Florida Living, Please help?

[Frank Civitano]

I have a Question for everyone that lives in the Sunhine state? We are thinking of moving to Florida, We like Sebastion area, but here the West coast is nice too! I do heating and air, so it doesn't matter were? Actually I like to do with out the heating part, I like the Idea of boating all year round?

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Frank Civitano

[raritan]

I tried St Petersburg right after I retired from the US Navy. I would rather live on the waterfront in NYC. A very unfriendly, untrustworthy depressing place to be. Cacoon is right on the mark. Sun all of the time but a perpetual gloom. Just my 2cents worth

[GEOO]

Frank,
My Grandparents live 20miles south of Sabastion in Vero. Sabastion Inlet has the best surfing on the East Coast!! Vero has alot of construction going on, it may have good job opportunities.
GEOO

[Emmo]

I lived in Ft. Myers for a couple of years and really liked it. It was a 2 hour cruise (by car) the the East coast but alot more laid back. The islands off Ft. Myers are pretty cool for cruising and you can also go up the Caloosahatchee all the way to Okechobee. The Peace River and Charlotte Bay were nice and a couple hours cruise. Camping on La Costa was cheap and fun and all of the riff-raff (except us) was kept away because you have to have a boat to get there. Cabbage Key is right there, too, as well as Gasparilla (Boca Grande), Sanibel nd the Captivas. Fort Myers beach is the hangout for go-fast boats, but most of them are Baja's with brainless owner/operators. Naples is a liitle south and too stuck-up for me, but even further south is Everglades City and Chokaloskee (sp?) and they are really cool, except when the DEA is in town. They busted over 60% of the residents one morning.

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Emmo mailto:emmette@emmette.comemmette@emmette.com</A>

[Forrest]

Frank, it all depends on what you like. I lived in a whole bunch of places in Florida from Key West to Tallahassee. I moved here from Virginia Beach in the late 70's and have been back and forth a couple of times from there to Tampa/St. Pete, Melbourne/Cocoa Beach and other places. I think that I've been literally everywhere in Florida including all those po-dunk towns in the in vast Florida interior. If you like summer year around, or at least the closest thing to it, you gotta go south. You know . . . basically from where GeneD lives and south on either coast. If you like a change of seasons, including some cold, but no snow, you need to check out the panhandle. Places like Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, and on over to Pensacola. Those beaches are *always* in the top ten best beaches in the US, and the water is great. Me, I really like going to all the neat places throughout Florida, but I don't think that I'll move to south Florida again. Enough is enough . . . and its gettin' to dang crowded and crazy from Orlando south. Also, Tallahassee really sucks for boating, and for that reason, I don't know if I can hang here for much longer. The nearest open water is 20 miles south. There is no Mercruiser or Volvo or any I/O dealer at all in town . . . but I guess it could be worse. At least I can order Merc parts from HLSM.com, Hay! 20 miles south of here and along US 98 its pretty nice though! Just ask RickR.

Frank, you need to start taking some trips. . . And don't forget to bring a Donzi. GeneD, The Other Scott, myself, and other volunteers here will be happy to show you around - in your Donzi of course!

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Forrest


[This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 05-24-2000).]

[GeneD]

Frank,
I thought you all had decided on Sebastian?
Hey man, that ain't a bad place you know? As far as moving from NJ to FLA, it IS a bit of culture shock. But a welcome one. More laid back, no fashion contests - only because the fashions are a couple of months behind NYC. But we're catching up!
As far as Heating and AC, come on Frank. An AC guy in FLA is like a GOD. He/She can write their own ticket pretty much.
This is exciting.
Anyway, the more south you go, the more city like it gets.
Sebastian sounds perfect to me.
Of course Melbourne was supposed to be one the top 10 places to move to in the continental U.S.
Someone told me that after they moved from MN to the apt next to mine, abou 10 years ago. Melbourne is practically all new.
And let's not forget the golf courses, top notch.

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[Forrest]

Hay GeneD, have you ever considered becoming an AC guy? I think they make more money than EE's in Florida!

[Jamesbon]

Hah!! Apparently Raritan didn't see St. Petersburg in the same light as I. I live on the intercoastal in Redington Shores, and love it. Although we may have a few rednecks in the heart of St. Pete, Pinellas county also boasts one of the highest numbers of "millionaire households" in the country. If you like boating year round, you couldn't go wrong by moving to FL. I haven't spent extensive time on the East side, but it seems to be more crowded than the West side. Try Ft. Myers, Bonita Springs, or the Sarasota areas which are on the West side. If I had to relocate in FL, I would move farther south on the West side. Ask RickR, he's done extensive boating on Florida's West coast. My philosophy in relation to living in Florida reads like this;

"I feel like I'm on a permanent vacation, only I have to work 5 days a week."

PS Oh yeah, if you have $$, try Naples, it's absoultely beautiful!!

Thanks..Nathan
jamesbon@ij.net

[This message has been edited by Jamesbon (edited 05-24-2000).]

[Forrest]

Yea Nathan, I had a great time living in St. Pete and Clearwater. At first glance when you jump off of the Interstate and end up down by the old gas plant in south St. Pete, I can see how you can figure that you just hit the end of the world. Then drive around US 19 and it all looks like hell. But get out on the water anywhere and or down towards Tiera Verde and Fort Desoto and you will find that it's really nice. Coffee Pot Bayou (just north of the Downtown and The Pier) has some of the nicest and oldest waterfront houses in Florida. Charles Shultz had a nice pad on Coffee Pot Bayou over looking Tampa Bay. Also, the Tampa/St Pete has the big city convenience, and is near everywhere in Florida too. Oh yea, I sure didn't remember seeing any project housing in Redington Shores either. Actually, I think Redington Shores is one of the choice places in the Tampa/St Pete area. FrankC I have an idea. You could move to Redington Shores and hang out with Nathan, drink beer, talk sh--, and do Donzi engine swaps - you know, Florida living!

