Florida?

Anyone here lived in or a spent a lot of time in Florida? We're considering a move there. Hoping to fly down for a week or so in spring and check it out. By the looks of it the perks to Florida are, its not California, theres good weather, its not California, nice beaches, its not California, no state tax, its not California, lots of wild life, its not California, and good gun laws. Also its not California.

 Any recommendations on some towns?

Looking for a place <1 hour to the water, but because of the geography it looks like thats everywhere.

My biggest concern is a town thats not a sh*t hole with a lot of crime.

Somewhere I can get a 2+ bedroom for less than $270k would be nice.




It looks like the diving is pretty legit there. Anyone know what kind of above land hunting options there are? Fishing? Any general advice?

You crack me up.  ItÂ’s not California. 

Where abouts are you looking? I spent a lot of time in Destin and Panama City on the Gulf side, and in Daytona and Cocoa beach on the Atlantic side when I was younger. I prefer the Atlantic side myself. Lots of good fishing that way, you just have to make sure your catch doesn't get carried off by a mosquito the size of a B-29.

Tarpon, Jacks and Barracuda
Oh yeah, Goliath grouper and Huge Bull Sharks. Snakehead fishing, why not?
American Alligators. Burmese Pythons.
Sounds like fun.

Where abouts are you looking? I spent a lot of time in Destin and Panama City on the Gulf side, and in Daytona and Cocoa beach on the Atlantic side when I was younger. I prefer the Atlantic side myself. Lots of good fishing that way, you just have to make sure your catch doesn't get carried off by a mosquito the size of a B-29.

Thats the purpose of this thread. Hoping one of you guys with Florida experience can throw me some town names to add to my hit list of places to check while down there.

Lived in Jacksonville for 4 years before moving out here in 2013.  Traveled all over the state and have a lot of experience fishing around Fort Myers, Key West, and some in the Miami area.  The fishing is amazing although its rare that you'll have an area all to yourself.  The inshore saltwater fishing for trout, flounder, and redfish is amazing.  Tarpon can be found inshore and along the beaches with all the King and Spanish mackeral.  If you want red snapper you better live on the gulf coast up in the panhandle or be willing to drive there during the season.  The hunting is hit or miss.  I did very well on ducks but for big game most head North.  There is decent deer hunting but most is by lottery or on private land.  TONS of hogs and they are fairly easy to get on with the state owned lands.  Turkeys are very easy to come by as well.  Most of the deer hunters around Jacksonville belonged to hunting clubs in South Carolina and drove up regularly. 

If I was looking to move back I would definitely check out areas above Orlando.  Most of the bigger cities have a decent crime rate but the surrounding areas have plenty of small country towns.  Jacksonville is considered Southern Georgia by most (LOL) and for good reason. Lots of country rednecks around and hunting and fishing opportunities abound.

What exactly are you looking for in a new hometown?  Do you want country, woods, and space between neighbors?  Are you looking for access to a major city or airport?  Does your employment  depend on being near anything specific?

Lived in Jacksonville for 4 years before moving out here in 2013.  Traveled all over the state and have a lot of experience fishing around Fort Myers, Key West, and some in the Miami area.  The fishing is amazing although its rare that you'll have an area all to yourself.  The inshore saltwater fishing for trout, flounder, and redfish is amazing.  Tarpon can be found inshore and along the beaches with all the King and Spanish mackeral.  If you want red snapper you better live on the gulf coast up in the panhandle or be willing to drive there during the season.  The hunting is hit or miss.  I did very well on ducks but for big game most head North.  There is decent deer hunting but most is by lottery or on private land.  TONS of hogs and they are fairly easy to get on with the state owned lands.  Turkeys are very easy to come by as well.  Most of the deer hunters around Jacksonville belonged to hunting clubs in South Carolina and drove up regularly. 

If I was looking to move back I would definitely check out areas above Orlando.  Most of the bigger cities have a decent crime rate but the surrounding areas have plenty of small country towns.  Jacksonville is considered Southern Georgia by most (LOL) and for good reason. Lots of country rednecks around and hunting and fishing opportunities abound.

What exactly are you looking for in a new hometown?  Do you want country, woods, and space between neighbors?  Are you looking for access to a major city or airport?  Does your employment  depend on being near anything specific?

Good info, thanks.

