Snowbirding vs. Year-Round Retirement

[ApS]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

WOW ! A lot of Florida negativity. I don't see it that way.

This is my 14th winter in SWFL and I have yet to see a sand flea! I am fortunate to be able to do this and have Winnipesaukee to look forward to in the summer. After over 50 years north of Boston I have seen enough snow to last a lifetime.

To see a Sand Flea, you're gonna need your reading glasses. (Also known as "Flying Jaws", sand flies, beach fleas, sand gnats, hop-a-longs, punkies, or the very appropriate "no-see-ums.)

The Pensacola Panhandle also has a sand flea, but it's a harmless surf-loving crustacean.

My delightful neighbors (sadly) just moved away to assisted-living in Pompano, which was just listed as the highest crime rate in Florida, and the highest rate of Florida's Covid-19 cases.

Massachusetts readers will recognize the name, John "Zip" Connolly, the hero of the film "The Departed". Convicted of murder, he's just been released from a 40-year prison sentence on medical grounds, and has moved--yep--to Pompano!

With all due respect to MeredithMan, his bites are likely due to [URL]Trombicula_alfreddugesihttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombicula_alfreddugesi, found mostly among tall moist grasses.

Sand fleas usually bite at the ankles, but can be mistaken for a mosquito bite on any exposed skin. They're just as wary as mosquitoes, and hard to swat. Early mornings and dusk are favored party-time for sand fleas. (Most severe, logically, on the coasts).

Florida is only "guilty" of being in the middle of hurricane strikes. Ask the citizens of Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, New Jersey, Long Island, Vermont, and even Ontario.

I see the present temperature difference between north- and south- Florida is 40 degrees!

SW Florida had a groundwater emergency about 15 years ago. The US Navy hooked up a warship that delivered desalinated seawater to the area. Such desalination was later replaced by a permanent plant. About 10% of drinking water is desalinated.

Much of SW Florida's fresh water escapes to the sea through Florida's many canals. Municipal wells nearest Florida coasts suffer from saltwater intrusion, and are permanently capped.