Recommendations for places to move on Florida's gulf side?

[merrydolphin]

I grew up and loved boating in SE Fl. Lauderdale, Miami. Keys, Bahamas a day sail away. The water calamity, incredible fish life, among the best SCUBA in the world and certainly the country. What’s not to like!..........well things are different now. There’s the traffic, and there’s the traffic!!! And the prices, and the prices!!! Yikes. Things change. Stayed in Palmetto, right across the river from Bradenton not far from Sarasota. Prices are NOT cheap there. I paid monthly for a live aboard dock about 1100 a month. Non- live aboard 850-900 for my Tartan 37. Nice marina though. However Miami Lauderdale. Ouch. Ad 50% to that at least! I’m sure a good marine in the SW is going to be what I paid in Palmetto. That was a monthly rate. I’m sure annual would be less. Here in NC I pay 250/ mo. For a NICE marina. I’m sure that with local knowledge you can find much better. You just have to dig.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by capn jlp

Lots of good advice for you to digest, and I'd like to add to the mix. Full disclosure: I'm a Tampa Bay native, and have lived on Tierra Verde, an island paradise on Boca Ciega Bay for 35 years. Our condo has a 48-slip marina, and that's where I keep my 1983 Morgan Out Island 41 (bought her new). Now here's the best part - after purchasing the slip my ANNUAL total marina costs are about $125, and that's for the metered electricity. If my math is correct, that's a little over $10 per month.

I'm also a semi-retired (but still licensed) real estate broker and would be happy to help guide you in the right direction.

You did not mention what you paid for the 'slip'.

[brendanwalls]

Originally Posted by powsmias

sarasoto/bradenton area would be my choices

I second that

[Miranda Echo]

My husband and I recently sold our house back in Minneapolis and moved onto a 35ft boat we purchased in Naples, FL. We were also researching marinas between Ft Myers and Tampa Bay, and decided on Burnt Store Marina. Marina options are much more limited for liveaboards, so you may have many more options, but we're thrilled with Burnt Store so far. The facilities are great, the people are super friendly, its incredibly safe, and its a 5 min motor out to Charlotte Harbor which is a sailor's playground. We also looked at some marinas in St Pete, but with everything going on right now decided something a little more on the outskirts was a better choice for us.

Let me know if you have any questions about Burnt Store, we love it here!

[BBill]

For job opportunity I'd start in Tampa to get your feet on the ground...probably the west side and be ready to commute to Orlando if nothing pans out quick enough. That I-4 drive is a killer but be aware professional jobs aren't abundant...and never have been. Moving inland will give a better chance of surviving direct hurricane hits and real estate prices are better. Don't expect Florida wages to be equal to most other places either. It's rare and high pay is an exception. It's been that way in Florida since I can remember...and I'm a Florida native of 72 yrs who's hired a bunch of professional and non professionals.

Something to be aware of if you have a boat in a marina here. Many require the boat be removed before a hurricane hits. This can be more of a hardship if you have a deep draft...in my area deep would be around 4'. We are starting to see "hurricane hole" type marinas taking reservations for you to bring your boat in during the storm. Space is limited but this is something you will likely have to deal with. Marinas are going away due to development and slips getting harder to find every day. Local to me is a marina that has a $500 annual reservation fee for this and that's good for 10 days a yr.

Good luck.

[Sailing August]

FLORIDA
No state income tax
Cities are growing but still affordable.
Jacksonville, Saint Augustine, Tampa, Clear Water......
You could even really take the plunge and go to Key West.

[captainstubbie]

Naples
Port of the Islands Marina
Great marina
Not too expensive
10 minutes by car to Naples
Lots of employment
Great sailing

I live here...

[geoleo]

Hello C apt Stubie. How is my old prop? lol How does one navigate into that Marina? What is the depth? Thanks,

[sailores35]

I Iive in Ft. Myers Beach. The big issue is usable inlets and anchorages.

Clearwater-inlet, limited anchorage
St. Pete-inlet and some anchoring
Tampa-access to Bay, long way to Gulf
Manatee River - long way to Gulf
Longboat Key-dicey inlet, some anchoring
Sarasota-great town, mooring field, some anchoring, unfortunately passes only for small vessels.
Venice-deep jetted inlet, no place to anchor
Englewood - inlet only viable for small boats, limited anchoring
Boca Grand-deep and wide pass, numerous anchoring spots
Punta Gorda - up Charlotte Harbor, some anchoring, nice community, no beach
Fort Myers /Cape Coral-long way up Caloosahatchee River.
Ft. Myers Beach-good inlet minutes to Gulf, mooring field convenient to beachside community, limited anchoring
Naples - jetted inlet some anchoring, limited shore access, expensive
Marco Island-inlet, limited anchoring, not always a welcoming town

IMHO the best cruising is from Boca Grande south to Marco. Also you have access to ICW from Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Beach.

[stevec195]

Lots of good ideas. Mine would be to stick to the panhandle for a more laid back lifestyle and significantly lower cost. This would range from Fairhope, AL which is a great little town and hurricane hole on Mobile bay

[stevec195]

Oops..then pick up at Panama City East to Carabelle.

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

Originally Posted by stevec195

Lots of good ideas. Mine would be to stick to the panhandle for a more laid back lifestyle and significantly lower cost. This would range from Fairhope, AL which is a great little town and hurricane hole on Mobile bay

Fairhope is a terrific town and there are some neat marinas along the eastern shore of the bay. But is the sailing nice in the bay? I have heard it isn't but never experienced it myself. But for living a nice laid back lifestyle, Fairhope is good. AL does have a state income tax however.

[stevec195]

Hey, the water is brown, but you have good proximity to the slip and Mississippi Sound is not far away. If we are not just day sailing, w’ell head over toward Pensacola or west toward Gulfport where the water is cleaner and you have good anchorages with beaches and bird sanctuaries. We’ve been physically distancing for 5 days or more at each place recently.

[TheSandPebbles]

Well I have reserved an Airbnb in Tampa for 3 weeks starting in mid-July and then I'll go from there. Still no luck on the job hunt, but I'm going to keep working on it and hopefully something comes up. Maye I'll have more luck when I'm boots on ground there.

If anyone down in that area is doing some sailing in Tampa bay this summer please let me know, I'd love to meet you and come along. Would be cool to sail with a local before I buy my next boat.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by sailores35

I Iive in Ft. Myers Beach. The big issue is usable inlets and anchorages.

Clearwater-inlet, limited anchorage
St. Pete-inlet and some anchoring
Tampa-access to Bay, long way to Gulf
Manatee River - long way to Gulf
Longboat Key-dicey inlet, some anchoring
Sarasota-great town, mooring field, some anchoring, unfortunately passes only for small vessels.
Venice-deep jetted inlet, no place to anchor
Englewood - inlet only viable for small boats, limited anchoring
Boca Grand-deep and wide pass, numerous anchoring spots
Punta Gorda - up Charlotte Harbor, some anchoring, nice community, no beach
Fort Myers /Cape Coral-long way up Caloosahatchee River.
Ft. Myers Beach-good inlet minutes to Gulf, mooring field convenient to beachside community, limited anchoring
Naples - jetted inlet some anchoring, limited shore access, expensive
Marco Island-inlet, limited anchoring, not always a welcoming town

IMHO the best cruising is from Boca Grande south to Marco. Also you have access to ICW from Tampa Bay to Ft. Myers Beach.

HMMMMM There are about 30 cruising sailboats anchored in clearwater Bay. The City provides free pump outs to anyboat that requests it while anchored out.