Alico (Ben Hill Griffin) exiting citrus market

[pharmer]

St Cloud was a "wide spot" on 192 going to the beach. Now it is 6 lanes of gridlock twice a day. Only thing that will slow the growth is a downturn like 2008. 10 years of relief. There is a limit to "other people's money." Citrus died in this area in 1983 when a hard freeze killed whole groves. Joe

[tector]

Here in Lakeland myself.
As mentioned it’s going bonkers with the building.
I have been talking with my wife about moving when we retire in the next few years.
TN looks good to me.
Her daughter lives in Nashville and like FL, no state income tax.
Even though her daughter is in Nashville, that is still way too big so not there!

Nashville itself has gone full communist, but some of the more distant suburbs are quite nice. I have a lifelong friend in Hendersonville. He moved there like 13 years ago, and it has exploded with growth since. Of course the people who lived there like 40 years ago curse all the new building and the goddamned newcomers just like we do here. It's the same cycle all over the Southeast (and the mountain West, I might add--that's how Colorado got ruined).

[REDinFL]

Was thinking of TN myself, but may be a bit cold. My wife is a FL native (Lakeland); I'm 27+years in FL and acclimatized. Even northern GA might be a bit much - though I saw some nice property/house in NW GA. We'll see. Likely have to wait a year or two until the market comes back here on the coast. Had been thinking of Lakeland as of a couple of years ago, but too busy an area now. Her mom (92) still lives there , so we're in reasonable driving range for that, as well.

[tector]

Was thinking of TN myself, but may be a bit cold. My wife is a FL native (Lakeland); I'm 27+years in FL and acclimatized. Even northern GA might be a bit much - though I saw some nice property/house in NW GA. We'll see. Likely have to wait a year or two until the market comes back here on the coast. Had been thinking of Lakeland as of a couple of years ago, but too busy an area now. Her mom (92) still lives there , so we're in reasonable driving range for that, as well.

I have become less and less tolerant of the cold as I get older. As a young man I spent 4 years in Michigan, no problem. Now, that's unimaginable. And that is not even adding in my new phony hip, which is working fine (so far) down here, but I hear complaints from people with them in the cold (also walking on ice--nah).

Not a lot of better warm weather options in the US:

California--communist; too bad, San Diego area is otherwise ideal on weather
Southern AZ--maybe, but CRAZY hot in the summer
There are parts of Nevada, S. Utah, and Texas that don't get TOO cold in the winter, but certainly colder than here

When SE Fl or the Tampa Bay area get truly smashed head on by a large Cat 5, that is going to knock over the chessboard on Florida real estate. There have been some close calls the past few years, but the worst was always avoided. One time, it will not.