Nathan, have you ever gone up to the Weekee Watchee River near Hernando Beach and hung out? That place is truly another world. From your house, that would make great Donzi trip for your GT-21. You can always stop for a lunch at the Hooters on the water in New Port Richy on the way there. Believe or not, I made the run in my 16!
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Forrest

[This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 05-24-2000).]

[Laker]

Hi Frank - Deek from Lake Winni, NH here. We are going through the same situation only we own a place just north of Sebastian. We love it there, but are trying to have the best of both - 8 mons there and 4 mons on Lake Winni. I am in Appliances, A/C - Sales & Service and have contacted employers from Orlando to West Palm. It's a hard situation if you are not living there permanently. I'm sure they get tons of applications from people who never materialize, so can't blame them. We have the for sale sign on our house here and have contacted a couple of headhunters and will see what happens. Being that we want to be seasonal makes it even harder, but it's worth a shot. Keep me posted and I'd be open to anyone elses input. Good luck.

[Rob]

Forrest:

Man you really get around. Where did you live in KW? I get to sail the Key's-Bahamas a couple of times a year, and have been to KW many times.

Great place to visit, probably an interesting place to live for while why you are young (especially 15-20 years ago), but it impresses me as not being very livable long term. And incredibly expensive these days. I don't know where all the waiters/waitresses/bartenders can afford to live.

rob

[Frank Civitano]

Hey Guys
I really appreciate this, Forrest your welcome anytime. Gene hopefully by next year I will be a Florida res and we can Hit the races together, When I bring the boat down anyone who wants to go for a face lift with me is welcome! Geo, sounds like were I bought the timeshare is near were your talking about, The timeshare is on the indian river next to the state park. I'm trying to get a transfer thru my company to Broward gas and electric, They just purchased the company. If not I will be down at the end of August and look for a AC company. I have a week vacation at the place in Sebastion, Gene we got to hook up?
Thanks Guys this Great.


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Frank Civitano

[RickR,GroveCity]

Frank
I met your boys at the Portifino, I am sure they are your #1 concern.
For children I like rural more than urban.
My first visit to Sebastian was in 1971, it is some pretty country.
To tell you the truth, anywhere on the coast is nice, from Virgina Beach to Brownsville.
I spend 2+ months in Florida annually (I fish on the Nature Coast and cruise on the Sun Coast) and it isn't nearly enough


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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[Frank Civitano]

Rick
Thats one reason why we want to get out of NJ. We live in as the magazines says one of the 10 best places to live in America.(Ocean County) The drugs are so bad in shcools ,they have to have courses on them. A teacher was stabbed? A 14 year old boy was walking down the street behind me with a 45 in his hand, When the police stopped him,He said he was going to a freinds house to scare him? The kids here are not nice, My kids stay in the house. We live in a waterfront town, Not the city, Put the parents dont care what there kids do? My wife was afraid to move to Florida? Now she wants out of NJ. Hey thats ok with me. I have 30 years with my company I can retire out with a pension. But Im to young yet? So I'll find an Ac job down there. Thanks for your help.

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Frank Civitano

[GeneD]

Frank, I'll be waiting for you all.
Sounds great. Doing the races with the Civitano's, yeah! baby!
Hey, just retire and worry about a job when you get here. The paper is full of jobs for AC guys.
Forrest, it's ME with a minor in EE. A very small minor.
Yeah, I could use another guy to help me pull engines and fix every friend's boat that needs fixing when they break it every weekend.
You would think they would buy a book, you know?

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[Forrest]

Rob, like Jimmy Buffett would sing about, how he wouldn't want to live in a trailer! Well, I lived in two different trailers in the keys. The first one was a trailer that me and my room mate called the "Red Roach" up on Big Coppitt Key, in '78. The rent was only $160 a month bewteen two people. No AC and plenty of Palmetto Bugs, it was rough. Some genius painted it bright red with a brush, but it was on a deep water canal leading to the back country and that made it good. The Donzi was in Virginia at the time, but I had a jon boat that I bought from an old drunk down at the shrimp docks for $50 and bottle of MD 20/20. I had a 9.5 JohnRude that I used on it and I went everywhere in the back country. My room mate had the local "top gun", an old wooden runabout with a 1958 Evinrude 33 hp. We took that old thing out to the reef with as many people that we could pack on it to dive and fish. It's just as well that the Donzi was not there, the bottom in the Keys is like concrete and is very shallow in the back country and near shore. Later I moved to Stock Island to a newer trialer with central AC. OOOOhhhhh! Awwww! It was very affordable down there back then, and lots of fun. At the time I didn't own a watch and as long as you had some clothes, something to eat, a little gasoline, and a place to stay out of the rain, you were living! I don't know how regular folks afford it today. Maybe they all live at Boyd's Camp Ground on Stock Island in tents. . . or something!

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Forrest


[This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 05-25-2000).]

[GeneD]

Forrest, I know a guy that used to live on Big Coppit Key. A drunk, was his anme Bill?

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida