Another Florida Question - Retirement location

[Nick12]

Yeah, no pus filled pimples. Just some redness and a little bit of itchiness.
In general, I don't have much reactions to bee stings/mosquito bites.

How can I forget the fire ants. When they get on my feet, it is painful and I start scratching my skin to dull the pain.

 

[Amethyst]

Benadryl cream is pretty good. Actually the best thing is Benadryl taken internally.

How can I forget the fire ants. When they get on my feet, it is painful and I start scratching my skin to dull the pain.

 

[W2R]

I have never lived in Florida but I have vacationed there (years ago) and I went there for work a few times. I think I would love living there! Beaches? Warm/hot humid weather? Seafood? Theme parks? Swimming and snorkeling? Caribbean music and art? What a great place to live, and polish up my tan down on the beach.

I'll ignore my immense fear of sinkholes for now, and hurricanes, and the fact that I would want to speak Spanish, but don't. Also I get the little pus filled pimples from fire ant bites, or at least I did when I lived in Texas. Haven't been bitten here yet, even though we have them.

Florida is Frank's least favorite state, for some reason, and I would never want to live somewhere if he isn't there. He's pretty attached to New Orleans, since his family has lived here for over 6 generations. So, I like New Orleans.

 

[Amethyst]

Hurricanes are definitely a thing, and not to be trifled with; then again, New Orleans is scarcely a stranger to them. Sinkholes pretty much stick to sinkhole country, as someone else pointed out.

Spanish is nice, but not necessary for day-to-day, even in the far-south counties. I can read Spanish (not that it's needed, but I enjoy reading in other languages) but can't understand it spoken conversationally. Doesn't inconvenience me, unless I decide to worry about what the groundskeepers are saying about me (did he just refer to me as la gringa vieja? ). Or unless I decide to get lost in Little Havana, where I never go anyway, so again...no hay problema.

OTOH, we don't have any spare Franks here, so you'll have to stay where you are.

I

I'll ignore my immense fear of sinkholes for now, and hurricanes, and the fact that I would want to speak Spanish, but don't. Also I get the little pus filled pimples from fire ant bites, or at least I did when I lived in Texas. Haven't been bitten here yet, even though we have them.

Florida is Frank's least favorite state, for some reason, and I would never want to live somewhere if he isn't there. He's pretty attached to New Orleans, since his family has lived here for over 6 generations. So, I like New Orleans.

 

[W2R]

Hurricanes are definitely a thing, and not to be trifled with; then again, New Orleans is scarcely a stranger to them. Sinkholes pretty much stick to sinkhole country, as someone else pointed out.

Spanish is nice, but not necessary for day-to-day, even in the far-south counties. I can read Spanish (not that it's needed, but I enjoy reading in other languages) but can't understand it spoken conversationally. Doesn't inconvenience me, unless I decide to worry about what the groundskeepers are saying about me (did he just refer to me as la gringa vieja? ). Or unless I decide to get lost in Little Havana, where I never go anyway, so again...no hay problema.

OTOH, we don't have any spare Franks here, so you'll have to stay where you are.

So true! He's one of a kind, and thank heavens we found each other 21 years ago.

That was interesting, Amethyst. I didn't know that sinkholes were just in some areas. I also didn't realize that Spanish wouldn't be necessary even in the far south counties. When traveling for work, I ran into a convenience store clerk across from the hotel (maybe in Miami or Miami Beach?) who couldn't (wouldn't?) speak English; so I mistakenly assumed Spanish would be necessary. We completed the transaction by the time-honored method of pointing and gesturing, plus I know my numbers and sprinkled in some "gracias" and "por favor". I always wanted to learn Spanish when I was younger, but the older I get the more difficult that sounds for me to do. Or maybe I'm just getting lazy.

 

[harley]

At least back in the 80s... A lot of rock bands started their tours in late winter in FL. It was great. Saw a lot of good bands.

