sillybilly,
Normally the further south you go in
Florida the higher per month per foot of
boat you will pay for morage. The nice thing about living on a
boat is that you can (when able) use your boat to travel to new areas to visit or to see if that area suits you. I believe you might be better off somewhere near Tampa if you need to
work awhile longer. UNLESS, you want to
work in the
service area (waiter, cook,
hotel clean up ect). On the south side of Tampa Bay are several smaller marinas that will probably cost less than $500 per month including
liveaboard fees. You would be close to good schools, good
food stores, jobs..... If you are considering a 44' boat the maintance cost grows with each foot as well as morage cost. With the 2 of you, you will probably need at least $1500 to $2000 per month to live at a marina. And you will, because your son will need place that will allow him to attend
school. Remember, just because you live on a boat does not mean there are not LOTS of small jobs to be done to maintain your boat. It is just like living on your small ranch in Colorado. Always something to be done. Your saving grace on a boat is that at least in Florida the
weather never gets cold enough not to do the work; but it might get to wet to do the work. Just my 2 cents for you to think about. I enjoy living on my older boat on the
east coast of Florida. It sure beats the hell out of mowing my runway in east
Texas, keep the fences in
repair, making sure the creek was not plugged for the next rain storm. PM me if you need a little more info.