A cold hating Pennsylvania man in Florida

RAE said:
Yeah, we will probably be returning back to Michigan by about April 1 again next year also. The issue with us is our two grandsons..........ages 7 and 9. We are pretty attached to those little guys, and their spring break is usually around the first week of April, so they usually stay at our house that whole week, if we are home. I doubt that we will want to miss that. But November and December are not great weather months here in northern Michigan, so my current thinking is that perhaps we can head south sometime in November (rather than around early January, as we have been doing). That would work for me, and hopefully for DW also.
Click to expand...

We moved down 5 years ago. My son and his family moved down last year bringing our 3 yr and 5 yr old grandkids. We definatly are staying now.
 
48Fire said:
Have you spent much time in either place? Florida is so diverse in some areas - or not. I think Ocala is a pretty area, but we would have trouble blending in there.
Click to expand...

During my next visit I am going to try to line up a rental for a year. Still don't know whether it will be in Ocala or somewhere else. I really liked Ocala the last time I was there. I figure I can use the rental as home base to visit other places for a year and then decide if I want to buy anywhere.

One AirBNB I have booked for my next visit is a lady my age who lives in Ocala in a non-gated neighborhood with nice houses. She's been there long enough to have built a pool in her backyard, without getting mugged. So we'll see. There's a lot to be said for AirBNBing it if you want to talk to locals and their friends about the area.
 
Yes, Florida is a paradise with the usual flaws as indicated in the title of this thread. However, the state is large and diverse so that with due diligence I think many people can find a place to live that they enjoy.
 
When I was a little kid ('64-65), our family drove from metro ATL to MIA where a cousin of my father lived to spend the Thanksgiving holiday week. This trip was a BIG deal to me and my older sisters. My dad's cousin was a pilot and they had a nice house but mostly they had a pool with a lanai. This was quite exotic to be able to swim in November. We ate Thanksgiving dinner by the pool under the lanai in shorts and short-sleeved shirts. We went to Seaquarium and saw our first dolphin show and spent a day at the beach on Miami Beach. My sisters and I talk about that trip still - it was quite exotic for us.

I remember on the drive we went through Orlando - coming & going. My chief memory of Orlando was not the miles-and-miles of orange groves. It was the miles and miles of pastureland - cattle and horses. Especially the horses. In the Midwest, I never saw as many horses in pastures as a I recall seeing in Orlando.
 
dtbach said:
Spent a bit more than a year in Pensacola 40 years ago during Naval Aviation Training. There were 2 or 3 hotels at most on Pensacola Beach and maybe a couple hundred houses. Traffic was non-existent getting to and from the beach.
Just went back a few years ago. What a difference!! Still a great beach but sure a lot different. Guess it got discovered LOL! Wish the heck I had bought a lot on the beach back when. But I do remember the bugs the most. Masses of them.
Click to expand...

Same can be said about the AL coast. Very little there 40 years ago but certainly discovered now. Overall the traffic is not bad most of the year. I avoid holidays during the Summer months so its manageable when I there.
 
We're looking for a new home in another state. Our realtor showed us a home in one of the few gated communities where we're looking. Though the location was wonderful, the house wasn't close enough to our wish list, and we considered the gated aspect a clear negative. There are benefits and drawbacks, I've lived in a gated community and non-gated. YMMV
 
Heavy traffic and congestion, in Florida and elsewhere, is a sign of prosperity. In the aftermath of the ‘09 financial crisis there was much less traffic on the roads, almost no trucks, restaurants were half full and there were travel bargains everywhere. Of course, 5 million people lots their jobs and lots of people here were frightened about their portfolio health.

Congestion and traffic bothers all of us, but we’re retired, in no rush, and can choose when to hit the road. I’ll take traffic over economic calamity.
 
Last edited:
Midpack said:
We're looking for a new home in another state. Our realtor showed us a home in one of the few gated communities where we're looking. Though the location was wonderful, the house wasn't close enough to our wish list, and we considered the gated aspect a clear negative. There are benefits and drawbacks, I've lived in a gated community and non-gated. YMMV
Click to expand...
We have lived in gated communities for the last 30 years. We find them very accommodating. Firstly in SoCAL and Now FLA.

Here is what we have experienced in the last 30 years or so:

1) One of the real benefits is no solicitors, none nada, not one in all 3 years, this is a biggie for us.

