Are there any really nice places to live in Florida?

No.

Florida is God's Waiting Room.

Where does your family live in Florida, OP? It's a really big state, so it'd be good if you could narrow it down a bit.

No, but after COVID-19 resurges, there will be.

The Villages are Fantastic!!

And no unsavory (wink wink) types!

This is our place in South West Florida.

And COVID-19 is mainly on the East Side Miami, Ft Lauderdale

My family lives near St. Pete, but I’ll consider anywhere in Florida. I think I would prefer the eastern coast from what I’ve seen. Seems more upscale. Am I wrong?

What’s it like on Sanibel Island and Marco Island? I’ve heard those are nice places.

We discuss Florida all the time, here is a recent thread

Yes but we don't want any more refugees (from the north, or anywhere) just now.

I hate this site. They always say shit like “no” but yes. Yes, there are some BEAUTIFUL parts of FL.

My ex owns a beautiful house in Miami, in a beautiful area. Granted he has money... but even if you don’t have a lot there are nice areas you can live in. It’s not like NYC.

[quote] For family reasons, I might have to move to Florida.

Sure you do. For family reasons you have to be in that state, but you can live anywhere in the entire state

Sure

[quote] It’s not like NYC.

Palm Beach is the 6th boro.

My brother loves St. Petersburg. He flew there from Connecticut right before flights became deadly, though I think it was a little too late and he shouldn’t have flown at all. But I’m not the boss of him. DataLounge has given me such great info on the virus, but my family is mostly not listening. His girl friend did catch COVID-19 later. She had a fever for a week. I wonder if she caught it on the plane?

Clearwater is owned by the Scientologists, so you know.

We used to vacation near there once a year when I was a child.

OP, Sarasota is fantastic. It's not that far from St. Pete, has tons of arts, is very beautiful, fairly upscale, and has a vibrant gay life (plus, Tampa up the coast, is gay central for the Florida gulf coast).

We have a place in Fort Lauderdale.

It depends on what you can afford and how far you're willing to drive. I mean, you can live on the east coast, but the Ft. Lauderdale area is quite a hike from St. Pete (where I lived for 15 years). If you look at a map, you'll see that there's no roads that are even close to a straight shot from there to St. Pete. I occasionally drove from St. Pete to Boca Raton, and it took close to four hours. Keep that in mind when you consider the east coast.

If you decide you'd like to be closer, and have a couple of nickels to rub together, I would suggest Sarasota. It's an hour south of St. Pete and quite upscale and artsy (for Florida). Nice beaches, too.

If you'd care to stay in Pinellas County, and have some real $$, check out the Old Northeast neighborhood in St. Pete. I lived there before it became expensive. You can dock your boat in Tampa Bay, and there are beautiful parks right by the water with tennis courts and outdoor showers (which used to be notoriously cruisy).

I love that area. I'd still be there if the St. Pete traffic wasn't so bad.

Stay on the FL east coast. The west is dull, the Gulf is always grey. There is a lot of art to see here (Norton WPB; de la Cruz, Miami), if you feel the need. Gas is more expensive but as I own Exxon, I don't care.

If you choose the east coast, you need a place on A1A.

Perhaps a place near A1A, but certainly not on it. I can vouch for that as I own most of the surroundling land. Anyway, it's way past my bedtime and I have just been told by my valet this this is a queer site! You can never tell who you're going to meet next! Ha!

Does anyone know anything about Seaside Florida? It's one of those planned communities. The architecture is really beautiful. I've always been curious about it.

Flagler Beach.

Heaven.

Wilton Manors

Florida for the Newly Wed and the nearly dead. One thing you will find that is one flat state. Big drainage pits in central FL to take the place of storm drains.

The east coast sucks.

[quote]If you choose the east coast, you need a place on A1A.

Be prepared for expensive home insurance and know you will have to evacuate for major hurricanes. Be ready to lose it all if its the big one.

[quote] Florida for the Newly Wed and the nearly dead.

It's a good way to pass on money without tax, diddums.

R9 Sanibel was and still is low-key pretty in a family-friendly, mostly middle-western way (I-75 is a straight shot down from Detroit through Ohio) but the traffic on the island is atrocious in season and still pretty bad in the summer. My family has had a winter place there for about 50 years - I remember it when it was a lot quieter. It's still pretty much buttoned up by 10 at night, though. Red Tide has been an issue for the last couple of years detracting from what are otherwise gorgeous beaches. There's the Red Sox and the Twins for spring training when baseball comes back in nearby Ft. Myers and gay life there, too, but it's kind of downscale and, as noted above, there's more - and better - in Sarasota and Tampa. And it's a long way to both and further to Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Or anywhere else in Florida.

