Suggestions on South Florida Towns?

[somebeach]

I'm planning to retire in 10 or so years and would like to start spending more time in Florida towns that I could eventually retire to, so I can choose a favorite.

My criteria is:

- Smallish town with an Old Florida feel
- Not super touristy
- Within 45 minutes of a decent size airport
- Great sailing
- Active clubs with cruising & racing events
- Preferably deep enough water for a 5-6' fixed keel
- Plenty of options for repair & supply shops
- Nice golf courses
- Good healthcare nearby
- No further north than St. Pete

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Kettlewell]

I like the Keys for "great sailing." Most of the rest of South Florida you are either in the ICW or on the ocean. In the Keys you will encounter lots of tourists, but some of the smaller keys can be quieter, and once you get off Route 1 a bit things can be quieter. Sailing up and down the Keys is fun, and you have the Dry Tortugas. Heading offshore to the Bahamas from the Keys is perfect since you can ride the Gulf Stream with favorable winds to get up to Bimini or West End.

[Shanachie]

You're going to need a time machine.


Florida has 23 million people, most of them crammed into unbroken strips of civilization along both coasts from the central part of the state on south.


In 10 years? It will be like California both in cost and density because hundreds of thousands of people a year are moving here for the sunshine, lack of income tax, etc.



When I moved to St. Pete from Fort Lauderdale 11 years ago, St. Pete might have come close to fitting your bill. Not now. Construction is booming. Downtown is filled with tall, $1 million-plus condos. My waterfront townhouse has tripled in value.


In the Keys, you can spend more than $500,000 on a trailer home. There is a vast shortage of affordable housing. Many service workers live on rundown boats permanently anchored with junk piled on deck.



Home insurance everywhere is skyrocketing due to hurricanes, flooding, etc.


Forget about Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, etc. Crowded and staggeringly expensive. The communities that once were small towns are now suburbs in a huge metro area.



It is the same all over. Interior, low-lying land that used to be farms is now being bulldozed into cookie-cutter subdivisions. Even these houses are 400K plus in many areas.



The Keys, Biscayne Bay and the Tampa Bay area offer some of the best sailing. But a deep draft will cause you all kinds of headaches if you like to explore because most of the water is shallow.


It's also tricky because sand shifts a lot, so that 6- or 7-foot anchorage might have uncharted 5-foot depths that you would find when you hear that sickening thud as you run aground.


The best approach is to investigate what the reality is rather than dreaming about what you want. And be prepared to spend some real money to make things happen.

[somebeach]

@Shanachie thanks, that's what I was afraid of. Just looking at prices for waterfront properties on Zillow is a little disconcerting. I've been vacationing near St Pete my whole life and I know there are pockets that have that Old Florida feel, but they come at a high price. The St. Pete sailing community does seem to be one of, if not the, strongest in Florida.

[Russ]

Melbourne area especially barrier island Satellite Beach , Indialantic an Indian Harbour Beach.
Only problem is nearest inlets are at Canaveral and Ft Pierce

[Captain Bill]

It depends on what you mean by Old Florida. If you mean old people then Punta Gorda might work for you. My neighbor just sold a house he owned to a "Nice Young Couple". when I asked how young he said their early 60s. Repair and supply shops are few to non existent and health acre gets a D rating from the rating agencies. There's a couple of yacht clubs but they are mostly power boaters because most of people are too old to raise a sail. You can buy a Mobile home on a canal for 400K or so, but you'll only move a 5 foot keel at high tide and you can pretty much forget a 6ft keel unless you keep it at the one marina on the north side of town before the 34ft bridge. Also insurance on the Mobile home runs about 6-8K per 100K of coverage. Only 40 minutes or so from RSW airport. No tourists, but plenty of old snowbirds in the winter. Population drops 60% by May. Golf courses are around but I don't golf so can't comment on quality. If you can get out of the canals or get a slip in that one marina the water in Charlotte Harbor is plenty deep everywhere except around the edges. The Gulf is about 18 miles away.

[MicHughV]

I can speak for NE Florida.
Old time single floor 1200 SF concrete block beach homes are being bought up daily...and promptly knocked down and a two story built in it's place.
An average new home...say 2,500 SF on a 100'x 50' lot is going for $1.4 mil. Not even beach front, but seven or eight blocks west of the beach.
Each block closer to the beach, figure on adding another $100K.

Beach front homes will be in the $5-10Mil range

[Kettlewell]

Nobody goes there anymore--it's too crowded...

[Shanachie]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Nobody goes there anymore--it's too crowded...

Tell that to the many thousands of tourists who impeded my way in downtown St. Pete as I went sailing today.


(Sunny, upper 70s, maybe 12 knot wind ...)

[MicHughV]

I think it's the Californians coming to Florida.

Even a $1.4 million dollar home is "cheap" to them by comparison to Californian prices.

[JeffDPT]

Don't get too discouraged by these posts. As a sailor adjust your sails to the prevailing winds. Small homes can be found a bit inland and drive 20-30 minutes to your boat. Marinas are hard to find but you have time to be on a waiting list for a slip. There is a lot of skinny water and perhaps a different vessel can be acquired in the next few years with a drop keel. My Pearson 34 allows a lot of access on Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Inlets south to Marco Island. St Pete, Sarasota, Fort Myers all have active sailing communities. I made the move 2 years ago and haven't regretted a moment.
Good Luck

[s/v Jedi]

Seems you’re looking at the gulf coast which I have little knowledge of. But for the Atlantic coast, which is by far our favorite, we have chosen for Port Canaveral as the base for the boat (there is a yacht club with plenty sailboats) and for a “golf and rv resort” in Titusville (less than 30 minute drive) for a place. This is the Great Outdoors resort which would fit your bill as it has a good golf course.

Orlando, Sanford and Melbourne airports are in range.

The problem can be acquiring a slip for the boat. We needed a guaranteed slip and ended up buying one.

[MicHughV]

havta go with Jedi on this one. Port Canaveral is probably one of the better spots. Great, easy to enter inlet, several marina's, and if just want to piddle around, can go sailing on Indian River. Tons or real estate areas to chose from.
Close to the B'mas too, an overnighter can put you in the Abaco's.

[Captain Bill]

If it wasn't for your limit of St. Petersburg being the northern boundary I might have suggested the Melbourne to Cape Canaveral area. I used to frequent that area and knew a bunch of people from the Melbourne Yacht Club. They have an active racing contingent as well as cruisers. For sailing a 5-6 ft draft vessel in the Indian river and not have to stay in the ICW channel you are going to want to be south of the 520 causeway in Cocoa and north of marker 21 south of Palm Bay. Beyond those boundaries you are pretty much limited to the ICW channel. At Port Canaveral you are limited to the ocean or a 10 mile motor through the locks and canal to reach sailing grounds in the Indian river. Except for a small area north of the 528 causeway, the Banana river is too shallow. It also has 34ft fixed bridges. I do admit to not knowing what the Port Canaveral yacht club racing scene is but once having spent a month on the hard at the yard next door I never saw any racing activity.

[Tom G]

From a longish-time FL resident. Does Not Exist.