I live in St. Pete and I have to say we are very lucky with the boating we have in our backyard. We like the Sanibel area too because of the change of scene and water clarity. The Keys are fun too....so many places, so little vacation.

Used to be the Panhandle of Florida had some of the best boating in the state. From Mobile Bay to Destin or even Panama City was just great boating--resturants with great seafood, drinks andmusic to islands, state parks and sand bars to just hang for the day or weekend and the most beautiful water and beaches on the face of the earth.

I lived in Pensacola and really miss all that but I'm afraid a lot of that went away with Ivan and friends.

Key's

There are not too many places in FL that are bad for boating. I love living in St. Pete because we have the bay, Tampa, the Gulf, Sarasota, Clearwater all relativly close. I do love going out of haulover in N. Miami with a nice 4 to 5 but it can get NASTY out there. In the Gulf you can see it coming most of the time. I went from the Long Island Sound to the Pacific Ocean (So. Cal.) to FL and none compare to FL. More boats, destinations, things to see & do in FL. I've lived here for four years and my boating season hasn't ended yet. (Except for the occasional hurricane)