Looking to move my Grady to Flordia ?

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Duty Free

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With six inches of snow on the ground here in Delaware, I am becoming more interested in moving to Florida in the next couple of years or so.. I know that there are a number of members that live in Florida and wanted to ask what they though of a place called "Apollo Beach" on the Gulf.
I wanted to understand if living on one of the canals that they offer is something worth looking into?
Having the Grady at the back door seems really exciting to me and also affords me more time on the water. What might be the bad points of this area or the Tampa area in general? I won't carry on with more questions, I think you can see that I am looking for general info...
Thanks and I look forward to either more snow shoveling or possibly sunshine!! :P
 
Re: Looking to move my Grady to Florida ?

My summer home is on a bayou in Pass Christian, MS and I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world (well maybe we could deal a little). There is nothing better than climbing out of the bed, stepping out to the dock and lowering the boat into the water. Takes 5 minutes from bed to captain's chair. Add a minute if I stop for coffee.

Downside, occasional hurricanes.

I never shoveled snow but have had to hose mud off my lower slab.

From what I hear, you will never buy Gulf Coast real estate cheaper than you can right now. It can only go up.
 
I live just up the road from Apollo Beach in Tampa, and would be happy to answer any questions about the area.

Personally, we keep out boat on lift up in New Port Richey. Apollo Beach is VERY convenient to Tampa Bay, but it's a long way to get out into the Gulf, which is where we fish. Once you have your boat in your back yard, you can't go back!

We love it here. The boating is year-round, and was one of the primary reasons my family moved from New England several decades ago. We fish the Gulf quite a bit in the Grady, and can pop our kayaks out our back door in Tampa and fish for Redfish, Snook, Trout and Tarpon within sight of the downtown skyline.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Have to agree with Grouper Duper. Apollo Beach has lots of water but it's a long ride to the fishing grounds and all the beaches you see on all the postcards. It's also industrialized with a very large coal fired electric generating station right there. It's not as bad as it was when a fighter wing was stationed there but the McDill air force base flight paths take the jets right over head so it can get busy overhead. The good news is the days we cannot boat are fairly rare. Not every day is perfect but a bad day in Florida us usually better than a good day most other places. I actually looked at lots in Apollo Beach several years but decided to buy right on the Gulf in Palm Harbor in Pinellas County. My boat is right out in front in a lift. Open water and the beaches are a couple minute boat ride. Word of caution. The real estate market is just starting to recover in FL and deals can be had. Don't make an offer, regardless how low, unless you are serious. You'll find yourself the proud owner of some choice waterfront property. Happy to answer any Q's I can.
 
I'm not familiar with Apollo Beach but we went through the search 6 years ago and ended up further south in Punta Gorda. Great boating community, a bit warmer than Tampa in the winter, boat on a canal in the backyard, and quick access to Charlotte Harbor which is a huge playground without needing to go into the Gulf, but you can if you want. We have a very active GW club and love the lifestyle. If you fish, this is a super area for that. We spent time in a lot of the Gulf community areas we were considering before we bought in Punta Gorda. Go with what feels right for you.
 
I have to agree with you duty free...the snow SUCKS!. I had to shovel it out of/off of my Grady last night as well as out of my dad's Mako that I am dragging to the Keys tonight....winter blows and it does not look like I am going to get away from it until I go through Jacksonville tomorrow morning...I have friends in Appolo Beach and another Mako buddy a little closer to the coast in elizabeth something or other. A local pizza shop owner bought a place last year on a canal just south of tampa and he loves it...
 
Thanks to everyone who took the time to address this request and comment... I appreciate the input.
Seems that I still have a few other local areas to check out before I make my trip out in March.
Places like Punta Gorda, Palm Bay and others... I am very excited about the idea of moving to Flordia in a few years, but believe I might have to purchase now to get in under today's prices and not get shut out latter on...its' always about the money!
Just wondering if there are any "special" issues that I might need to worry about such as Tax base, cost of utilities, Insurance, etc. ??
Again, thanks and I will let you know how I make out in my search...

Duty Free..
 
Depends on what you do.
If you cruise and restaraunt hop or fish Apollo Beach is a loong way from anywhere.
I'd look at the Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte area and further south Ft. Myers, Bonita Springs for a good combination cruise, eat, drink fish.
 
Well, there's no state income tax in Florida but you will have a sales tax which you don't have in Delaware. If you are anywhere near the water your homeowner's insurance will most likely be higher than Delaware due to hurricane potential. If you are looking at buying a place, make sure you get some insurance quotes before you make an offer so you have an idea what it's going to cost you. You'll also most likely need Federal flood insurance too. Also make sure you know what YOUR property taxes will be on a place you buy. Because many residents are homesteaded, their taxes are protected from large increases except for a few % a year. So, what someone is paying in property taxes may not be what you pay; yours could be higher. Not as a big an issue now that values have dropped but something you should be aware of. If you are on a canal, make sure you know who owns the seawall and who maintains it. In Punta Gorda, the city owns the seawall and they are responsible for maintenance/repairs. In some communities however, you own the seawall so if it collapses, you pay for it. Property values are driven a lot by how much water frontage the lot has and how long it takes to get to open water; the more frontage the better, and the shorter time the better. If it takes you 45 minutes to get to open water, it's not that desirable for most people.

Last but not least, you will never have to pay for snow removal!

Just a few thoughts and hope it helps.
 
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