My god ! I dont even recognize Beach Dr in St. Pete ! When did all that happen ??? Of course,I havent been back since 2005 ,and even then I was stunned at the changes. I started going to St. Pete in the late 70s ,lived there several times over the years . I adored it way back when ,all that lovely faded grandeur . Most of those old hotels are long gone now . The price of real estate boggles the mind ! My 1st husband and I bought a 2bd -1 1/2 bath concrete block bungalow in 1988 for $38,000 ! That same house sold last year for 280,000 .

I would recommend sunrise or plantation Florida. Both of these communities are just outside of Fort Lauderdale. Close enough for city highlights. Plantation actually has canals that take you out to the open water.

I've stayed at Seaside several times, R22. It is a little pe-fab, but I love it. All of the houses are within walking distance to a lovely town square, and it is wonderful to not have to get in your car to go shopping or to eat. The houses are close together and there are no yards to speak of, but it didn't really bother me. If I had the means and the need to move to Florida, I would definitely check it out.

It takes something like 7 hours to drive between Miami and Tallahassee. Tallahassee to Atlanta is a shorter drive.

Do you need to arbitrarily live within some state lines on a map, or are you just looking to be within a reasonable drive?

Savannah is nice.

Plantation has some very nice neighborhoods and some neighborhoods that are actual crack cesspools. Florida's divides between the haves and the have nots are very narrow like that. You can have rows of McMansions on one street and drug infested slums 3 blocks over.

I fell in love with the older sections of Windermere, a suburb of Orlando. Some of the roads are still gravel and brick. Huge old trees and *lots* of water.

The heat is too oppressive for me in summer..I tried St. Augustine...missed the food back in Seattle.

Orlando was surprisingly nice. I don't mean around the Disney shit, but the city itself has very nice neighborhoods, a nice downtown, a decent size gay community. It is not very far from St. Petersburg.

I wonder if that mini Trump DeSantis will have the state blow up in his face with Coronavirus deaths? He's such a moron, but they like morons in Florida!

No, it’s all shit

[quote] I tried St. Augustine

That city can fool you. It looks like the gayest city in Florida, with all the boutique shops and cobbled 1600s styled streets. But it is very very straight.

I think it might be different to live there now than it would have been even four years ago. Before, when I was there, I never looked at the surrounded crowd and thought "you ignorant redneck right-wing idiots." After Trump, however, i can no longer at crowds without judging. I don't think I ever will. I don't want to make this a threat about Trump -- God knows we have enough of them -- but he has irrevocably changed how I view certain states and their population.

I’ve lived here in St. Pete for almost five years, and I really like it. Before the plague, I enjoyed the beach and local restaurants. Not only a number of gay bars, but also numerous gay social groups. Active art scene, several nearby professional theaters. Tampa aurport a central hub to most anywhere.

I live in a 55+ complex with multiple amenities. Housing here still mostly affordable, compared to most other places. Florida politics are insane, but, sadly, that’s pretty endemic for the whole country.

With limited income, one does what one can.

I was in St. Augustine in early february that started at 4 pm and ended at 8 . It was held downtown and getting there and leaving was a nightmare . Traffic was insane,there were 1000s of tourist milling around,I was absolutely astonished at the crowds. I hadnt been to St. Auggie in quite a few years,but I had been there many times as I live right next door . I had no idea it had gotten that congested .

There may be, but you ARE aware that it's FLORIDA, right?

FLORIDA.

Shit ! The whole sentence about my being at a formal wedding just vanished .

I visited Florida for the first time in February and really liked St. Augustine. I only went to the touristy areas but it was an interesting, beautiful, historic city. I'm sure living there would be a completely different experience though.

Gulfport in St. Pete.

I know a lot of older gay men from NYC who moved to St Pete area. Seems less desperate and skeevy than Wilton Manors/Ft Lauderdale. But quieter and much less gay nightlife. And much cheaper.

Wilton Manors seems like its for the richer, more decadent eldergays - that can afford a $600,000 concrete shack, strippers from Johnsons, houseboys/escorts and daily happy hours at the bars. A more fun and vibrant gay nightlife - but at a cost. St Pete seems more like a sunset stroll, early mornings and a generally more relaxed, less decadent lifestyle.

