My wife and I have been thinking about buying a winter place in Florida. We have friends who have a place in Apollo Beach (south of Tampa). Does anyone here know anything about this area ?

Doug ,my inlaws have a place in Lakeland (cypress lakes) real nice gated park with around 2000 homes.They are selling due to health issues.

We have a friend who owns a house in Largo. My family and I stayed there over spring break. It was beautiful! Just s mile to the gulf coast. But no way I'd go there in summer!

Harry, do you have any more info? Price, size, Pics etc.

It all depends on what you are looking for. Do you want to live near the coast? No matter where you are in Florida, you're never 62 miles from the beach. If you like big cities then Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are pretty much it. There are golf courses literally all over the place. I live in a city of less than 22,000 and there are at least 7 different courses. There is at least another 15 within 30 minutes. I don't know if you like golf, but that's one of the most popular things to do around here. The west coast (Tampa) has a nice beach, but there aren't any surf-able waves. On the east coast, New Smyrna Beach, aka shark bite capitol of the world, where I live, has good waves year round. I've been surfing 6+ years and have never been bitten, so it's not as dangerous as you think. Tampa is about an hour away from Orlando and Daytona Beach is about 45 minutes away. Cruise ships leave out of Cape Canaveral, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. I prefer living close to the coast because in the summer it's a little cooler than the middle of the state.

Don't you wrestle Gators?

Off the records... maybe.

I prefer to wrestle cougars

Here's a couple cougars you can wrestle Dave! Meow

My sister lives in Port Orange.
Been there once. Datona a few times. Nice area.
Told me less humid and storms less severe vs gulf coast.

Now THATS lean and MEAN!

I like fur, but not on the upper lip!

I ya yaee! They past their best before dates!

It will take a 12 pack to see them as hot!

Maybe a 12 pack while stranded on a deserted island for months...maybe...

Apollo Beach is nice in some parts. There is a power plant there. I take the Apollo Beach exit at least once a week and use the smoke stacks as a reminder to get off at the correct exit.

I live 15 minutes south of Port Orange.

I moved to FL 3-1/2 years ago. One of the few good decisions I've ever made. NO income tax! Many benefits compared to the armpit we came from Buffalo, NY area...

I moved to the Fort Myers area in 2004. I lived in Tampa back in the 80's -- too much big city for me. Fort Myers and the SW coast still have a small-town feel. If I want big city I scoot over to Miami or up to Tampa (both about 3 hours away). I'm close to the coast. I wouldn't recommend living inland. There's a climate zone change that runs across Florida just below Tampa. South of the line it's much more tropical.

Lots of good housing deals all over the state these days...

You really can't go wrong!

Buy a Nice motor home and you can live any where in florida you want to. Park it at walmart and the wife can walk to shop. If you get tired of one town move and not have to sell your house. Interest is tax deductable as a second home also.

That's exactly what I wanted to do 2 years ago but my family thought I was nuts! Going to do it next time I get a chance.

The snow is starting to pile up here, we got about 10' yesterday. Less than in Minn. at least. Moving south for the winter is sounding pretty good right now. Gotta go, the snow blower threw a belt yesterday.

It's cold down here, lows in the 20's and high in the 50's. Brrrrrrrrrrr. It'll be back in the 70's next week.

You gotta be KIDDING! 42 below wind chill here this morning, with 11 below air temp driving in.

You have no idea what COLD is. But we LOVE it!!

It's still t-shirt and shorts weather for me. I don't mind the minor cool off at all.

Supposed to be 75 next Friday. We are leaving for Buffalo, NY this Weds to be with our older two kids for Christmas. I am NOT looking forward to the cold weather and snow. Already looking forward to getting back home (FL).

10 this morning at home. I was out plowing snow at 5:30. Lived in Michian all my life and love it here but the winters seem to get harder each year. Warm southern states look better all the time. I don't think I could take the heat in FL in the summer months though.

50 yesterday and about the same today.lows around 38-40...rain....beats what I see the Midwest getting any day!...and ya don't have to shovel it....

What?
Thats what it is right now in Canada?
WHAT????!!!!!

Is that snow in the bunker to the right of the green?

That's the BC coast. Not a good sample of the rest of the country! grrrrr! LOL

Years ago it was much warmer here in Alberta!

My backyard 2 million yrs ago.

It's 39 right now with a low of 25 for the night. So much for living in the sunshine state.

0 this morning at home. Had to let the dogs sleep in the house last night. Roads are still an icy mess and it took me an hour and 20 minutes to drive the 35 miles to work. Florida is looking better!

Only 5 below this morning. The heat wave has arrived!

It's 36 INSIDE the building today, even with two Dayton kerosene heaters.

6 above here now and the first half of December has been one of the coldest in history.

We took the Fbird to church Sunday with the top down and my wife posted pics on Facebook for our friends in the midwest. We tooled around until about 2 and she decides to post that "it's over 80 so we're headed for home before we get sunburned". Well, when we got home she had to head to the airport and fly to Detroit. Karma

When we let Cosmo (Shizu) out we wait at the door for him. If he's not back within 4 mins we have to go out and get him because his paws are frozen to the deck. The wife is also worried about the coyotes. You can see their tracks around the yard and hear the howling at night.

When we were in Chicago in the winter of '94 I wore nothing heaver than a trench coat. Pipes were freezing and homeless people were dying. Nobody get excited here until we get prolonged temp below -35C. It's a dry cold and usually it's clear without snow when it's very cold. We have been lucky so far this year ... warmer than usual and only two small snow falls!

In the summer we start to die here at 85F. When I arrived in Chicago in August it was 80F + humidity and I was dying. I definitely cannot handle extreme heat. Hawaii weather works the best for us.

you mean , no Global Warming????lol

Only in the 40's here right now. If your an orange juice drinker, you may want to stock up NOW because the local orchards are all claiming total disaster for their crops.

Went to a local grower today to have fruit shipped for my friend who has been staying with us past couple of weeks. From the sound of things, this may be the worst freezing of fruit for the entire state of FL in history...