2) People cannot repair their cars or store sofas, refrigerators etc. in their front yards, we do live in Po Dunk FLA remember.

3) Folks cannot paint their homes exterior bright purple to attract all extra terrestrials.

4) Folks must keep their homes looking reasonable from the outside and keep them generally maintained, this keeps home values stable. Most folk are quite house proud and make an effort to keep their homes looking presentable.

Homes when built (Only 5 lots left in ours) must be over 2,000 sq.ft. and built to a certain standard.

5) In our case we have always had garden maintenance covered by the association, we like that.

6) Living in a Country Club community, the association maintains all the common lands, trees, street lighting and roads, so it is always a pleasure to drive or walk around the community. No garbage on the streets, leaves, potholes etc.

7) Lakes are all managed (we have a lot) and wildlife protected. We do not have Alligators as the special Alligator Gates on the lake inlets tends to keep them at bay.

8) Nice open spaces in our case as it is an 18 hole course with well manicured lawns. Golf cart paths circumnavigate the course and make for a nice walk with lots of wildlife.

9) No dog poop, people pick up after their dogs as we have maintained poop stations with bags strategically placed near the open areas.

10) Water fountains can be found around the golf course.

11) In our case we do not have to be golf club members (It is a private club), but get the benefits of the landscaping and surrounding vistas.

12) In our case we have 2 manned gates with no un-manned entryways. Auto Entry for residents.

Those are just a few, I could name more, we like it.

There are some Cons too:

1) The main one being over zealous board members, but in our case, I have never encountered any resistance for anything we wanted to do, in fact the opposite. But I do know a couple of folks that have complained. We can do a lot of things without board application, it is quite flexible, and for the things that they would like input, most make sense.

2) Sometimes a little slow to spend money on things, took them a while to get the roads resurfaced a few years ago, and to fix a lake drainage issue we had.

3) Most problems is that the owners have not read the CC&Rs and have no idea what they are responsible for vs the association. This is a user issue not an association issue.
 
Last edited:
MichaelB said:
Heavy traffic and congestion, in Florida and elsewhere, is a sign of prosperity. In the aftermath of the ‘09 financial crisis there was much less traffic on the roads, almost no trucks, restaurants were half full and there were travel bargains everywhere. Of course, 5 million people lots their jobs and lots of people here were frightened about their portfolio health.

Congestion and traffic bothers all of us, but we’re retired, in no rush, and can choose when to hit the road. I’ll take traffic over economic calamity.
Click to expand...

So true. I lived and worked 40 years in a small town in Western NY that has been on a steady economic decline since...well, since the early 1970s. I don't live there anymore but I do live an hour away, and relatives still live there. On the day after our return from Florida I had business to attend to in that town. I kept asking myself "where is everyone?".
 
ShokWaveRider said:
Funny how living in a nice well maintained, well managed community puts some people off.:facepalm:
Click to expand...
It's a matter of taste. We have friends who live in a gated, well managed community. Every 5th house is the same floor plan as the first. All the paint and landscaping, home improvements, behavior, dress code follow strict regulation. The pickle ball court attire is very specific. If you paint your front door the wrong shade of beige, well, you know. Someone complains. We live in a free country. I also believe, if one desires to live in a box and drive a rusty car, that is their prerogative.
 
Variety is the spice of life. While the gated community with cookie cutter 2000+ sq-ft houses and grass lawns measured with micrometers sounds nice, it misses some of the flavor.

All the lights at Christmas have to be white, right?
 
Rianne said:
It's a matter of taste. We have friends who live in a gated, well managed community. Every 5th house is the same floor plan as the first. All the paint and landscaping, home improvements, behavior, dress code follow strict regulation. The pickle ball court attire is very specific. If you paint your front door the wrong shade of beige, well, you know. Someone complains. We live in a free country. I also believe, if one desires to live in a box and drive a rusty car, that is their prerogative.
Click to expand...

Agreed: Ours is not anywhere like that. Almost every home is custom, there are 4 approved home exterior colors to choose from. There is no dress code.

Some discipline is needed for the same reasons, people can be silly and paint their homes gaudy colors. I do not want or like that. Brings down property values.

In addition, you get what you pay for, buyer beware. Read the CC&Rs B4 you buy. While it may seems snobbish to some, we like to live in areas whose residents are of the same ilk or better. Kind of like having the smallest home in the best area.