R9 - VERY EXPENSIVE.

Sanibel will cost you $6.00 every time you cross to the mainland (Lee County).

Not just Trump, not just Scientology, but Trump AND Scientology.

Vero Beach?

R49 There are discounts: either $400 for a twelve month pass or $300 for a six month (Nov 1 to April 30th for the snowbirds) unlimited trips pass or a $67/50 discount pass for the same time periods that reduces the toll to $2.00 per trip - it's only collected westbound (i.e. coming from the mainland) and there's no charge to leave - plus the cost of the transponder or sticker and a small service fee to maintain the account from which the tolls are drawn using the automated lanes.

Depending on the time of day and year, the line to stop and pay the $6.00 for non-pass-holders can be long. Sadly, I remember when it cost 50 cents in the 1970's, but the original (1963) Causeway was crumbling so had to be rebuilt in 2007. It's better than it was: it used to only be accessible by ferry from Punta Rassa. But it handles 8 million vehicles a year, giving you some idea of how awful the traffic is on the island. Between the tolls and charging $5.00/hour for beach parking, they don't make it a bargain for day-trippers. As my late mother used to say about them, "And that's the way we like it, dear."

No. Really. No.

R52 - Have friends in Lee County. Did not know that Sanibel was eligible for toll pass.

Your late mother correct, "And that's the way we like it, dear." and that is still the way they like it. LOL!

Celebration, where Disney meets Big Brother.

Spent a week in Sanibel. Painfully boring, long week trapped on a spit of land with tourist restaurants and families and old people. I would never return to visit never mind live there.

Vizcaya.

What about the panhandle, like Pensacola? Is there anything to recommend it, or is it just basically Alabama?

Destin is nice and there are some pretty upscale developments.

The Keys are still great, at least outside of Key West. I spend part of winter on a boat docked in Tavernier.

No one's mentioned Naples? I detest humidity and would never consider Florida, but at least Naples seems pretty upscale.

R58 - Pensacola is beautiful but the culture is LA as in Lower Alabama.

the weather is nice if you can stand the summers. I left mostly due to the politics. it is extremely conservative state. They purposely made unemplyment almost impossible to collect. Its forbidden in the state gov for anybody to publicly use the term global warming.......homeowners insurance is extremely expen sive. In my opinion within 20 years most of florida will have constant flooding issues and clean water availability issues due to sea level rise..............anylace within a mile or so of the beach. Sarasota is nice but not a huge gay mecca like ft lauderdale.

A gay man move to the Panhandle r58?! That's deep red Trump country

Vero Beach?

I lived there for 12 years. Had fun. Didn’t hate it. Now that I’m gone I look back and wonder what I was thinking. Traffic. Hurricanes. Shitty politics. If you’ve got to go OP, you’ve got to go. St. P, Ft. L, even Cocoa aren’t bad. KW, too expensive. Miami is too much, sprawl, traffic, etc. good luck!

Sarasota is indeed nice, but it has its own cult - the horse-worshipping one.

And the Gulf REEKS.

Siesta Key, right of Sarasota, is beautiful. The beach is very fine-grained and white. Gay men congregate there every Sunday.

Haulover Beach, north of Miami, is nude. I spent every day there for a week. The regulars at the gay end, some are gorgeous, all know each other. I enjoyed looking at a swarthy muscular Italian guy with a huge bush every day. His name was Marco. I offered him a little pleasure in my hotel room, but he declined.

Naples has great beaches, although red tide is a big issue there. But it is full of very elderly people and is a quiet place, if that is a problem for you. It isn't for me.

R55, I also went there when I was visiting relatives. My uncle told us the history of the place and drove us around. VERY weird. If the thought of living on a movie set appeals to you by all means check it out.

Would appreciate thoughts on Melbourne Beach. Can you tell me about this area? Any issues with this area?

Last time I was there it was really nice and laid-back for a beach town. Upper-middle class mentality and an "artsy" attitude. I can't speak for now, though.

Vero Beach?

Cocoa Beach, master.

I saw a gay couple On house hunters buy n redo a high rise condo in Destin....one guy owned a hair salon. It was over the top and I think that’s referred to as the redneck riviera. I think South beach is the only great place and you have to like hot and humid to live there.

I saw a gay couple On house hunters buy n redo a high rise condo in Destin....one guy owned a hair salon. It was over the top and I think that’s referred to as the redneck riviera. I think South beach is the only great place and you have to like hot and humid to live there.

