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skagittarius
Posts: 7 Deckhand
Intro and request
skagittarius
Posts: 7 Deckhand
Hi. I didn't see a new members thread so I'll just introduce myself. I'm Joe. I'm in my early 50s and reside outside Seattle. I will likely be looking to purchase a winter place in south florida soon, perhaps as soon as this summer and am looking for some location recommendations. My budget is in the $300-350K range (will be a cash purchase), so I'm not going to be able to afford a place in the keys or an ocean front property and I'm fine with that. Don't want a condo as I'll have a 24' center console that I'd keep on the property. I'd expect that 90% of the fishing I'd be doing would be with a fly rod on my boat in saltwater. I'm having a hard time choosing between the east coast (likely around Stuart) and the west coast (Ft. Myers). I've been to the keys and both coasts of south and central florida several times. I like the idea of taking my boat offshore to fish for blackfin (I do a lot of albacore tuna fishing here in the summer), mahi-mahi, etc, but I'm also intrigued by the local in-shore / bay opportunities on the west coast (tarpon, sea-trout, snook). Are the winter fisheries / opportunities better on one-side or the other? I have a retired friend with a place in the mid keys who's an avid gear fisherman so I'll likely be trailering the boat down there a couple times a year for a visit. Thanks
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. He knows me. 😁😁 We did make up after that incident, but it was tetchy for a bit.
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The thing to keep in mind, is that as you move S from the Stuart area, the population is compressed into an area of only about 15 miles off the coast. East of that is Everglades and Big Cypress Reserve. So you have a much higher density / mile than you do on the W coast. The housing prices and traffic directly reflect that.
Another thing to consider is the people. Again, have lived / worked on both coasts, and West coast is MUCH more laid back, easy going, a lot of southern seniors, and much more of the typical southern hospitalities / friendliness. Whereas on the E coast, you have a high number of NJ, NY, CN, PA migrates, with the more "intense" lifestyle. Alot more of the Cuban, Hatian, Dominican Republican, Jamaican, and Bohemian influence / population on the East coast as well.. not being a racists in the slightest, so please don't start that accusation / debate, just giving information to understand the culture, and mindset of some of the population. Kindness on the E coast almost seems to be viewed as a weakness or being part of a "scam". I say please / thank you, hold the door for people, use Sir, and Ma'am, smile, wave to people when driving, and am always asked "your not from here are you?"
Traffic is much worse on the E coast, and car insurance rates will reflect that as well. Miami is known to be one of the worst cities to drive in. Traffic will be moving at 85 and there always has to be that azzhat who's time is more important and is whipping through 5 lines of traffic doing 95-100; and I am not exaggerating,, ask anyone who drives in the tricounty area.
Since you can pull from coast to coast (E to W) in a couple of hours, you can always trailer your boat to fish what the other coast has to offer, and not necessarily live on that coast.