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

[Zorro]

67. Gulf Coast has nicer beaches than East Coast

and I think the Panhandle beaches are nicer than the ones further south; Panhandle beaches are more fine-grained, southern Gulf beaches are "shellier". Gulf sunsets can be stunningly -- as in stop and ponder life -- spectacular.

Thing about living close to the beach -- you might find yourself not really going there all that often, and one has to contend with ongoing house maintenance issues due to the salty breezes.

North Florida can get damn cold in the winter, although nothing approaching the Midwest temps. Even Sarasota/Venice can get pretty cold for a few nights during winter; it snowed there Christmas 1989. Winter is more moderate in the Miami area, but summers can be pretty extreme anywhere in the state.

Atlantic Coast and the Panhandle tend to be more susceptible to hurricanes and their effects, the Tampa-Naples corridor less so (although Charley did a number on the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area a decade ago). Most everyone in Florida tracks hurricanes during the season.

One gets close to nature living in Florida, because nature often visits you in your living room. Scorpions and giant flying cockroaches routinely make an appearance, and you'll be scratching your head wondering how in the hell they get in. And then there are the fire ants and mole crickets in the yard (and the occasional poisonous snake) that will also grab your attention.

Gulf Coast is pretty Republican red, except for the Tampa/St. Pete area as mentioned. Wouldn't let such tribal demographics strongly affect your decision, though.

I've kept a house south of St. Pete for 25 years, and have really liked being in that area -- although lately I have been thinking about relocating up the I-75 corridor to Pasco County to be closer to the grandkids. That's where one begins to encounter lush rolling hills as one travels north, and is quite an attractive inland area (if one stays away from the sinkhole-prone neighborhoods).