Question for the FL, GA and Carolina coast retirees

[Leo1277]

And in case you think this is rare or fake, this is what I saw just last week when sitting in my patio office:

 

[Nick12]

Hurricanes can hit anywhere in FLA, but as one example there has not been a direct hit to Tampa of a Category 1 hurricane since the 1920's.

In 2004 a Cat 3 was predicted to hit Tampa. Many drove to Orlando to escape and every hotel room was sold out in Orlando. The Cat 3 went up I-4 and hit parts of Kissimmee and Orlando instead.

 

[teejayevans]

Let's bring some life back into this thread - who says lightning or hurricanes are the greatest danger in Florida?

Photoshop is great, maybe they should have found a different image of an alligator to paste in, one without it’s mouth taped shut.

 

[Dtail]

In 2004 a Cat 3 was predicted to hit Tampa. Many drove to Orlando to escape and every hotel room was sold out in Orlando. The Cat 3 went up I-4 and hit parts of Kissimmee and Orlando instead.

I think you are speaking of Hurricane Charley, although there were 4 large hurricanes to hit FLA that year, so could have been another one.
Charley was supposed to hit Tampa, but hit Punta Gorda fairly hard.
Irma was possibly going to hit Tampa at one point, but didn't.

Of course it could happen again, but the setting of Tampa against the typical flow of hurricanes once they are in the gulf is not ideal for a direct hit.

 

[Dtail]

And in case you think this is rare or fake, this is what I saw just last week when sitting in my patio office:

Been in FLA for 3.5 years and have seen 5 alligators so far in the man made lakes in the complex.
One should assume every lake/large pond has one.

 

[stepford]

If you hate lightning, but like coastal access you could think about southern California. We almost never get electrical storms. I hear thunder a few times a year, but see lightning so rarely it's something of an event. There are a lot of reasons not to like SoCal (cost is the biggest one) but lightning isn't among them.

 

[Leo1277]

Photoshop is great, maybe they should have found a different image of an alligator to paste in, one without it’s mouth taped shut.

Nah, that gator is actually real and not pasted; below is the picture when he was caught. You can see it's the same location when comparing the background trees etc. Here is the news story where the picture below came from: https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/...ed-Chubbs-caught-on-6641654.php#photo-8979526 The picture below is the seventh in the series, you may have to click through.

That story doesn't show the picture of the golfer from my previous post; but this page (in Hindi, if you are interested use Google Translate) has both pictures together in the same picture series: https://www.amarujala.com/photo-gal...rchives/gator-squad-caught-alligator?pageId=1

If you google around you can also find other stories about "Chubbs the gator on the golf course", including video how he was caught (by some brave woman gator hunter!)

However... apparently I remembered incorrectly when I saved this picture years ago, it turns out that story was not from Florida, it was from Texas! Of course, in Texas everything is always bigger

 

[Leo1277]

About alligators, considering the previous story turned out to be from Texas, just so that you don't get the wrong idea about Florida, here are some stories from Florida golf courses. First, from Golf.com:

Same gator starring on CNN: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/06/01/giant-alligator-golf-course-clip-newday.cnn

And yet another big Florida gator on CNN: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/...hln.hln/video/playlists/alligator-encounters/

 

[Leo1277]

Been in FLA for 3.5 years and have seen 5 alligators so far in the man made lakes in the complex.
One should assume every lake/large pond has one.

... and now that we have scared all the non-Floridians, the reasons why you saw so many people close to them is that these gators are for the most part quite harmless. Our state gator control guys wouldn't even come out for the one in my backyard lake that I showed earlier after they saw the picture, it's considered too small. In Everglades National Park, for example, you can walk right up to them, and there's one spot where often dozens or even hundreds bask in the sun, just a few feet away from you the park visitor (see towards end of video below). I suppose the National Park Service wouldn't allow that if it were too dangerous.

 

[Leo1277]

... these gators are for the most part quite harmless...