Speaking only for SWFL, I've found the music scene to suck. Local stuff is OK, nothing to write home about. But any big name acts charge an arm and a leg and an extra couple of fingers. At the center in Estero (the name changes so often I forget what it is) the cheapest seats for Joe Bonamassa were $135. I like Joe alot, but I wouldn't pay $135 for Paul McCartney or Pink Floyd. I did see a really great show by the Steep Canyon Rangers (without Steve Martin), but even that was fairly expensive. I know JJ Gray and Mofro come from that area, but I've never managed to catch them there.

Maybe in the bigger cities it's a different story. But far more than fire ants, sinkholes, or hurricanes, the music scene is my biggest issue. OK, maybe tied with hurricanes.

 

[JoeWras]

Speaking only for SWFL, I've found the music scene to suck. Local stuff is OK, nothing to write home about. But any big name acts charge an arm and a leg and an extra couple of fingers.

I believe my time in FL was the golden age for rock concerts. This was mid to late 80s. Tickets were affordable, and big acts of all types came through, and those that did aimed to please and not just be jerks. I'll give you two examples: 1) Mike + Mechanics. They were hot at the time. I saw their first concert that they ever played together. Not only did they play the popular M+M stuff, which featured the incredible Paul Young's vocals, they also gave room for the even more incredible Paul Carrack to do his thing with hits from his old bands (Ace's: How Long, Squeeze's: Tempted). Mike Rutherford put together top musicians who clearly were ready to play. All for some ridiculous price of something like $18 per ticket. 2) George Carlin. Unfiltered and pure George at his height. Of course he did his swear word routine, and even added a few. Crowd pleaser.

The issue of price came after this and pervades the industry. Give thanks to the Eagles and Pink Floyd who made big jumps in the mid 90s, and the market accepted them. The race was on. This is not a Florida problem.

We don't go to concerts anymore.

Sorry about the thread diversion, all.

 

[JoeWras]

Back to OP's request about locations on FL.

I don't think it is unreasonable to be concerned about sinkholes when considering a move to FL. It isn't just necessarily the problem of the holes swallowing your house. There are other issues such as subtle subsidence that are officially sinkholes, but you can't see it from the surface. It may show up only as cracks in the house walls. Some of these are fixable by grout injection. But one has to wonder if it really is a solution. Your house deed gets the equivalent of a car "salvage" title which may be a problem in selling in the future because some people (me!) wouldn't buy a house has had sinkhole remediation.

The maps are out there. Be especially aware on moves to the general area from Tampa north to the Villages.

 

[Amethyst]

Well, that was Miami. If you wander around the Cuban areas of Miami, you'll find places where people expect everyone to speak Spanish. We once had an Uber driver take us to Miami International Airport - about a 3-hour drive from our house - and his English was so rudimentary that he was afraid to try it out on me, until I tried out my rudimentary Spanish on him.

And if you wanted to start a business in southern Florida, I think being bilingual (or married to someone who is) would be a definite advantage.

But most people in Florida were either born here, or emigrated from northern states (northern cities, in many cases).

I also didn't realize that Spanish wouldn't be necessary even in the far south counties. When traveling for work, I ran into a convenience store clerk across from the hotel (maybe in Miami or Miami Beach?) who couldn't (wouldn't?) speak English; so I mistakenly assumed Spanish would be necessary.

 

[Dtail]

Definitely don't need to speak Spanish in the Tampa area. My DGF is from Dominican Republic, so for example when we went to a hole in the wall Cuban sandwich place in West Tampa, she spoke Spanish to the servers, but it was not necessary.
I have been in a Miami beach hotel and it was about 50/50 Spanish/English spoken.

 

[JoeWras]

Living on South Florida (really, Southeast FL), I never felt the need to know Spanish. As mentioned above, if you go deep into Miami, it is a bit different. If you are conducting business in Miami, knowing Spanish is a plus, and in some places a requirement. That's fairly minimal though.

If you are an employer in service trades, it also helps to know some Haitian Creole.

 

[mpeirce]

Be especially aware on moves to the general area from Tampa north to the Villages.

There's a reason Lake County is called that. So many small round lakes -sinkholes.

