I want to move to Florida

[nial]

I've been in Florida three times, Jupiter to Miami and Clearwater to Naples. I love the Winter weather but I'm not wild about all the security guards and walled off communities. Just getting on the beach can be a trial in lots of places. There have to be places that are more laid back but so far I haven't found them. I'd appreciate any thoughts about places from say the Florida/Georgia state line south to about midway down the Atlantic coast. My boat only draws 39 inches so somewhere up the St John's river might work. I'm more at home in a trailer park than a high rise condo and I prefer old to newly built. Thanks
Nial

[Ukeluthier]

My in-laws live in Port St. Lucie West, and all the gated, walled communities around there drive me nuts as well.

To me, the old adage "Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither" is apt. I'd prefer to take my chances with a little bit of crime than live in a fortress with homogenized neighbors.

From my experiences with Florida, the older communities are much friendlier.

[pete33458]

I live in Jupiter and can walk onto the beach just about anywhere, not sure where you went...

pete

[Robin3]

Try Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach. very friendly very sheltered (we pay no insurance premium increase for all year afloat, the beach is a 30 minute walk or 5 minutes by car. The docks are gated with electronic key entry, easy and secure. We lived aboard for a year but moved ashore after I had a stroke in Aug 2012, we sold our liveaboard 47ft mobo and now have a 5.5ft draught 36ft sailboat, but we now live ashore in a condo fronting onto the ICW, just 5 minutes drive away or 10 minutes in our RIB
http://http://www.halifaxharbormarina.com/

[letsgetsailing3]

I don't know of many trailer parks on the beach, if that's what you're looking for.

[ReMetau]

There are many great places in Florida, but what is it you are actually looking for? Are you looking for a place to buy a house, rent a slip, live on a mooring, live at anchor, just visit, etc.?

[brantleychuck]

Google Map. Emily lane in fort meyers beach Florida. Bought a home there last summer for 165k. Boat has a 5 1/2 foot draft and now sits 20 feet from my bedroom. Totally laid back and awsome

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

Google Map. Emily lane in fort meyers beach Florida. Bought a home there last summer for 165k. Boat has a 5 1/2 foot draft and now sits 20 feet from my bedroom. Totally laid back and awsome

+1 on Ft. Myers Beach.

The 92-year-old gent I bought my most recent boat from lives there exactly as described above. Had the boat on a lift just 20' from his patio slider.

[forsailbyowner]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

Google Map. Emily lane in fort meyers beach Florida. Bought a home there last summer for 165k. Boat has a 5 1/2 foot draft and now sits 20 feet from my bedroom. Totally laid back and awsome

Ive had a couple of friends buy houses in nearby cape coral. This area got hit real hard when the housing market went south. They both have sailboat accessible canals in back. No gates, no homeowner associations and really not many neighbors. Last time I was there 3 out of 4 houses were vacant for sale. Heard they got really good bargains. Only thing that annoys me is just about all the entrances to the canals are shoaled. Once you make it in your fine. Most of the trailer parks near the water that i know of got bought up during the boom with plans of buildiing condos and now sit empty.

[brantleychuck]

Time to buy was about 2 years ago. Still pretty good deals around. In my area on San Carlos island fort meyers beach,the land is what you are paying for. A mini marina if you will. About half the homes have full time residence. A few monthly rentals and the rest are owned by snow birds. Folks refer to it as " old Florida" not sure what that means but the place has a pretty cool vibe lots of beach bars within walking distance. Lots and lots and lots of gray haired old folks. Coming from California, to own a place that has dolphins and manatees and my boat in my backyard was not anything I would have ever dreamed of. I am in heaven.. Plan on renting the place out during the prime season jan,feb,March,April. And go cruising. This brings in about 8 grand after the property management takes a cut. It rented out super quick this year. Except for the fact that a storm could blow the whole thing away, it's great.

[tomfl]

Florida has more coastline than any state but Alaska. There are also many rivers that provide easy access to the ocean and gulf, not the mention the waterway connecting the ocean and gulf. Not sure how to describe the Keys but lots of boats make their home there.

I have lived in Florida since 1954 except for a short stint in VietNam in 1967-68 and sailed in the St. Johns River and the Atlantic around the barrier islands there, Stuart, South Florida, the Keys, Tampa Bay, Crystal River, Suwannee River, Stienhatchee River, St. Marks River, Panama City, and Pensacola.

All these areas have good and bad points. The area around the St. Marks River probably has the lowest prices and Miami to West Palm the highest. I keep my boat in the Keys.

[BandB]

Florida is closed to all new residents......sorry you missed the cutoff date....

Just kidding. It's a state of many different type areas and there is something for everyone.

[svtrio]

Nial,

My wife spent several weeks in the summer of 2001 looking for a place on the Florida east coast between St. Augustine and Stuart. Before she began the search we determined exactly what we were looking for and how much we were willing to spend. We considered taxes, crime rates, climate, quiet, older established neighborhoods, nearness to beach, availability of marina slips, access to the Atlantic from the Inland Waterway, marina services (haul out & slips), traffic congestion, availability of shopping, culture, parks, etc. That helped narrow the communities we ultimately considered, and we used the Internet to review real estate.

We sorted out financing beforehand, but that was in an economic period that was based on whether you were alive, not if you could pay. Financing now is extraordinarily regimented by new federal guidelines and requirements.

My wife visited communities firsthand and began to further narrow our choices, and finally identified some specific communities in the same general area, where she enlisted a realtor in the role of a "buyer's agent."

My wife and the realtor located eight places in a short time. I flew down from Washington, DC, and spent several days looking at the eight places. We picked the one that most fit our original specs; the original specs, selected in the clarity of reality and practicality, proved an important baseline in avoiding a decision clouded by emotion. We found some great places … but we stuck to our original specs. We moved here permanently this past September. We have never regretted our decision.

Florida real estate is picking up, but with a careful plan you can find whatever you want: trailer communities, condos, duplexes, single-family homes, and they can all be located very near the beach. Pricing can be whatever you want to pay. You seem to be budget oriented and you can find places under $50k-100k, easily. Trailer homes can be bought for under $30K or less. Keep in mind some of these might require work, i.e., money/hard work to make improvements. Again, make a plan.

We are across the street from the beach, in a gated community. The key is determining what you want and how much you can spend. Then you need to look for it. Today the Internet makes that much easier.

I hope sharing our experience might be useful to you. Good Luck!

Roger

[sww914]

We just spent 6 months in Jacksonville. The place is rife with crime and drugs and racism like nothing that I've ever seen. I was working on a big paddle wheel boat for a museum and I learned that it is common there for people to crush up oxy whatever pills and smoke them. I didn't need to know that. I feel quite safe in Mexico but Jacksonville scared the hell out of me. I'll never return.

[Blue Skye]

Originally Posted by sww914

We just spent 6 months in Jacksonville. The place is rife with crime and drugs and racism like nothing that I've ever seen. I was working on a big paddle wheel boat for a museum and I learned that it is common there for people to crush up oxy whatever pills and smoke them. I didn't need to know that. I feel quite safe in Mexico but Jacksonville scared the hell out of me. I'll never return.

+1 on Jax. You've (op) been to SWFL, it still represents good value for the money. The slow coast as I like to call it. Still laid back with a bit of small town feel.