[Bigdawg107]

My wife and I are in our young 50's and retired , planning on moving to Florida in the spring, we were considiring Rotunda west, Placida or the Englewood area....Any suggestions?

[RetGI]

Originally Posted by Bigdawg107

My wife and I are in our young 50's and retired , planning on moving to Florida in the spring, we were considiring Rotunda west, Placida or the Englewood area....Any suggestions?

That's a wide open question. Have you visited any of these areas? We've been down several times in the past few years and also are retiring next spring. We looked at a few areas that others suggested and some were just awful, at least for us. We found our retirement spot but did it completely on our own after much research.

[SoFLGal]

The main draw to all three communities is the close proximity to the beaches, golfing and fishing. I think you would need to come check out the communities for yourself. All three are quite a bit different.

Mr&MrsSunshine are in the process of purchasing a home in Rotonda Sands. They might be able to chime in as to why they picked Rotonda. Rotonda is deed restricted where as most of Englewood and Placida are not.

Englewood has many different areas, there are older more developed areas like downtown around the Dearborn area. Then there's Stillwater, Boca Royale and Cape Haze Windward which are all deed restricted. One of the reasons why Stillwater is appealing to many people is that most of the lots are much larger than what you find in the typical gated community. Boca Royale and Cape Haze Windward both are golfing communities.


Englewood Isles is another community that has many boaters. It is an older more established community than Boca Royale, Stillwater or Cape Haze Windward.

Placida is a charming old Florida fishing town. Gasparilla Marina is located in Placida, it is the largest marina in the area, and it can accommodate vessels from 20 to 100 feet and has a state-of-the-art facility with enough capacity to handle over 1000 boats of all sizes with over 225 wet slips and 600 dry storage units.


Coral Creek one of the only gated communities located in Placida and the homes range in the one million plus. Placida is a very small town with few homes available. The Fishery Restaurant is also located in Placida.


There are some pretty cool homes over off of Spaniards Rd, Lookout Alley & Gaspar Dr. If you are looking in Placida I would surely check out that area. You might want to also check out the Cape Haze area since it is right next to Placida and many of the listings are entered under Cape Haze.


Are there certain things that interest you more than others-beach, golfing, fishing? Older neighborhoods or newer ones. That would give us a better idea of where to begin searching/suggesting.


Here's some more info I wrote about Rotonda. Good luck with your search

Rotonda, Florida is an upscale, deed restricted community with freshwater canals and numerous separate communities. The inner circle of Rotonda, Florida includes 1,600 square foot homes and larger, while the outer circle has homes that are more modest and smaller, ranging from 1,200 square feet and up. Rotonda Golf and Country Club features many courses scattered throughout the community. It offers complete practice facilities, a full length driving ranges, putting and chipping greensand bunkers. The Country Club was awarded a ‘Beginner Friendly Certification’ from the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Charlotte Sun Herald Reader’s choice award as the best course in Charlotte County. The three Rotonda Golf and Country Club courses - The Hills, The Palms and The Links – stretch like a necklace of sparkling gems through the Rotonda, Florida communities, cooled by the gentle gulf breezes.
Rotonda West, Florida is a master-planned community with over 20,000 acres of lakes, ponds, greenbelts, and fairways and 23 miles of waterways. Rotonda West is comprised of several neighborhoods including Long Meadow, White Marsh, Broadmoor and Pine Valley. These outer communities are linked to land by three bridges that cross the canal system to the mainland. Home sites are as large as one-third acre. Homeowners pay a modest association for canal and lot maintenance, and other expenses. The Rotonda West, Florida communities are comprised of 8,000 home sites with about 5,000 currently completed. Most residents are full-time, and a few seasonal residents live here. There are six golf courses here, four of them operated by the Rotonda Golf and Country Club and two run by Pinemoor Golf Club. These communities are well-known for their natural surroundings, and include a bird sanctuary and plenty of canals for boating enthusiasts. The older communities like Oakland Hills and Pebble Beach are more fully developed, while the newer areas are still evolving. These include Pinehurst, Broadmoor, Long Meadow, and Long Marsh and the more recent development, Pine Valley. All communities are deed restricted with homeowners associations, underground utilities and public water and sewer.
Rotonda Broadmoor is a private golf course community, close to Boca Grande beaches, shopping and dining.
Rotonda Oakland Hills features golf courses, a clubhouse, and street lights.
Rotonda Pine Valley is a popular, neighborly community, within ten minutes of shopping, dining and other services. This golf course community also has tennis courts.
Rotonda Pinehurst is a golf course community with a clubhouse.
Rotonda Pebble Beach is a golf course community in a great location, only seven miles from Englewood Beach.
Rotonda White Marsh is a golf course community with a clubhouse and tennis courts.
The inner circle communities offer intimacy and a neighborly environment, with plenty of great amenities, and lush landscaping.
Rotonda Heights is a lovely little community with great access to local beaches and golf courses.
Rotonda Lakes is a golf course community located just minutes from Boca Grande with its world-class fishing, beaches and a marina.
Rotonda Sands is a picturesque community that is just across from South Gulf Cove, with beautiful lakes and quiet, private streets. It is only two miles from Gasparilla Island.
Rotonda Meadows is a golf course community with tennis courts, and close proximity to beaches, shopping, fishing and boating.