Humans have been in Florida in large numbers only for a bit more than a hundred years, and so we don't quite know what to make of them, but gators and geese have been around here forever, and they know each other well. In the story below, a handful of geese are actually chasing away a gator. You have to worry about the long term mental health of these gators, not being shown respect even by geese https://www.orlandosentinel.com/fea...lorida-geese-vs-alligator-20180514-story.html

 

[Poopycat]

I'm not a beach guy so maybe I'm clueless on the topic, but does the beach have to be on the ocean? Why not lake property?

Yep, has to be ocean for me.

 

[Poopycat]

The curve of coastal Georgia which includes Savannah and Tybee hardly ever gets hurricane weather because of the geography and ocean currents. Have a look at a map of historical hurricane paths and you'll see what I mean. The area of northeastern florida, is Jacksonville is worth a look too if no state income tax appeals to you.

I actually really like JAX Beach, Amelia Island, Ponte Vedra. When I was there last, which was a few years ago, I was driving from JAX to St. Augustine and saw some hurricane damage. A few houses on the ocean side of the street didn’t look too good and there was quite a bit of yellow tape in front of the properties.

 

[Poopycat]

I moved from the SF Bay Area to South Carolina when I retired. I was tired of drought, wild fires, and earthquakes.

South Carolina had weather, property values, tax bases, etc that worked well for me.

However, I overlooked one issue - politics. I propose living where your political views are compatible with others in the area is a must ch bigger issue than most realize.

Just food for thought.

Yes, I do need to consider the politics. I’m not sure that I would be a good fit for some of the southeastern coastal areas. That is also definitely a concern.

 

[Poopycat]

You could move to California at 5 times the cost, but don’t read about earthquakes

I’m not scared of earthquakes. I grew up with them. I was in college when the 7.0 hit during the World Series. I was fine, my parents’ house (which was not far from the epicenter) lost a chimney and some stuff came out of the cabinets. I’m not saying that they are fun, but they happen so quickly and are over in less than a minute in most cases, then you move on.

 

[Leo1277]

Yes, I do need to consider the politics. I’m not sure that I would be a good fit for some of the southeastern coastal areas. That is also definitely a concern.

If politics is an issue of consideration, the south east coast of Florida is rather liberal, the south west coast leans conservative, and the center, the north, and the panhandle are rather conservative, except Tallahassee, which is liberal. So you could take your pick. But I suppose looking at a map with the (heavily gerrymandered everywhere) congressional districts may be useful wherever you go.

 

[Leo1277]

I’m not scared of earthquakes. I grew up with them. I was in college when the 7.0 hit during the World Series. I was fine, my parents’ house (which was not far from the epicenter) lost a chimney and some stuff came out of the cabinets. I’m not saying that they are fun, but they happen so quickly and are over in less than a minute in most cases, then you move on.

You mean the 1989 earthquake I suppose; I lived in the East Bay at the time, and it rolled for quite a while. And the damage was extensive, Embarcadero Freeway completely gone, Bay Bridge partially collapsed, I580 in Oakland partially collapsed, and around 100 deaths if I recall correctly.

But that was "small" compared to the big San Francisco quake, some repeat of which is overdue according to what some say. I would not want to be around for anything like that, and rather take a few hurricanes. The last really big hurricane in Florida was about as many years ago as that last quake. Having lived in the East Bay earlier, and then again a couple years ago, I personally much prefer Southeast Florida; much more affordable, very clean, less traffic, much better air, much newer infrastructure especially for shopping and roads, and much better weather; I suppose you recall what Mark Twain said about the summer in San Francisco...

 

[Dash man]

We have a beach condo in SE Florida that is on the eighth floor of a concrete building. We’ve had one hurricane that didn’t have landfall, but went up the coast offshore. We have hurricane impact windows, but the hundred mph winds pushed the rain up against our balcony sliding door, allowing water to seep through some areas that weren’t adequately sealed. We had to replace much of our wood flooring that had just been installed in a remodel. We now have hurricane shutters in addition to the windows.

 

[Dtail]

Yes, I do need to consider the politics. I’m not sure that I would be a good fit for some of the southeastern coastal areas. That is also definitely a concern.

Same for me. We live in a fairly evenly mixed political scene and that is fine for us.
Kind of interesting that in my last job, I truly didn't know the political leanings of any co worker, but certainly know it of every friend in retirement.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Yes, I do need to consider the politics. I’m not sure that I would be a good fit for some of the southeastern coastal areas. That is also definitely a concern.

