Venice Florida

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Anyone know anything about the Panama City area?

Stick with Venice.

 

[REWahoo]

Doc, you don't think much of the Redneck Riviera?

 

[Razor]

Stick with Venice.

Why do you say that? Venice still is at the top of the list, but we want to explore other possibilities.
Every place looks good on the internet.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Why do you say that? Venice still is at the top of the list, but we want to explore other possibilities.
Every place looks good on the internet.

Well, in fairness I don't have in-depth first hand knowledge. It has a strong element of tourist mania, and is a notorious spring break destination, hibernating much of the remaining months. Nice beaches. Not close to a big urban center, though Tallahassee not too far. Half a million spring-breakers this year.

Cities I like in Florida (besides Venice and Sarasota) include Tallahassee, Gainesville, Vero Beach, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Tampa (not necessarily as a destination retirement city). Longtimers like Moemg and LG4NB will have better information.

 

[Moemg]

I not really a longtimer in Florida only 12 years but I agree with Rich's selection of towns . The Panama City area does seem to get hit with hurricanes more often then the rest of western Florida .

 

[Razor]

Thanks for the input. We do want to be close to the gulf. Anyplace in the panhandle worth looking in to?

 

[RhysOrd]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, mid 50's, and also very interested in learning more about the Venice area as a possible retirement destination, primarily during the winter months.

My wife and I are heading down from New Jersey in May for a few days to get a feel for the area. We're hoping to stay in Venice a few nights and travel up the coast a bit for a few more nights.

We are too many years away from retirement to look at actual houses for sale with a realtor, but would like to drive around the neighborhoods a bit, both on and off Venice Island. I like the idea of spending winters in a gated community with a clubhouse, pool, and maintenance paid through a HOA; she likes the idea of being closer to the beach with a private lot and no HOA to deal with. We have a lot of time to consider both options. If anyone has any recommendations on neighborhoods to check out, I'd love to hear. I imagine if communities are "gated" you can't go easily driving through them to gawk. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Rhys

 

[Moemg]

There are tons of developments in Venice with deed restrictions so they are very nice but not necessarily gated . If you drive Jacaranda Blvd . you will see several that you can drive thru .also Venice Ave . has a lot of those kind of developments . I lived in the Isles in Chestnut creek and loved it because it was so centrally located . I think there is a lot of development going on below Venice in what was Taylor ranch ( straight down rt.41 ) . To live on the island you pay a high price ( maybe lower now ) for a house that needs a lot of work . If you stay in Venice for a few days I'd highly recommend The Inn at the Beach . It's across from the Beach and walking distance to restaurants and shops .Hope this helps !

 

[Khan]

Doc, you don't think much of the Redneck Riviera?

Panama City is way over developed; Gulf Shores ( the original Redneck Riviera) is tending that way (see Orange Beachless).

 

[RhysOrd]

Moemg,

Thanks! We are staying at Inn on the Beach for those first two nights. I hope to see a little of Sarasota as well.

Rhys

 

[Moemg]

Moemg,

Thanks! We are staying at Inn on the Beach for those first two nights. I hope to see a little of Sarasota as well.

Rhys

If you are going to Sarasota from Venice go rt.41 slower but more scenic . Plus check out downtown Sarasota lots of sidewalk cafes and little shops . If you need more info please feel free to PM me . I lived in Venice for six years. Funny story how I ended up in Venice . My husband & I were looking at property in Sarasota & Bradenton . We were on a flight down from New Jersey to scope out the area and the man in the next seat said " Look at Venice " . We did and we fell in love with the area and moved there .

 

[calmloki]

Today we looked at a 55+ mobile park right on the intercoastal just at the bridge into Venice from Nokomis. A tiny old 1 bedroom with a boat tieup right outside is for rent for $1100 short term or $650/month long term. That includes sewer/water/garbage and lawn care. Tenant pays electric/propane. There was a somewhat larger trailer for sale on it's own land for $60k, not on the water. Taxes are claimed to be $650/year, though that would probably be higher for a new buyer, and $1100/year tenant fees, which, again, cover sewer, water, garbage, and lawn care.

