5 degrees below zero here this morning ... Boy fla. waterfront is realy looking good today.
Opinions on Charlotte harbor vs. Tampa bay for out of the way beaches/places to go boating. Crime ?

A big question is your kids? If so, you want to be very careful where you buy a house because the schools and the friends they'll make.

We came down from the Jersey Shore two years ago - waterfront with 10k lift. We now keep our boat at a high and dry.

We found "decent" waterfront to be very expensive and throw in taxes and the fact that you will be in the Citizens "aka catastrophe" insurance more than likely. Make sure you get the full picture on what the cost will be.

We live in a place called Lansbrook which is north of Clearwater about 5 miles right on Lake Tarpon which is a pretty big lake and about a 20 minute drive to the beach or marina.

I have the typical familiy unit so if that's your situation you might want to make sure you check out the people giving you advice to see if they have the same outlook as you... boating aside. We took five trips down to check out the place and still had quite the education after the move.

I like Tampa because it's not as nuts as the East Coast (or crowded), property is still somewhat reasonable, you have a major city (at least by Florida standards), and some of the best beaches you'll find anywhere. Life is much easier without kids - so are the choices. It is much more a boater friendly laid back atmosphere too.


Best move of our life - we love the Tampa.

Shooter my mother lived there a very nice place. Your right about the schools not nearly as good as PA, NJ. There classes are red neck 101. Just kidding.

2112 and cuda i really like the look of tierra verde would also love to do the poker runs!
hi shooter yep ive got the typical family unit two boys age 6 and 10 ,agreed its important who their friends are and the other damn parents of said friends!!for us its a work move etc ,but always worry about the kids,theyve moved schools twice already,but when you tell them hey how about the boat being at the bottom of the garden and some fantastic hurricanes that can blow you away its yelp of oh yes thats sounds great!but how bad is the home insurance now?what did you learn after your move down?how often do you boat,do go out all year round?
many thanks for your help

I have two boys 9 and 14. Tiera Verde is very nice as is the St. Pete Beach area. We just loved the No. Pinellas area and Tarpon Springs. Our boat is at a Marina on the Anclote River close to the Sponge Docks. North of T Springs the beaches pretty much end until you get to the panhandle. The intercoastal is fairly quick jaunt and we have a number of key islands that we throw the anchor out on... with crystal clear water, tons of shells, etc.

Waterfront will certainly land you with Citizens insurance. To find out more, do a search on www.msn.com (I work for Microsoft - no googling here!). Also, property taxes are assessed at 85% of value at time of sale minus a 25k save our homes cap. This trnalates that new home owners get it up the wahoo but it gets better as the years pass. They can only raise your taxes according to CP index or 3% max per year. Example, my home's taxes are about $8500 per year, the people across the street are at $4500.

I find the business community pretty vibrant here with a laid back appeal. You'll find more transients than native Floridians in Tampa IMO. I looked at Sarasota, Ft. Meyers, and Naples. Unless you are retired, have money, or in a service industry, there's no much local "corporate" business. They might be differening sentiment, but this is my opinion. Tampa airport is one of the best you will find in the nation. I flew about 150k miles last year so I have a fair knowledge on that subject.

Also, in Pinellas county, we have a program which is caled "School Choice" - which is is... maybe a choice. Your kids will go to the local school... well maybe. It actually ends this year - was court mandated with the help of NAACP lawyers. It never worked and we have a new Superintendent that fixed the Louisana school system before he joined. You should search on "Pinellas School Choice" for more info too.

Hillsborouh county - were Tampa and Apollo beach are do not have this. I'm a product of the NY public school system so I really don't see Florida schools as "that" inferior to the NY/NJ school system. Espeacially if parents are involved. In Jersey we have Asbury Park and Long Branch right next to Oceanport and Rumson - so you really need to choose the area regardless of state.

You may feel free to send me a PM and I'll exchange phone numbers with you of you want to get into details. Not so scary though, just be well informed and you will be fine. Again, best move of our lives and no regrets... BTW it's about 75 right now - I think NY is around 28?

EASY on the schools in Pinellas. My sister and her husband both teach at the high school I graduated from. As a matter of fact, I didn't know him, but her husband taught there when I was going there.

I agree that Lansbrook is a nice area, I remember when that was all woods. On the other side of the lake is a developement called Cobb's Landing that we did several houses in back in the late eighties, real nice houses.

But given any choice, I'd choose Tierra Verde. They are probably in the Lakewood HS area.

a good friend of mine has a awesome pool home in tierra verde for sale.. i also have a real nice home for sale in madiera beach.. right by GATORS .. its famous for my CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE PARTYS. BOTH HOMES HAVE LIFTS AND DOCKS..CALL WITH QUESTIONS NICK..813-417-6424 THANKS

I stand corrected. I was primarily referring to the Pinnellas area because he was looking around Tampa. I'll get it right next time.

Just scanning your friend's webpage MLS link and I noticed your $ goes a lot further in Seminole. I am sure there is a reason as you mentioned but I am thinking of how to get a foot into the market most cost effectively before she shoots up like crazy again.

Any waterfront in Pinellas is a good area, even if you have to drive through a not so nice area. They aren't making waterfront anymore, which is what they did to get probably 75% of the waterfront that's in the county. Dredge and fill are a thing of the past.