If politics is an issue of consideration, the south east coast of Florida is rather liberal, the south west coast leans conservative, and the center, the north, and the panhandle are rather conservative, except Tallahassee, which is liberal. So you could take your pick. But I suppose looking at a map with the (heavily gerrymandered everywhere) congressional districts may be useful wherever you go.

Or, you can drill to a detailed level with this tool, which shows precinct-level voting patterns: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html#5.86/32.38/-82.26

It is from 2016, but still probably relevant.

I provide the link, despite lamenting the self-sorting it documents. But that is the reality!

 

[Leo1277]

Or, you can drill to a detailed level with this tool, which shows precinct-level voting patterns: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive...6-voting-precinct-maps.html#5.86/32.38/-82.26 It is from 2016, but still probably relevant. I provide the link, despite lamenting the self-sorting it documents. But that is the reality!

Thanks, this is really interesting. I had been searching for something like that when I wrote my earlier reply, but couldn't find anything as nice as this. And, to add to my general comment about Florida's political leanings, all medium to large cities tend to be liberal, as seems to be the case just about everywhere in the US.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I’m not scared of earthquakes. I grew up with them. I was in college when the 7.0 hit during the World Series. I was fine, my parents’ house (which was not far from the epicenter) lost a chimney and some stuff came out of the cabinets. I’m not saying that they are fun, but they happen so quickly and are over in less than a minute in most cases, then you move on.

You may not like them, but your homeowner's insurance doesn't like them either and will adjust your premiums accordingly.

 

[Badger]

I actually really like JAX Beach, Amelia Island, Ponte Vedra. When I was there last, which was a few years ago, I was driving from JAX to St. Augustine and saw some hurricane damage. A few houses on the ocean side of the street didn’t look too good and there was quite a bit of yellow tape in front of the properties.

I live in this area and a couple of houses along A1A in south Ponte Vedra have washed into the ocean during the hurricanes and a good portion of the road was wiped out past St Aug. St Augustine flooded and you could see areas of houses and businesses a few feet under water. That has happened a few times in the past couple of decades. I also watched the ocean surge past the lifeguard station in Jax Beach and flood 3 blocks inland. It is even more fun at night and the power is out.

Cheers!

 

[Nick12]

Humans have been in Florida in large numbers only for a bit more than a hundred years, and so we don't quite know what to make of them, but gators and geese have been around here forever, and they know each other well. In the story below, a handful of geese are actually chasing away a gator. You have to worry about the long term mental health of these gators, not being shown respect even by geese https://www.orlandosentinel.com/fea...lorida-geese-vs-alligator-20180514-story.html

There is a road called Alligator Alley in South Florida. I drove it driving from Tampa to Miami. With no cars on the road one can easily cruise at 90mph. Both sides of the highway are fenced off. The bodies of water n both sides of the highway are crawling with gators.

 

[kbst]

Hello fellow Chapel Hill resident. I don't have a beach place but have a place at Sugar Mountain! I love the mountains in the hot weather and CH the rest of the time. I also retired at 50--19 years ago, I am now 69! I hear what you say about rednecks, plenty of those in NC but CH is an oasis. I hated the Tar Heel loss last night.

Hi to you to Harllee,
You outrank me by 9 years but it is a great club to be in. I went to State but as a 32 year resident of Chapel Hill I do pull for them now as long as they are not playing NCSU.
Our family house up on Beech Mt. is nice and cool in the summertime so we do go up there some, not as much as I would like to because the cat “ Chloe Beyoncé” isn’t as comfortable there as my wife would like. It’s one of those mountain houses where you walk into the top floor with 3 floors below that. Very confusing for “Chloe Beyoncé”
We live close to Whole Foods so you may see me walking a white fluffy American Eskimo Dog around those shopping centers in the mornings we are around.
,

 

[Poopycat]

You may not like them, but your homeowner's insurance doesn't like them either and will adjust your premiums accordingly.

True. Sounds like I’m over a barrel on insurance regardless of which coast I choose. I get to pay for quakes in CA or floods in FL.