 

[teejayevans]

No golf that I saw. I'm out.

I wanted both golf and a beach within easy walking distance.



But I will spend a lot of time watching the weather channel during the summer.

 

[Amethyst]

Naah, just refresh the NOAA Severe Weather site every couple of hours, to see what's being fired off the coast of Africa and how far it's expected to get.

But I will spend a lot of time watching the weather channel during the summer.

 

[Freedom56]

Living on South Florida (really, Southeast FL), I never felt the need to know Spanish. As mentioned above, if you go deep into Miami, it is a bit different. If you are conducting business in Miami, knowing Spanish is a plus, and in some places a requirement. That's fairly minimal though.

If you are an employer in service trades, it also helps to know some Haitian Creole.

You are correct. You need to speak Spanish around Miami if you want to work there. We have noticed that French (from Quebec) is spoken also around Hollywood Florida and Creole all throughout South East Florida.

 

[harley]

But I will spend a lot of time watching the weather channel during the summer.

Naah, just refresh the NOAA Severe Weather site every couple of hours, to see what's being fired off the coast of Africa and how far it's expected to get.

+1 for NOAA. A brisk breeze is a hurricane on the Weather Channel, just as a middling snowstorm is a polar vortex or some such nonsense. I used to enjoy watching TWC, but just like The Learning Channel (TLC) migrated to The Loser Channel, The Weather Channel has migrated to The Worry Channel. Sad when it gets so important to get 24x7 eyeballs that they pretty much make stuff up.

 

[Leo1277]

You are correct. You need to speak Spanish around Miami if you want to work there. We have noticed that French (from Quebec) is spoken also around Hollywood Florida and Creole all throughout South East Florida.

I agree you will usually be just fine getting around with English. However, if you speak some Spanish, it can grease the wheels with Hispanics working on your home or yard, often they get a big kick out of you trying to communicate in their language and appreciate your effort. So if I want this or that trimmed in a special way, or some extra mulch here or there, or some of these coconuts removed, I get much further asking them in Spanish. (Talking about the coconuts, they are actually one of the hazards so far not mentioned; as pretty as these trees are, their nuts cause serious injury if they drop on you accidentally, and become outright missiles in a hurricane. That's why hurricane prep usually involves trimming all the coconuts nearby)

And yet, even Spanish gets you only so far with many "Hispanics", especially those from the Yucatan, southern Mexico, or central America, who often communicate primarily in a Maya language, and that is something impossible to learn easily.

About Creole, that is of course also harder to systematically learn for a non-native Haitian, especially since you can't even study it in a structured way in the US. However, most Haitians who speak Creole also speak proper (European) French, which they learn in school. I am pretty good in French, and this is how I communicate with them, and they usually also appreciate it. Sometimes I get a kick out of listening to Creole radio stations, mostly for the music, and it's really just like a strong French dialect that on a listening level you can figure out after a while if you know enough French. Not much worse than Quebec French, IMHO ;-)

And speaking about that dialect: another "language" that is helpful to know is Jamaican English, spoken widely in Broward County but also by many others across the state, which is IMO roughly as far from regular English as Creole is from French. Here the same applies, if you know a few of their special expressions, it goes a long way to win their heart. And it is essential if you want to understand the intricacies of the lyrics of Reggae, or in particular those of Trinidadian and Jamaican Calypso (but not the Americanized Belafonte stuff), which are often absolutely hilarious, funny and yet intelligent, and IMO worth exploring.

 

[Leo1277]

+1 for NOAA. A brisk breeze is a hurricane on the Weather Channel, just as a middling snowstorm is a polar vortex or some such nonsense. I used to enjoy watching TWC, but just like The Learning Channel (TLC) migrated to The Loser Channel, The Weather Channel has migrated to The Worry Channel. Sad when it gets so important to get 24x7 eyeballs that they pretty much make stuff up.

So true about the Weather Channel. On Youtube you can find plenty of videos where the Weather Channel reporter is reporting live from a "deadly" hurricane and behaves like he is about to be blown away and submitting himself to grave danger to accurately report for you the valued viewer, and yet in the background, folks are walking around in bathing suits without a worry.

