My wife and I are looking to move to the Gulf Coast side of Florida with our two young ones. Any information about good, safe communities with appealing amenities would be much obliged!

What exactly are you looking for by moving here? Not being sarcastic, honestly asking.

Florida, like every state, isn't for everyone. Plenty of northerners move down here because they don't ever want to deal with a real winter again. That seems to be the biggest draw. But before you come here, you need to fully understand what that means. It means 80 degrees on Christmas morning. It means that you'll have a month or two (at most) where the weather is truly enjoyable enough to just get out and enjoy the outdoors. The other ten months it's too hot and humid to be enjoyable. I know because I'm in the environmental business and spent many years outside every day working. For ten months out of the year it flat out sucks being outside in Florida unless you're on the water.

And honestly, unless you're on the water there isn't much to do outdoors. In addition to being miserably hot and humid, the state is completely flat. Outside of the beaches it's nothing but pine and palmetto scrub brush, marsh and swamps, and gators and mosquitos. If that sounds like fun to bike or hike through, then you'll enjoy it. Or if you plan on living close to the beach and spending your time on the water, come on over.

And pay attention to the news - notice how many high-profile crazy news stories come from this state. Zimmerman, Casey Anthony, etc. Those aren't anomalies, they're the norm. Florida attracts the crazies from the rest of the union, and it makes the state a hotbed of loonies, pedophiles, white trash, and homeless people looking for year-round warmth.

Not trying to be (too much of) a downer, just trying to prepare you for what you're potentially getting into by living here full-time. It's a lot different than just coming here on vacation.

To answer your question (finally), all the gulf coast communities are the same more or less. I live in Tampa area - its the more "cosmopolitan" of the gulf coast towns/cities if you can call it that. I would definitely advise not living in St. Pete. If you want to be on the beach, look a little further south around Sarasota. North of Tampa is too white-trash, hillbilly, methheads. The same goes for much of the interior of the state. As far as safe communities - well, see my statements above about the type of people that are attracted to Florida too often. I'd like to say they congregate in just one area, but unfortunately they're all over.

We are moving to Lakewood ranch which is just outside of Sarasota. Google Lakewood ranch as the community has a webpage full of info. Key me know if I can help in anyway

Edit: hit the submit too soon but the above about FL is true. It's 400 miles long, 200 miles wide, and 4 inches high. There's not much I would consider beautiful about it besides the beaches. I wouldn't mind retiring here but not there yet in age. What are you trying to get out of it or what are you looking for in a spot?

[This message has been edited by Ag_Wolverine (edited 2/9/2014 4:14a).]

Disregard FL_Ag1988's non-chamber of commerce report. Naples, Ft. Myers, and Sarasota are great mid-sized cities south of Tampa/St. Pete. Tampa is big and sprawls into St. Pete. All of the beaches are great. Great lakes as well, Florida has lots of boating opportunities. A boater's dream. Fishing, Golf, and Attractions are world class. That's how you do flat really well. Casinos on the west coast as well. 70 million people a year can't be wrong.

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Disregard FL_Ag1988's non-chamber of commerce report. Naples, Ft. Myers, and Sarasota are great mid-sized cities south of Tampa/St. Pete. Tampa is big and sprawls into St. Pete. All of the beaches are great. Great lakes as well, Florida has lots of boating opportunities. A boater's dream. Fishing, Golf, and Attractions are world class. That's how you do flat really well. Casinos on the west coast as well. 70 million people a year can't be wrong.

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I assume you meant 70 million visitors/tourists? Like I said, living here is different than coming on vacation specifically to fish, go to the beach, or do the Orlando attractions. And I did say, as you did, for the OP to check out the area south of Tampa Bay. Yeah, and have fun golfing in May-September.

• Cirtus Park, Carrollwood or Westchase (Northwest Tampa)
• Oldsmar is also a nice little town that connects Tampa and Clearwater, north of Tampa Bay

[This message has been edited by TampaBayAg (edited 4/24/2014 3:56p).]

When the ex and I departed Florida in October 1976 after being there less than 6 months, we damn near stopped and had a party at the Alabama state line.

Somebody needs to find a new home. Geez man, if you hate where you live that much, get out.

My sister moved to Orlando a few years ago and they have had a wonderful life there with her family.

Orlando sucks do to the tourists. . There is no denying that.

The Bradenton/Sarasota areas are nice and not to touristy. All of Florida has a problem with snow birds from Oct through Easter. Just part of life and once you become accustomed it's not that big of a deal.

You would be surprised at the number of ags that live in the Tampa Bay Area.


[This message has been edited by fla_agfan (edited 5/1/2014 10:58p).]

Spend a lot of time there now. Mostly Fort Lauderdale area.

The negatives do hit the nail on the head. If you like to boat, or the beach and spend a lot of time there you will like it. Starting in April/May thru Oct/Nov exercise is best done at dawn or dusk.

I stay right next to the Everglades when there, and while stunning to look at, not much to do once you do an airboat tour and visit a gator farm. Hard to interact with it vs taking a walk in the woods.

Miami is very multi-cultural and VERY busy, further north you go on the east coast the more snowbirdy it becomes.

Been to the west coast a lot, I have a friend in downtown Tampa and I really like the vibe there in particular, and on the west coast vs east in general. Naples, nice but very pricey as you get towards the shoreline. Have a friend there about 10 miles inland and stuff is very nice there and more reasonably priced.

For me on either coast as I look at renting down there it will be about beach access from my front door by foot. I'm not fond of paying to park down there to hit the beach every day.

Just took a trip from FLL to the upper gulf coast, Destin area, went from what I described above thru full on redneck thru the middle, back to uber tourist when we got to Destin. Destin is pure small town resort feel, vs the lower coasts which are cities with resort amenities....

HTH

[This message has been edited by Jetpilot86 (edited 5/10/2014 3:52a).]