R76 Oh god I saw that one ! Talk about some tacky bitches !

R77 - yep, I remember that episode as well. Somehow they made a ton of money at that salon - probably catering to 60+ white women who all want a perm set. I couldn't get over it.

I hate seeing dumb or tacky people with money. It just burns me somehow - very unjust.

Miss OP hunny, are you still looking to move down to deplorable country?

Go to St. Petersburg. It has beautiful beaches, is close to Tampa and has very few repubes.

Naples

In case you didn't get the memo, we're boycotting Florida.

R82 - I apologize but I live in Florida.

My mother in law lives in Tampa and it’s growing quickly. There’s still not tons to do and not many great restaurants but it has great potential. It’s pretty close to St Petersburg/Clearwater and Saratoga.

If you want to be surrounded by gay men, Ft Lauderdale/Wilton Manors or Key West should be where you go

Avoid the east cost...traffic, trashy people, shit jobs. I would look at Venice/St. Pete area for sure.

What about St Augustine?

Don’t be silly, R82. Our best strategy is to move to red states.

Naples and Marco Island- very nice, very expensive and VERY republican. Everything is completely shut down by 9pm.

[quote] It’s pretty close to St Petersburg/Clearwater and Saratoga.

There's a Saratoga in NY and in CA. I think you meant SaraSOTA.

[quote]What’s it like on Sanibel Island and Marco Island?

Full of undesirables.

Florida will be underwater in a couple of years.

Sanibel starting to slightly sink?

R90 He had to cancel. Staying in DC, I read, to oversee the doomed Trump recount efforts.

Sanibel Island is full of undesirables, deplorables and garden variety repubes.

I really like St. Pete Beach. As I've gotten older I enjoy sunsets more than sunrises and the beaches are beautiful. Last time I was there I saw a drastic rise in the number of hipsters along the stretch from the Bayway down to Pass-A-Grille. Heading north, Madeira Beach used to be nice but it looked awfully grimy on my last couple of visits.

My brother lived in Sunrise and Plantation and liked them both but you need to enjoy living in developments. I really didn't see many single houses.

Eww St Pete Tampa is awful. The place on the Gulf coast is Naples. Sanibel and Marco are gross as well.

I went to Crystal River and environs in central Florida a few years ago and saw hills. They looked like Virginia piedmont hills, but they had palm trees and live oaks. There were also huge Native American mounds which were very haunting. No one was around and it was a peaceful part of the state that I had known nothing about until my trip. It was meth labby in some of the towns and I could see how Florida Man and Woman would enjoy themselves there; apparently this is “cracker” country. I wouldn’t recommend it to any DLers as a place to live, but it was interesting to visit. Reminded me of “Crosscreek.”

Florida protestors are HAWT

Orlando is nice. Except that it is in Florida.

Unless you have a ton of money, the east coast is too dense and expensive. Some nice gated communities. But the idea of living in a concrete shack in Wilton Manors or a mediocre condo in FL Beach is unappealing - especially given the price. I like St Pete Beach - Pass-A-Grille. Maybe Sarasota. But architecturally, Florida is completely vapid pretty much everywhere.

I think you live there to be near beach and escape the winter. The idea of full time there is unappealing. I’ve learned to do a few long weekends in the winter. Cheap flights, AirBnB and some bar hopping. A few days and I can’t wait to leave.

The Sunset and Venetian Islands in Miami Beach, Coral Way/Granada in Coral Gables, Bay Harbor Islands. The rest of the entire state is horrible.

I lived in West Palm Beach at the PGA resort for a year, and spent time in the Florida Panhandle on vacay. Panhandle, no no no. West Palm - I really liked it because it is a small city and I am a city person from the northeast originally. It has a different feel than the resort type towns. While living there if I wanted a resort/beach experience I could drive over to Riviera Beach or up north a bit to the Jupiter Beach. Liked Jupiter also. Lots of golfing everywhere. All in all, good restaurants and it has a year round economy. Great shopping also. Drive across a bridge to Palm Beach and it is rather boring with a shopping center of upscale shops, ancient people strolling along with their dogs. Dull as dirt. Like the Biltmore also as a museum piece to take visiting friends from out of town.

If you buy a house make sure it is cinder block construction. This is the way to protect yourself with the hurricanes that are all too frequent in Florida.

In Florida, I would only live on Key Biscayne.