Back from FL

BuckeyeMom · ‎02-17-2019

Just spent a month in S Florida..felt like a year! I agreed for a month, as we planned on doing this last year before my husband became ill & had to postpone life for awhile.

The weather was nicer than here in Ohio, but not beach weather at all..

We have visited the area before & have friends who live there..we basically did what we do at home & my husband was perfectly ok with it..dinner out every other night, took a few short day trips, reading & watching TV, some shopping, etc..we are retired..

We are going back for 2 weeks (in March) as we committed to a 3 month rental, he wants to return, for hopefully warmer weather this time..I am dreading another trip & am only agreeing to this because of him..I have no desire to ever live there & he now wants to look at a condo..please, I do understand that we are fortunate to be able to VISIT there, but that is it..he clearly understands how & why I feel this way..so, what now?

I seem to remember a woman on here that moved to FL due to her husband & has never been happy there.

Harvard99 · ‎06-18-2018

STAND YOU GROUND! I moved to S Fl 32 years ago and stayed for my job. Now I'm still here for my husbands job. The people are so rude, traffic is horrible, terrible doctors, taxes and insurance through the roof. Does he want to risk his life in a hurricane? He has no clue what that is like. I bet if he came here for a month in the heat and humidity of August he'd be running back home before the month was over. Be a snowbird, best thing in the world. Tell him no, no, no.

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

@BuckeyeMom wrote:
Just spent a month in S Florida..felt like a year! I agreed for a month, as we planned on doing this last year before my husband became ill & had to postpone life for awhile.
The weather was nicer than here in Ohio, but not beach weather at all..
We have visited the area before & have friends who live there..we basically did what we do at home & my husband was perfectly ok with it..dinner out every other night, took a few short day trips, reading & watching TV, some shopping, etc..we are retired..
We are going back for 2 weeks (in March) as we committed to a 3 month rental, he wants to return, for hopefully warmer weather this time..I am dreading another trip & am only agreeing to this because of him..I have no desire to ever live there & he now wants to look at a condo..please, I do understand that we are fortunate to be able to VISIT there, but that is it..he clearly understands how & why I feel this way..so, what now?
I seem to remember a woman on here that moved to FL due to her husband & has never been happy there.

@BuckeyeMom , I’m kind of in the same boat! We live in PA but during winter DH loves going to FL. While it’s fun to go down for a week or so, I’m always happy to return home. I love my home and since I’ve only been retired for a few years, I really appreciate being home during the day and doing whatever I want.

DH loves tennis. There’s a lot of great tennis in FL over the winter. I don’t play tennis anymore...just got bored with it many years ago and stopped. In addition, my horse is here in PA. Don’t think I’ll ever want to take him to FL because of the extreme change in temps and the hassle of trailering him down and back. In fairness to him I’d only do that if we were staying the entire winter.

Anyway, I also help with my elderly dad Jan-April as brother, sis and I take turns. Can’t go long term at this point.

Wiscfan3 · ‎05-28-2015

I have vacationed in S Florida several times and love it, but have never stayed longer than 1 week at a time. I think I would love it for a month or even three months but would not want to live there. You are fortunate to be able to go that long. Maybe you can convince your husband to just continue with 3 months per year.

Lindsays Grandma · ‎03-10-2010

When my father retired he and my mother had to make a decision, leave New York to live in either Florida or California. I was living in CA and would have loved had they chosen it but FL was more affordable so that is where they made their new home. My sister did the same thing when her husband retired.

I visited once in a while but never in the summer. My parents drove across country to spend a month with me every year until they got too old. My sister, on the other hand had a place in Maine where she and her husband and their three children would spend summer vacations when they were still living in N.Y. and that is where she and my brother-in-law spent their summers when they lived in FL. They never spent one summer in FL and my sister who is a widow still goes to Maine every summer.

I certainly wouldn't attempt to advise you one way or the other but if you are adamant about not living there by all means you and your husband should start with the pros and cons ASAP. If you go because he wants to both of you will be miserable. By the way, my sister lives in Boca Grande and has a very good life and even with all her money she still won't stay there in the summer.

I'm sorry, I got carried away...didn't mean to make this so long. I feel for you, I really do and I hope with time it all works out to the satisfaction of both of you. Good luck and God Bless.

The moving finger writes; And having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line Nor all your Tears Wash out a Word of it. Omar Khayam

LadyDoc · ‎04-08-2010

It’s too bad you don’t like it. We moved to the Tampa Bay Area when we retired for my health issues, but after our first winter here I think my husband loved it more than I did. We’ve been here 5 years now and would never go back north. We are doing the same thing right now that we might be doing at home, sitting and reading. But we are doing it with all the windows open, needing neither heat nor A/C. What’s not to love?

sissel · ‎08-13-2010

I have been living in Az for 14yrs and we are newly retired the summers are so hot & I mean hot I thought it would be so nice to rent a furnished apt or buy condo in Colorado since we lived there 11yrs just to get out of the heat. I hate to travel can do a week but get homesick. I know just not being in my house for a few months would upset me. I have east coast friends that have 2nd houses at the shore & taxes & maintaining it gets too much. They are always running down there checking & fixing things. My g/f gets so stressed out with that shore house & she would love to sell it but DH loves it. Az is busy this time of year we got spring training going on & tourists are here til mid April they have condos & leave before the heat comes. Just had a PGA tournaments too. We need tourist money and they sure do come. If I was 20yrs younger & could have done this at the time I would jump at the chance. Not now.

IMW · ‎06-15-2014

Welcome home.

Nataliesgramma · ‎03-28-2015

We go to the Orlando area almost every year .....I don't think I could stand the bugs and the heat in July and August....

Lilysmom · ‎03-09-2010

@BuckeyeMom , we like to visit but never for longer than a couple of weeks. My sister lived there for 8 years and HATED it. She did the snowbird thing to Canada. Couldn’t wait to sell their home.

If I was going to do the snowbird thing, I would head to South Carolina. I like it there much better than Florida.

I would rent, never buy. Then you don’t own the property and have the headache that comes with it. LM