 

[Dtail]

So true about the Weather Channel. On Youtube you can find plenty of videos where the Weather Channel reporter is reporting live from a "deadly" hurricane and behaves like he is about to be blown away and submitting himself to grave danger to accurately report for you the valued viewer, and yet in the background, folks are walking around in bathing suits without a worry.

Also have Mike's weather page, which has every chart you might want and frequent updates.

 

[Leo1277]

Also have Mike's weather page, which has every chart you might want and frequent updates.

That site indeed looks great! About wind-related weather, I also really like windy.com, which is great for watching a hurricane develop off of Africa, and then get more organized, and finally see precisely where the eye is located, and it's all live and continuously (? I guess) updated.

 

[Leo1277]

Some more comments for the OP that so far, if I read the thread carefully enough, may have not come up:

- Only in the southern half or one third is it warm enough to sit outside basically every day even in winter. I have my "office" on a covered patio in Palm Beach County, and greatly love this aspect. Even in summer it's fine by just running the fan. For comparison, Disney theme parks can get quite nippy in winter when they close in the evening.

- The ocean temperatures in South Florida differ greatly between east coast and west coast. The east coast has the gulf stream, a very strong current coming from the Caribbean, while on the west coast, the corresponding current comes from the north and is much colder. In the wintertime, this can make the difference between an enjoyable winter day at the ocean and a more nippy one. For example, today the water temperature is 79 in Miami, but only 66 in Naples. It's a mini version of all world ocean currents, and why California beaches are cold and those at the same latitude on the US east coast are warmer.

- The FL east coast has less temperature fluctuation, is warmer in winter and and not as oppressive in summer because the predominance of breezes from the east. The FL Keys have the least temp fluctuation over the year, while the center of FL has the biggest variations.

- The west coast has a bit more sunshine while the east coast has nearly daily afternoon thunderstorms in the summer months. Although there's plenty of that everywhere, it's called the Sunshine State for a reason. The predominantly eastern breezes drop their rain on the east coast before getting to the west where they are then a bit dryer. It's a smaller version of the weather patterns in the Hawaiian islands (although we are obviously missing the mountains in the middle)

- The beach sand is generally whiter and the beaches wider on the west coast, and there is more need for beach rebuilding after hurricanes in the east.

- The east coast is politically liberal, while the west coast is more conservative (this may have been mentioned). It's partly because the east coast residents are predominantly from New York, wider New England, and Canada, while the the west coast is originally more from the Midwest.

- The southernmost counties on the east coast (Broward and Miami-Dade) are quite built up, and the ocean beaches more packed with highrise condos and hotels. From Palm Beach County all the way north to Jacksonville, the situation is generally less city-like, with the exception perhaps of Daytona. The west coast is generally less densely built out along the beaches from what I know, but it seems to be catching up especially in the last years.

YMMV.

 

[Djwil296]

We are closing on our retirement home in a month in Florida. We chose Sun City Center, a 55+ community. Oh nominal HOA includes lawn are so we don’t have to worry if we decide to take a long vacation. We felt it had lots activities to keep us busy and would be easier to make new friends than a traditional neighborhood. We are close enough to the beach if we choose to go and can get to Tampa or St Pete easily. We can’t wait, except for the cleaning out the current house before the move.

 

[Buckeye]

No golf that I saw. I'm out.

If you love big swaths of blacktop, this is your dream location. The parking lots are enormous!

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Anyone Seen the Documentary "Some Kind of Heaven" about the Villages? The first scene reminded me why we would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER want to live there.

Synchronized Golf Cart Driving ......... REALLY ........ Are they Serious?

 

[Tom52]

Anyone Seen the Documentary "Some Kind of Heaven" about the Villages? The first scene reminded me why we would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER want to live there.

Synchronized Golf Cart Driving ......... REALLY ........ Are they Serious?

Based upon your above comment and your other past negative comments about The Villages you should be declared the Official Villages Basher of early-retirement.org.��