Florida questions

[VaderWS6]

I'm thinking about moving to Florida, and just can't really decide which area to move to. I've always gone to Destin for vacation most years, went to Ft. Myers and the Keys before. Which areas besides the ones I listed would be great for a marinelife enthusiast/collector? I'm well aware of collection laws in Florida, I'm just looking for an area with clear water, nice looking surroundings, lots of marinelife. I really prefer the Gulf side, but what would you guys recommend? Any help/info is GREATLY appreciated! I'm hoping to move this year.

[mcgyvr]

Anywhere you can find a job.. Good luck.

[Cleancoupe]

South FL has the best water and marinelife, but then you have to deal with other things. Every place has it's pros & cons.

[makdaddy386]

The east coast doesn't have the white sand beaches but for marine life/diving/fishing/etc...more particularly south florida is where its at. I live in Stuart which is the only inlet down here which discharges water for Lake Okeechobee. All the other inlets here have insanely clear water. Even our inlet though has some great water when they stop discharging for any length of time (like they currently are). If you haven't been you should seriously look into somewhere like Palm Beach. IMHO it blows the west coast away...but I'm slightly partial to having the surf. Otherwise the west coast is beautiful. Especially Crystal River area.

[A sea K]

Originally Posted by Cleancoupe

South FL has the best water and marinelife, but then you have to deal with other things. Every place has it's pros & cons.

Couldnt agree more. I was born and raised in Palm Beach county but area growth and other things forced me to leave. I miss what it used be but there is no way in **** I'll ever go back.
Where I live now has excellent quality of life but the marine life in my area lacks in comparison to what I was used to while growing up in So. Fl.

[Dseg]

Originally Posted by makdaddy386

The east coast doesn't have the white sand beaches but for marine life/diving/fishing/etc...more particularly south florida is where its at. I live in Stuart which is the only inlet down here which discharges water for Lake Okeechobee. All the other inlets here have insanely clear water. Even our inlet though has some great water when they stop discharging for any length of time (like they currently are). If you haven't been you should seriously look into somewhere like Palm Beach. IMHO it blows the west coast away...but I'm slightly partial to having the surf. Otherwise the west coast is beautiful. Especially Crystal River area.

I'm right by you. Im in Port Saint Lucie/Jensen Beach.

[makdaddy386]

I guess I should have clarified that our water is beautiful too. Just not all the way up the river like adjacent counties. I mean you can throw on a mask and snorkel and go grab just about anything right off our beaches. I have a 150g which I stocked with all kinds of stuff a year ago out of our local waters: Angels, Pork Fish, Top Hats, Coral Banded Shrimp, Arrow Crabs, Blue Leg Hermits, Anemones, and the list goes on. All I had was a 5 gallon bucket and a net.

If you like the water this is the place. You can't go anywhere without crossing a bridge around here.

You also need to specify what factors you are considering. Martin County where I am at is dramatically different from the neighboring county Palm Beach County. But from the Treasure Coast to the Keys you have pretty much something for anyone. From low budget to over the top richest zip code in the country...it's all right here. All with beautiful water.

[makdaddy386]

Originally Posted by Dseg

I'm right by you. Im in Port Saint Lucie/Jensen Beach.

Nice...I'm sure you can vouch then.

[makdaddy386]

Originally Posted by A sea K

Couldnt agree more. I was born and raised in Palm Beach county but area growth and other things forced me to leave. I miss what it used be but there is no way in **** I'll ever go back.
Where I live now has excellent quality of life but the marine life in my area lacks in comparison to what I was used to while growing up in So. Fl.

Well put. I'm partial to where I live which is kinda the last stronghold on the southeast coast. But I enjoy driving through Palm Beach lol. Some people do love it though with its glitz and glam Palm Beaches water is crazy nice though.

I guess to confirm here is a text from my girl about 1 hr ago (who is in Palm Beach today):
"Palm Beach people are fun to people watch"
"All so glamorous. I was listening to someone talk about how much they pay their babysitter. I felt like saying I'll babysit for half that lol!"

[Reeferz412]

If you move to Miami, you will learn to speak Spanish in a year.

[CHSUB]

why not move to Fiji?

[VaderWS6]

Originally Posted by Reeferz412

If you move to Miami, you will learn to speak Spanish in a year.

My girlfriend is Puerto Rican, so I shouldn't have much of a problem haha.


I've been researching various areas, and I like the looks of Port St. Lucie a lot! I think I'll just fly down to Ft. Lauderdale and drive around to the different towns. There are some unbelievable deals on houses in that area!

[makdaddy386]

Originally Posted by VaderWS6

My girlfriend is Puerto Rican, so I shouldn't have much of a problem haha.


I've been researching various areas, and I like the looks of Port St. Lucie a lot! I think I'll just fly down to Ft. Lauderdale and drive around to the different towns. There are some unbelievable deals on houses in that area!

There is a good reason for that. There is some seriously cheap homes but you will pay for a dramatically different atmosphere from the next county south. Port St. Lucie is great if you want somewhere to get your feet set and kinda feel everything out. But I resisted the urge, almost payed double for my house one county south and couldn't be a happier person now. Do some exploring and you will see.

I'm probably making it sound much worse than it is but Port St. Lucie is just nothing but endless suburbia with tons of Ghetto transplants. When you look at adjacent counties there is at least a much more clear division of the communities. Your higher crime areas will tend to be secluded or much more concentrated in particular areas and your quiet sleepy towns will be much more quiet and sleepy. Just my .02

[makdaddy386]

Martin County has very strict growth management and county beautification codes. It just results in no high rise buildings, clean manicured medians and maintained roadways. Clean beaches and nice parks, etc.

You'll see when you visit

[Biocubehqi]

A county that restricts high rises? That sounds like mom and pop threw up all over town lol

[Biocubehqi]

Wouldn't catch me dead living next to opie and Andy

[vito is hooked]

would'nt catch me dead living in.........Chigago....lol

[makdaddy386]

Hah seriously...trust me I'm glad not everyone has the same taste. There is plenty of space for everyone in the world