In the last 2 years we have researched communities in our area and on the West coast, honestly most are ALL just like you mention above. We want to downsize and lose the pool. We decided to stay where we are and wait for a smaller home we like to become available. Then we would buy it and sell our's after we have moved in and put our stamp on it. My biggest issue about the developments we researched is that the clubhouse, amenity and pool areas looked like an old people's home.
 
None of the pros or cons you’ve listed are exclusive to gated communities except maybe 1) re: solicitors and 12) re: Gates. Any neighborhood with a POA/HOA will have some if not all those rules!
ShokWaveRider said:
We have lived in gated communities for the last 30 years. We find them very accommodating. Firstly in SoCAL and Now FLA.

Here is what we have experienced in the last 30 years or so:

1) One of the real benefits is no solicitors, none nada, not one in all 3 years, this is a biggie for us.

2) People cannot repair their cars or store sofas, refrigerators etc. in their front yards, we do live in Po Dunk FLA remember.

3) Folks cannot paint their homes exterior bright purple to attract all extra terrestrials.

4) Folks must keep their homes looking reasonable from the outside and keep them generally maintained, this keeps home values stable. Most folk are quite house proud and make an effort to keep their homes looking presentable.

Homes when built (Only 5 lots left in ours) must be over 2,000 sq.ft. and built to a certain standard.

5) In our case we have always had garden maintenance covered by the association, we like that.

6) Living in a Country Club community, the association maintains all the common lands, trees, street lighting and roads, so it is always a pleasure to drive or walk around the community. No garbage on the streets, leaves, potholes etc.

7) Lakes are all managed (we have a lot) and wildlife protected. We do not have Alligators as the special Alligator Gates on the lake inlets tends to keep them at bay.

8) Nice open spaces in our case as it is an 18 hole course with well manicured lawns. Golf cart paths circumnavigate the course and make for a nice walk with lots of wildlife.

9) No dog poop, people pick up after their dogs as we have maintained poop stations with bags strategically placed near the open areas.

10) Water fountains can be found around the golf course.

11) In our case we do not have to be golf club members (It is a private club), but get the benefits of the landscaping and surrounding vistas.

12) In our case we have 2 manned gates with no un-manned entryways. Auto Entry for residents.

Those are just a few, I could name more, we like it.

There are some Cons too:

1) The main one being over zealous board members, but in our case, I have never encountered any resistance for anything we wanted to do, in fact the opposite. But I do know a couple of folks that have complained. We can do a lot of things without board application, it is quite flexible, and for the things that they would like input, most make sense.

2) Sometimes a little slow to spend money on things, took them a while to get the roads resurfaced a few years ago, and to fix a lake drainage issue we had.

3) Most problems is that the owners have not read the CC&Rs and have no idea what they are responsible for vs the association. This is a user issue not an association issue.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Midpack said:
None of the pros or cons you’ve listed are exclusive to gated communities except maybe 1) re: solicitors and 12) re: Gates. Any neighborhood with a POA/HOA will have some if not all those rules!
Click to expand...

Never said they were, but we prefer the gates for the reasons you mention above.
 
rayinpenn said:
I appreciate that the service road issue seems to be unique to that development. I think my point was nothing is perfect...
Click to expand...
Maybe someone else has mentioned it but in our gated community in Phoenix, emergency vehicles are accommodated by a special wireless gate activator - there is no need for separate unsecured entrance.
 
We're headed to NE Florida (Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, St. Augustine) next week to search out possible retirement areas. We've been all over the rest of the state but not the NE corner. We both work for the navy now and hope to retire in 2-3 years. If we can job transfer and get them to move us, Jacksonville would be the most logical choice for work experience. Not expecting paradise but hopeful it will be a good match. We plan to spend 3-4 months of the year in mid Michigan or northern Ohio once retired and miss the hottest weather.
 
One feature of gated communities is that the criminals know which neighborhoods have the good stuff to steal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
I Hate Computers
2 3 4
Replies
93
Views
5K
Bluenose
B
aja8888
Fast food _McD's fish sandwich..shrinking?
2 3
Replies
62
Views
3K
Koolau
Koolau
M
Basement: Suddenly Cold and Drafty
2
Replies
43
Views
3K
MichealKnight
M
E
For Musicans - Music Notation
Replies
9
Views
405
razztazz
R
Christine
Why you should never set out to marry rich
2 3
Replies
56
Views
3K
FIREd
F

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom