researching areas in west coastal Florida

[finney]

Retired from BNSF last year in Minnesota and looking to move to Port Charlotte area or Sarasota. we will be putting our house for sale in Minnesota, so all depends on how fast it sells in order to make the move.
I welcome any suggestions or information on where not to live on the West Coast of Florida, etc.. my wife would continue to work or we would start our own business.

thanks

 

[bnsf971]

Since I lived in that area for 28 years, there are some spots to steer clear of. Palmetto (Palmghetto) is high on that list, as is St. Petersburg from about 22nd Avenue North Southward. Most of Port Charlotte is okay, except for the downtown area. Much of it was wiped out when hurricane Charlie rolled over it. If you are going further South, Lehigh Acres looks like Beirut after the housing economy went in the crapper. There are 60+% foreclosed/vacant homes there. Cape Coral is a little better, with "only" about 35% foreclosed/vacant homes.
North Fort Myers is also a bit better, only because the area hadn't begun to be built up like the others. Most of these problems were caused by hurricane Charlie, and the rebuilding boom that occurred afterwards.
If you really want to be in a "nicer" spot, Ocala would be worth a look. It's a bit higher ground, and most areas aren't flood-prone. Also, it's a little further inland, so any Hurricanes would have a lessened effect. It's an hour or so to Orlando, and a couple of hours from Tampa/St. Pete.