Girlfriend is an RN and I'm a paramedic, so a hospital might be nice I guess. Country, woods and space is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't really care about an airport or big city. Living up in Mendocino its an hour and a half to get to a Best Buy, so I don't think anywhere there would be worse?


Bummer about the hunting. It sounds similar to hear. A lot of things available if you know someone or are part of a club.

I went to Infantry School in Georgia and absolutely hated it. So anything considered southern Georgia is probably not for me.

Hows the humidity? Is it pretty much a living hell year-round?

Curious why you would move back only north or Orlando? I was thinking only Orlando and down.

Tomoka Marsh Aquatic Preserve just above Daytona







Rodman Reservoir just below Jacksonville







Jacksonville Inshore Fishing











South Florida from Miami to the Keys

So I'm sold. Are you noodling a tarpon? 

Yeah, there are several places in the Keys that you can buy a bucket of herring and hand feed the tarpon.  If you don't let go they will inhale your arm up to the elbow!  It's a blast!! LOL

I'm from the South and lived in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Florida.  The humidity is 100% pretty much year round but you get used to it after a few months. 

Personally I'd say Orlando and up because it's less congested, more friendly, and more open space.  Not to mention the deer hunting is pretty much all in Northern Florida with a few small exceptions.  I love South Florida for the fishing but I can make trips down there and not have to live in all that Hell.  Also, Northern Florida is less impacted by hurricanes where as South Florida gets absolutely hammered year after year. 

I enjoy both freshwater and saltwater kayak fishing so the Northern part of the state also offers more of that with the option of driving North to visit other areas in the South East. 

Jacksonville has some amazing hospitals such as Wolfson's Children Hospital.  Spent a lot of time there and the place is basically the only reason I have a son today!  It's a beautiful facility with top of the line offerings and staff.  UNF also has a lot of stuff around Gainesville which wouldn't be a bad option either.  The gulf coast of Florida is beautiful and just a short drive from Gainesville you can be scalloping, chasing tarpon, catching grouper and snapper offshore, and still have all the inshore offerings and bass fishing.

Ocala is very near Gainesville and is horse farm country. 

Yeah, there are several places in the Keys that you can buy a bucket of herring and hand feed the tarpon.  If you don't let go they will inhale your arm up to the elbow!  It's a blast!! LOL

I'm from the South and lived in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Florida.  The humidity is 100% pretty much year round but you get used to it after a few months. 

Personally I'd say Orlando and up because it's less congested, more friendly, and more open space.  Not to mention the deer hunting is pretty much all in Northern Florida with a few small exceptions.  I love South Florida for the fishing but I can make trips down there and not have to live in all that Hell.  Also, Northern Florida is less impacted by hurricanes where as South Florida gets absolutely hammered year after year. 

I enjoy both freshwater and saltwater kayak fishing so the Northern part of the state also offers more of that with the option of driving North to visit other areas in the South East. 

Jacksonville has some amazing hospitals such as Wolfson's Children Hospital.  Spent a lot of time there and the place is basically the only reason I have a son today!  It's a beautiful facility with top of the line offerings and staff.  UNF also has a lot of stuff around Gainesville which wouldn't be a bad option either.  The gulf coast of Florida is beautiful and just a short drive from Gainesville you can be scalloping, chasing tarpon, catching grouper and snapper offshore, and still have all the inshore offerings and bass fishing.

Ocala is very near Gainesville and is horse farm country.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like we will have to do a bit of driving and get an idea of both areas.

Not a problem.  If you need any more info just let me know.  I spent a lot of time down there over the years.  If you HAVE to live in South Florida I would definitely check out the areas around Fort Myers.  That place was my home away from home in college.  I've caught giant snook, reds, tarpon, grouper, and cobia around there.

Also, one last note, the farther North you go in Florida you'll generally find that the property prices fall off dramatically.

Fattening up that venison, I love it ... if, i mean when you get out of California you best keep posting up pictures of the kayak fishing.

Fattening up that venison, I love it ... if, i mean when you get out of California you best keep posting up pictures of the kayak fishing.

I'd probably end up doing more kayak fishing. As it is here I feel like I need to dive over fish because the ocean conditions are rarely nice.

I'm definitely out of here this summer unfortunately.  The Coast Guard is sending me to one of the new WMSL cutters in Charleston, South Carolina for the next two years.  Then after we are done there my wife and I would both like to come right back here to NorCal.  We have no plans of retiring here due to the politics, gun laws, and the cost of living but I sure do enjoy being here while I'm active duty!!