense type items with us:


Tons of candles, lots of storage for potable water, portable camping-type toilet, battery backup/surge protection for high $ equipment, 90 supplies of medicines as opposed to just 30 days obtained locally, spare battery packs to charge cell phones with when power is out, cellular hotspot capabilities for when ISP is down, tons of TP and paper towels, food that can remain edible for long storage periods, etc. We're not doomsday preppers but I think to live here, you have to have 'some' of that type of mentality so you don't get caught in your short pants.
 
Make sure to have your hurricane list up to date.
A little more hair gel and conditioner works just fine for me to lessen bad hair days.
Understand that by Sept/Oct, you might be tired of the heat, but 5 glorious months are around the corner.
 
We go to Anna Marie Beach Cafe regularly. Good food. Free music each night. We wash and bring back the beer steins you buy with your first beer. From then on when you bring the stein back, beer is heavily discounted. IIRC, 50% off! So, buy the special beer steins and recycle! Drink sustainably!
 
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Some folks buy and store gallons of bottled water during hurricane season. That takes up a lot of space. And the flimsy gallon-size bottles will often leak after a while.

Instead, we bought a bunch of stackable pitchers at the dollar store. They take little space to store when empty. We fill them up when a storm threatens.
 
Scuba said:
Also what things should we not bring to FL (shag rugs? Lots of winter clothes). Should we insulate our garage and put in a mini-split?

All local knowledge appreciated!
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Mini-split for the garage? No. Lots of winter clothes? No.

All you really need is a hat, flip flops, shorts, tees, sunglasses, sun protector and bug spray. Most other stuff you bring you probably won’t ever need, and you probably won’t have much storage space.
 
My advise is to figure out a way to leave for at least 6 weeks during the summer. Also, find a good dermatologist.
 
Thank you all for the great tips! Quite a few things I learned from these answers.

The home we are buying is 2,500 sq ft. It does have a pool/spa and it already has a cage, although we may replace the front section of it with a “clear view” screen.

We will also have a 22 kw generator and a whole house surge protector. I don’t know much about these surge protectors. Is it necessary to have the individual item ones if we also have the whole house protector?
 
When I got my whole house surge protector they also gave me some individual ones to use with the most important equipment (computers, TV, major appliances). Easy to set up, so I'd recommend doing it.

Other than that, Aerides and PB4uski covered just about everything in the first two posts. We're getting ready to sell our FL home next month, due to family issues. We'll miss a lot of it, including the weather and the wildlife (and the lack of income tax). But I won't miss the traffic or the hurricanes. Enjoy your new home!
 
Teacher Terry said:
So I am really curious why you would leave the land of perfect weather and not many bugs for just the opposite. Sounds crazy to me:)).
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We actually like the summer heat and humidity in FL far better than the gloomy coastal weather prevalent for several months a year in So CA. And winters should be much better than in Palm Springs, which has very cold desert nights in winter. We are looking forward to living in shorts and flip flops most of the year!

Weather is only one factor of many when considering quality of life. Access to beautiful beaches with warm water, being close to places with good diving where we like to vacation, and being closer to family are all important factors for us. Quality of life, prevalence of crime and homelessness, and how our taxpayer dollars are spent are also important to us.

There are many articles suggesting reasons why people and businesses are leaving such a beautiful environment with amazing weather. We are not alone in making this choice. Between April 2020 and July 2022, net migration out of CA topped 700,000 people. For the first time in its 171-year history, CA lost a seat in the US House of Representatives in 2021. Historically, people left mainly because of the cost of living, but in the last few years, higher income folks have begun to leave. Texas and Florida, both states with extreme weather and lots of bugs, along with zero state income taxes and very different policies on a number of issues, had the highest net incoming migration.
 
harley said:
When I got my whole house surge protector they also gave me some individual ones to use with the most important equipment (computers, TV, major appliances). Easy to set up, so I'd recommend doing it.

Other than that, Aerides and PB4uski covered just about everything in the first two posts. We're getting ready to sell our FL home next month, due to family issues. We'll miss a lot of it, including the weather and the wildlife (and the lack of income tax). But I won't miss the traffic or the hurricanes. Enjoy your new home!
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Thank you! I agree, the wildlife is amazing in FL! Much more prevalent than I realized.
 
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