RE Jan 2016 moving to Florida,

Well we did it. FIRE d and can't wait for the fun to begin. My wife RE 2 weeks ago and I RE yesterday. 55 and 56 yrs old. Moving to Tampa/St Pete area in 10 days. We are RE and starting a new life, New Location, New Friends, New Weather. Woo-Hoo!!
 
clslkock,
Congrats, you will love it down here. We are in Bradenton and the weather looks like partly cloudy and 81 degrees for Christmas day.:dance:
 
clslkock said:
Well we did it. FIRE d and can't wait for the fun to begin. My wife RE 2 weeks ago and I RE yesterday. 55 and 56 yrs old. Moving to Tampa/St Pete area in 10 days. We are RE and starting a new life, New Location, New Friends, New Weather. Woo-Hoo!!
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Well congratulations, you will be very busy for several months getting settled into your new place; probably not even have time to think about you old work life!
 
Welcome to sunny Florida. I live just outside of Orlando, and go to Tampa and St. Pete often. I hope you enjoy warm weather.....

See ya on I-4......:greetings10:
 
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Florida

My mother lived in Boynton Beach, which is just south of West Palm Beach. The only reason I ever went to Florida was to visit her. She just passed away at the age of 102, and now I have no reason to got to Florida.
I live in Ventura County, California, "between Malibu and Santa Barbara". It is the best kept secret on the Central Coast. People are so busy driving between LA and Santa Barbara they zip right through.
On a slightly different subject, I am relatively new here, and am totally impressed by the wealth of information posted and the lack of snarkiness that populates many other forums.
 
Retirement house in Cocoa Beach FL, never lived in it yet (currently rented out since 2013) but will start in the 2Q 2017 when we actually retire and return from two decades overseas!
:)
 
Well we made it to Florida, No Thanks to Greek Moving and storage (A-holes)
who was suppose to move us but cancelled 2 days before the move. I had to rent a Penske truck (Thank You Penske) and move ourselves at the last minute.But other than that everything went good. We are settling in, and have gone to the beach already at St. Pete Beach. We are enjoying the cool but warm Jan. weather. Neighbors had a party and we were invited. yeah! Another week or two and we will be all settled in and ready to explore this state. yeah! Looking forward to exploring the state during the week, when normally I would have been at work. YEAH! I'm retired! 56 Love it.
 
Well we made the move! We have been in Ruskin/Sun City Center area for over 4 months now, and are loving it. Retirement is the best. Time to polish the car, time to read a book, time to lay on the beach, is absolutely wonderful. I wish sometimes that we were closer to the Gulf Beaches. 35 minutes is not bad, I know. But wish it was 5 minutes. But where we are is close to hospitals, nursing homes, libraries and shopping. And no danger of hurricanes. So I'm happy. Becoming a resident was very easy. Drivers license, license plates, Residency for property taxes, all was a breeze. I was worried about having all the extra time on our hands. Well, I can tell you, I don't know how I had time for work all those years. The days fly by, being busy doing the things I want to do. Early Retirement is the best.
 
My mom lives in SCC. Nice area... we considered it... the only downside is we found we were running to Brandon constantly for movies, shopping, etc. as the local options are thin so we are under contract in Sarasota.

Next strawberry season be sure to check out Goodson Farms... their strawberry shortcake is delicious. Also, there is a quaint German restaurant in the strip mall that Home Depot is in that we enjoyed.
 
Sarasota is very Nice! We find it to be a bit congested. Good luck with your new place. When are you going to be moving in? Are you going to be full time? We have had the strawberries already, and have been for german food many times.
We live behind home depot on Cypress Creek golf course.
 
Florida is on my short list of places to permanently relocate to, once I retire. I do plan to rent first to make sure it's a good fit for me. My daughter is currently studying for a degree in geriatric nursing, so I thought Florida might be a good spot for her as well, once she finishes her degree program.

I'm hoping to find a community that's quite friendly and social. Since I've spent so much time working, I feel like I've missed out and have some catching up to do on tennis, hosting dinner parties, walking, hiking...the beach...so much! All suggestions appreciated!
 
Let's hear from our Florida-based members!

I would be interested in hearing from those who moved to Florida. How do you like it so far? What advice can you give to those who consider moving to Florida?
 
aza455 said:
I would be interested in hearing from those who moved to Florida. How do you like it so far? What advice can you give to those who consider moving to Florida?
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Bring lots of sunblock, get used to flip flops, and leave most of your clothes behind when you move.
 
We bought a second home in Florida ten years ago just north of Tampa and 30 minutes from Clearwater Beach. We just sold it (closing next week) since the traffic has become unbearable and new developments all over the place. We recently bought a condo right on the beach on the east coast north of Ft Lauderdale for our new winter home. It's got a direct view of the ocean and no high rise next to us on our side of the towers, so the view is remarkable! The fees are largely offset by losing the maintenance cost of the house we just sold. We're on the 8th floor with hurricane impact windows, so we should be okay as far as storms go. Our PA home has been hit by two hurricanes since Florida got their last one, though I know that won't last. The condo is 1200 square ft compared to the 2100 sq ft house we sold, but it's well laid out and plenty of room for guests and we gave a beautiful pool and direct beach access. We're also close to the major cruise ports, which we will love using for our three or four cruises a year.


Enjoying life!
 
We transplanted from upstate NY to Tampa about 8 months ago. We really like it. There is a lot to do if you like to be outside. We like outside activities like golf, beaches, kayaking, biking, hiking, etc. The traffic near Tampa can be bad if you need to travel during rush hour. We are still working but we have very easy commutes because we chose to live near work. If you were retired, I think you could avoid most of the problems by timing your trips.

It is usually hot. The sun is very intense so you have to make accommodations that you don't have to worry about up North (sunscreen, hats, plan for shade, etc.).
 
Interesting to hear comments on Sarasota and Tampa regarding congestion, as I notice it every time I visit, BIG difference from 20 years ago in Sarasota. I really think Sarasota is overdeveloped.
 
I'd consider FL as a base for when we're not traveling. Our problem is that we're really keen to live in a city where we don't need a car every time we want or need to go somewhere. That rules out most of the U.S. and much of Florida outside of Miami.

Anyone know of any good walkable Floridian cities or towns?
 
REWahoo said:
Guess you've ruled out The Villages? :)
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Had to look it up but I'd say The Villages has ruled us out for at least another 10 years. We'll probably rule it out thereafter, though. :)
 
Excited to join this thread! We have a contract in on a townhouse in Sarasota. We have been visiting our best friends there yearly for the past 10 years and cannot wait to move there!

For now, it will be a second home, but hoping to get transferred down there late summer/fall (hubby still working).

I think downtown Sarasota is pretty walkable, Gone4good. But not cheap. We will be living about 10 min or so from downtown.
 
simple girl said:
I think downtown Sarasota is pretty walkable, Gone4good. But not cheap. We will be living about 10 min or so from downtown.
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Thanks for the suggestion.

As far as prices go, our original home and default base is the New York City area, so most places look "cheap" by comparison . . . and spacious. :)
 
Gone4Good said:
Thanks for the suggestion.

As far as prices go, our original home and default base is the New York City area, so most places look "cheap" by comparison . . . and spacious. :)
Click to expand...


True that!
 
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