I have a question, Floridians -- Spouse and i are thinking of buying a house in Florida

[ChiciB1]

56. I've Lived On The West Coast, South Of Tampa For All My Adult

life. I can't recall any Democrat being elected to Congress from my district at any time. Bradenton may lean a little more to the left, but IMO not much.

I live in Sarasota County which is RED and I define it as a "white bread" city. Not sure exactly where "Sancho" lives, but I noticed he said there were a lot of Hispanics. Yes, there are Hispanics and Blacks but it must be a low percentage here. A lot of celebrities have 2nd and 3rd homes here, many famous tennis players and the per capita income is maybe No. 2 or 3 in the state. I don't fit into that category at all, but I live in an area that's a short bike ride to the beach. I always hate making this statement, but as long as I've lived here we've never had a hard hit by a hurricane. I think the last time one hit here was in 1927.

Having said that, over the years I known people who've looked on both east & west coasts and really find the west coast much nicer. I can't say myself because I don't go east much. I REALLY like where I live, south of Sarasota in a small community that has great access to shopping, schools, theaters and much more. It's super close to the Interstate, just an all around place that has a lot to offer. I don't think I would like living on the east coast, but politically I find it pretty challenging for me. I know they say FL is turning more purple, but not in this area. Still, Sarasota has a LOT to offer and it's really a beautiful place to live and the crime rate is pretty low if you compare it to many other places in this state.

Plus I always laugh when I say we only have TWO seasons... Spring & Summer! Summers may not get much above 95 overall, but with the humidity it can be brutal. Perhaps it seems more so to me because the beach is so close. We had a cold snap last week, but today it's 80. I can remember having my air on at Christmas time. Last week's cold was really unusual, but all of this may be due to climate change.

BUT, I do have 5 acres of land further south that's for sale. My husband's parent's have passed away and their place is up near the Ocala area, so with taking care of that place and our home here it's not logical to have 3 places to take care of. Yeah, that was a self-serving plug, huh? LOL!