Port St Lucie FLA, yay or nay

Heat doesn't bug me, it's the wild weather swings that I'm tired of dealing with. Where I live the hottest days of the year reach upwards of 40*C (104*F) and the coldest days can be as low as -30*C (-22*F). Plus it's humid AF here in the summer too. It's the 70*C (126*F) swing in weather every 6 months that I'm done with. I haven't looked specifically, but I imagine the temperature swing in FL is less than half of that. What 10*C (50*F) on the coldest day and 45*C (112*F) on the hottest. I can deal with that.

 

Damn! You learn something new everyday.

 

Florida's full. Moose out front shoulda' told 'ya.

Seriously though.....

Look into my area in South Brevard County (Viera/Melbourne/Satellite Beach/Indialantic). There are spots what you can do everything or nothing, and properties ranging from small .25 acre communities to sprawling rural area (like mine) with 1.5 acres+. Plenty of shops within range and dining options are everywhere.

We are just far enough from the tourist traps like Orlando to not deal with too much out of state riff-raff, but close enough to make a quick jaunt to the city if you wanna have a date night or catch a good show.

You are always 15 minutes or less from VERY good beaches with occasionally decent surf (Kelly Slater is proof positive) and the boating is everywhere from offshore fishing, utilizing the Indian River, or tons of inland creeks and stick marshes.

Bones is that the summers here close to the coast are on average 5-7 degrees cooler than if you venture farther in-state due to the ocean breezes........that makes a huge difference in August/September when it's pegging 90 and humidity that you can cut with a knife.

There are some kart tracks like Bushnell (I think), but I'm not too well-versed there. Big tracks you have Jennings (4 hours), PBIR (1.5 hours), and Homestead. PBIR is likely going away from last I heard, as they are turning the property into a distribution center.......not sure how long that will take, however.

Good luck! Been here the vast majority of my life and can't really imagine living somewhere else.

 

One of the sanest things I've ever heard......

 

Come to Pinellas County! Sent you a PM

 

We lived off the coast of Stuart (Sewalls Point) which is about 20 minutes south of Port St Lucie. We loved Stuart. Plenty of things to do, good schools, good beaches, quiet and no high rise buildings.

 

I hear Tennessee is not one of the best places for surfing.

 

just no, again , we’re full

 

SC is full

 

I moved to Florida about 2.5 years ago.
I did a pretty in-depth research of the areas.
First thing I would I ask is are you dead set on the east coast ? You mentioned surfing so maybe that eliminates the west coast.

If not I would look at the west coast.

Whether you have kids or not pay attention to the school district where you are looking to buy. Florida is notorious for bad schools. So that can impact your resale value.

Housing market is insane down here. My house has jumped 40% in value in 2 years. Lots of buyers coming with cash. My neighbors house had 28 offers on first day sold for $30,000 over list

I ended up buying in Lake Wood Ranch, Manatee County.

I’m 30 minutes from Siesta Key beach and Anna Maria Island beaches.

Im far enough inland that my home owners isn’t much more than I paid in Pennsylvania.

Just like other areas they base it on floodplain maps.

Where I am at I’m 15 minutes from Sarasota/Bradenton airport. 50 minutes from Tampa International. 2 hours from Orlando (more international flights I’ve flown out of there a couple times when I had to travel internationally)

When people ask me how I deal with the heat in the summer I ask them what they do in the winter when it’s really cold. They stay in the house with the heat on. Do the same down here in the summer with the ac on.
However in mornings or evening I can almost always do something in summer before it gets ridiculously hot.

I bought a house with a pool. Love it. Wouldn’t live here without one .

Any other questions let me know if you look at west coast

 

I’d strongly suggest coming down, spending a few weeks/months, and bouncing around to several areas you’re interested in.

Personally, if you can afford it, I’d be looking east of I-295, in JAX, FL. Of the beach areas I’ve visited/lived in FL, it’s the most accessible, laidback vibe, restaurants, festivals, and has easy accessibility to other parts of the country/coast. “TurboBlew” is well-versed in the area.

I’ve stayed in Sebastian. It’s a very small town feel, but, on the coast. Definitely not a prosperous area and the housing/neighborhoods reflect that. I didn’t see any reason to permanently stay there.

The panhandle is a dump, outside a few pockets of tourist towns.

Currently, I’m in the southwest of FL and it’s so overcrowded, underdeveloped for the amount of population, minimal beaches with horrible access, 40+% overpriced housing, among other issues. Venice up to Clearwater would be better west coast options, if someone were looking on this side, IMO.

 

Not from what Phl posted on the face toobs...lots of development. Like every forest in the are being bulldozed level of development.

Plenty of space in SC. C'mon and bring your idiot meth head cousins too.

 

Why do you choose to believe Phl on this one topic?

 

I saw the aerial photo someone posted...it showed lots of houses in development. Plenty of room. Maybe no space for cars or kids in school, etc...but plenty of houses....

 

You should spend some time in Florida in the summer before saying heat doesn't bother you. In addition to the higher temperatures, you really need to understand the power of the sun down there.

To the posts above, you should really consider the Gulf side of things.

 

The temps ain't shit, but combined with the humidity its a real pain to deal with.
Florida contains 90% of America's news worthy crazy people, so its fun. Plus beaches, can't go wrong there.
Its a million times better of a choice then living in southern california.

 

Don't forget about the trillions of mosquitos that can carry away your small dog or cat...

 

....or cuddly critters like this little fella who meandered near my front door this past summer:

 

If you want to see what the waterways are like, get a copy of Moonraker. There is a jungle river boat chase scene that was filmed on the St Lucie River a few miles from where I grew up. Pretty rustic.

 

Another consideration of living at/near the coast is homeowners insurance.
There are coastal counties where regular homeowners excludes wind damage and you have to buy an additional policy.