Spending wintertime in Florida

In the beginning there was a dream

When I spend my first Christmas with American friends in Jacksonville being a student of 21 I started dreaming the dream of being in Florida one day during the dreary European winter months. No snow, no ice, no fog, no short grey days, no cold – in exchange for short pants, star lit skys at night, warm nights and parties with friends. Christmas spirit was there, too: but quite different. Different from home and different from Connecticut where I studied, being a Fulbright scholar for 1,5 years.

Again and again with smaller and bigger family we travelled the United States during the following years. We were in most States and all the big cities. We spend vacations in Hawaii as well as the islands of the Bahamas. We travelled California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, state and city of Washington, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, New York, San Diego, Nashville, Charleston, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis and the Mississippi as well as the Death Valley or big national parks to name just a few places and stops. We travelled during all seasons and spend from 2 to 6 weeks. But: we always were drawn back to Florida!

We had wonderful vacations with friends in Jacksonville, Miami, Naples and St. Petersburg. We rented holiday homes in Cape Coral, Satellite Beach, Palm Beach, Clearwater or very nice hotels and motels around Orlando or the keys: during many years, sometimes twice a year.

As time passed we found out, how many holiday homes and holiday home communities there are and keep being built in Florida. More than 10 years ago I gave my dream ‘to one day spend the winter months in Florida’ a specific date. I wanted to have my own holiday home once I retired.

Starting then I did research in the internet almost every Sunday. I bought and evaluated all relevant literature. Each of our yearly trips to Florida included from then on topics like: Which region in Florida would be ideal? What to take into consideration in choosing a place? What’s the cost of the dream? Which risks and side effects are there? How does the buying process work for a non American citizen? Which legal facts are to be thought about? What to do, if you found the right house – but there is still some time before actually retiring? What not to forget if you finally spend the winter months in Florida – and your place back home stays vacant?

This ‘HOW TO?’ book is different from the others: I leave out detailed additions of standard tour books like the history of Florida, the attractions, the many possibilities to spend your free time. I describe in short statements and to the point facts about my own experiences of how the dream became reality for me – and how it will work for you.

Choosing the region in Florida

To spend winter time in Florida I recommend the area south of Ocala and Daytona Beach. Here the winter months are 99% frost free. Every 100 kilometers further south lets the temperature go up. In Naples on the Gulf side and in Miami on the Atlantic side winter is the warmest.

Choosing between the coastal area on the Gulf versus the Atlantic side or the midlands of Florida depends on your personal preferences.

Liveliest, cultural active, traffic loaded and comparatively expensive is the Atlantic side. This is especially true for the whole area from Miami to Palm Beach. North of Palm Beach it becomes more quiet (and boring) and cheaper. Behind Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood towards the center you can find nice communities that are quite affordable. The choice is big. The first holiday home communities for snow birds were established in the forties and fifties. Some of them exist until these days.

The Gulf side is a lot more quiet. The Gulf water is quiet, too, often flat as a mirror – quite the opposite of the Atlantic.

Here you can still find the original ‘old Florida’ with its landscapes of swamps, trees full of Spanish Moos and crystal clear rivers. The choice of communities is huge. You’ll find something for big purses just as for relatively small ones.

The most peaceful seclusion you’ll find in the midlands. Lots of undeveloped ‘old Florida’ with its many orange, lemon and grapefruit orchards wait to be discovered. Here you have a big choice of communities, too – prices comparable to the East coast: all in all less expensive than the West coast though.