Had dinner at Pelican Bay, right under the bridge to Casey Key. good grouper, GREAT cuban black beans and rice! Tracked down Althea's for tomorrow

 

[Moemg]

Today we looked at a 55+ mobile park right on the intercoastal just at the bridge into Venice from Nokomis. A tiny old 1 bedroom with a boat tieup right outside is for rent for $1100 short term or $650/month long term. That includes sewer/water/garbage and lawn care. Tenant pays electric/propane. There was a somewhat larger trailer for sale on it's own land for $60k, not on the water. Taxes are claimed to be $650/year, though that would probably be higher for a new buyer, and $1100/year tenant fees, which, again, cover sewer, water, garbage, and lawn care.

Had dinner at Pelican Bay, right under the bridge to Casey Key. good grouper, GREAT cuban black beans and rice! Tracked down Althea's for tomorrow

All those trailer parks that are on the water are living on borrowed time .They are all being bought my developers for the land .

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Mobile Home = Flying Home

 

[mn54]

It appears to me that everyone is talking about living on the gulf coast side, never discussing the east side. Is the gulf side of FL. that much better? Is it less of a target for a hurricane? Just curious.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

It appears to me that everyone is talking about living on the gulf coast side, never discussing the east side. Is the gulf side of FL. that much better? Is it less of a target for a hurricane? Just curious.

Ocean is more dynamic than the gulf, but the beaches are beautiful both sides. Hurricanes - not sure but both sides are vulnerable.

Main difference is look and feel. Purely subjective, the east is more developed and tends to reflect its large northeast influx (somewhat faster pace) while the gulf coast has more of a midwestern feel. Both have lots of great places.

 

[HFWR]

My opinion is influenced by several visits to Daytona Beach for spring break. Jellyfish out the wazoo...

I much prefer Clearwater Beach. They do indeed have clear water, no jellyfish, and minimal seaweed.

So, I prefer the Gulf, though those two data points are undoubtedly misleading.

 

[JPatrick]

Thanks for the input. We do want to be close to the gulf. Anyplace in the panhandle worth looking in to?

A few years ago we looked seriously at Fairhope Al. A neat little town on Mobile Bay that will defy the stereotype. A couple of great golf course developments or opportunities to live in historic ares. Big city Mobile is accross the bridge if you need it. I'm told the personality of the area has taken a turn since the hurricanes and just lately the home insurance problem has arrived. Still worth a look.
Going east on the panhandle it is a story (IMO) of yesterdays paradise thanks to massive development in places like Destin and beyond.
For someone wanting a medium size city, Pensacola has some merit.
We would still like to live on the panhandle, but the places we lusted for over the years just ain't what they used to be.

 

[Dude]

Anyone know anything about the Panama City area?

My brother lives in Panama City, I live in west Saint Petersburg about 5 minutes from Treasure Island/Gulf of Mexico.

One advantage of Panama City over here is that if you plan to do alot of deep-sea type fishing, the water up around Panama City gets much deeper quicker than here. In Panama City about a mile out you're in about 100ft of water from what I recall, here you have to go 20+ miles out to get the same depth, where the big fish are. You can also hunt (e.g. deer) more places around Panama City.

A downside of Panama City is that I think they still have an operating paper mill which stinks up the place.

I was born in St. Pete and lived here all of my life (37 years) except for time away at college in Tallahassee (go 'Noles). I like it here, although housing costs/taxes/insurance are not cheap for sure!

- Dude

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Cities I like in Florida (besides Venice and Sarasota) include Tallahassee, Gainesville, Vero Beach, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Tampa (not necessarily as a destination retirement city). Longtimers like Moemg and LG4NB will have better information.

i'd agree with much of that list and i'd add daytona beach, most all of south florida (west palm, ft laud & miami beach) & the keys if you can afford it. oddly i'd also add tarpon springs/new port richey area which is pretty laid back yet not far from tampa and also i'd add clewiston even though i'd probably be the only token gay person there.

i have never understood the appeal of orlando yet it seems to attract a lot of migration. i also don't get naples unless you have $600k to spend on a house & want to have absolutely nothing to do.

I'm not really a longtimer in Florida only 12 years but I agree with Rich's selection of towns . The Panama City area does seem to get hit with hurricanes more often then the rest of western Florida .

even with the 2005 hurricanes finally fading from my mind, my impression also is that the panhandle seems to get hit a lot. but you have to look at hurricanes historically and not just in our own mini-time frame.

Thanks for the input. We do want to be close to the gulf. Anyplace in the panhandle worth looking in to?

A few years ago we looked seriously at Fairhope Al. A neat little town on Mobile Bay that will defy the stereotype....Pensacola has some merit.

i agree with pensacola as a possibly nice place. it has some really good historic buildings and if i remember right it lays counterclaim to st augustine for being the oldest city in the u.s.a.

i also liked the downtown mobile al area. the huge area of little historic homes are wonderful.

Today we looked at a 55+ mobile park right on the intercoastal just at the bridge into Venice from Nokomis.

All those trailer parks that are on the water are living on borrowed time .They are all being bought my developers for the land .

Mobile Home = Flying Home

anyone remember briny breezes? Developer Pulls Out Of $510M Briny Breezes Deal - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

My opinion is influenced by several visits to Daytona Beach for spring break. Jellyfish out the wazoo...

I much prefer Clearwater Beach. They do indeed have clear water, no jellyfish, and minimal seaweed.

So, I prefer the Gulf, though those two data points are undoubtedly misleading.

in winter/spring the east coast gets hit with man-of-war depending on the winds. but my last time in naples we had to walk through the water by scraping our feet on the bottom or take a chance on stepping on a horseshoe crabs, there being so many. every beach has its seasons.

i don't know if the east coast gets more live seaweed floating ashore. possibly so as most of our south florida public beaches are tractor-raked each morning. i don't know if they do that on west coast or not. my last time in daytona i didn't notice any seaweed at all though it did not appear to be raked. certainly though, the east coast doesn't have the gulf's "red tide" algal blooms.

 

[Zipper]

Lazy, I remember my sister-in-law phoning ~25 years ago saying they were staying in Tampon Springs.

I had beer squirting out my nose!

I do agree about South Florida and Ft. Lauderdale especially. It's the "promised land" for a Canadian.

 

[Milton]

I do agree about South Florida and Ft. Lauderdale especially. It's the "promised land" for a Canadian.

I thought that was the Turks and Caicos!

CBC News Indepth: Turks and Caicos

 

[calmloki]

So my skin is shedding in great sheets - turns out that extended time up to your waist in the ocean scooping shark's teeth is liable to result in a sunburn. For Oregon whitebacks anyway. Sorta amusing that the spf30 that comes as an oversized chapstick - results in weird white calligraphy on the shoulders if your honey is doing the red areas from the day before.
on the main tourist drag there is an Italian restaurant - Cassariano's - pretty ok, but the best thing is their basket of bread with artichoke/garlic/? spread. That and a glass of wine, maybe the calimari - dat's da ticket!

An overcast 47 degrees here at home, with snow/rain mix called for this weekend.

 

[RhysOrd]

It's been awhile since there was anything posted to this thread. I kept it bookmarked because my wife and I were planning a trip to Venice in late May.

We had a wonderful time there and on Anna Maria Island a bit to the north. Both areas are lovely, and it wasn't too hot or humid that week. Venice was VERY quiet in May; very few people on the beach or in town, and just the right-crowds in restaurants. The beach there is great but the sand is a bit different (darker in color) than what we're used to in New Jersey, or what we found further north in Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island. That takes a bit of getting used to but the ocean temps were perfect. We encountered no issues like jellyfish, sting rays, excessive seaweed, rocks, or anything else. The Inn at the Beach is the perfect place to stay, for a lot of reasons.

Sharky's was a lot of fun (once we got a table; I never saw a restaurant where you have to seat yourself), Those blue margaritas are great.

We ate at Eddie's, a local fish place out on the highway which I didn't care for as much; should have had dinner at the Crows Nest. We stopped there for a drink later and met a nice couple also from NJ.

After checking out we headed up the coast to Casey Key (amazing houses!), through St. Armands Circle and Longboat Key, up to Anna Maria Island. We spent three nights there and throroughly enjoyed the beaches, restaurants, piers, and shopping. The Beach House was the best.

I could see myself retiring to either place, at least part time. We hope to go back next May. Many thanks to Moemg for all of the great advice.

Rhys

 

[mebohio]

Did you move to Venice?

After researching many places to retire my wife and I have narrowed it down to Florida and Venice, on paper, looks like the right spot. Climate, activities, small town feel, and cost were the main factors in the decision. I have been to Fla only as far south as Daytona. Anyone here been to Venice or the gulf coast area from Sarasota to Naples? I know there are some drawbacks such as hurricanes but the benifits look to outweigh them.
I would appreciate any input from people that live or have visited that area. Thanks.

My husband and I live in OH and plan to retire in 2 years. We are also thinking of Venice. Did you go there? What did you think?