[jawg]

Hello to all,I'm land-locked now and considering move to gulf coast of Florida.Love the water and boats,plan to get a small yacht and follow a dream I've had since I was a kid.I'm a commerical/ residental trim carpenter, subcontractor (high end),I've been in construction for over 20yrs and can build from the ground up, and have done tons of remodeling, but prefer trim carpentry these days.Thinking of renting on pelican island Ft myers area, good/bad idea? What about work in the trades, is there plenty of work,and realisticly what should one expect to earn?Was thinking about Ca. but cost of living there is off the charts, unless you want to live in the desert!
Thankful for any thoughts,insights and information one is willing to give me.
Regards
Rn

[riverviewnative]

Fort Myers is alot nicer than Tampa. Tampa is overated and going down hill. Of course the powers that be lie about the stats. Plas the waters of Tampa Bay are very shallow.

[FedUpInFtMyers]

Quality of life is not better in Ft. Myers. Try Tampa Bay - St. Petersburg, Largo, Clearwater, all cities around there. You need not live in Tampa. Do a search on Ft. Myers, and please feel free to read my posts concerning the differences between the areas. I speak from years of experience living in St. Pete and most recently in Ft. Myers, still in Ft. Myers, and MOVING BACK TO ST. PETERSBURG immediately. The two places are like two different countries. Good luck.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by FedUpInFtMyers

Quality of life is not better in Ft. Myers. Try Tampa Bay - St. Petersburg, Largo, Clearwater, all cities around there. You need not live in Tampa. Do a search on Ft. Myers, and please feel free to read my posts concerning the differences between the areas. I speak from years of experience living in St. Pete and most recently in Ft. Myers, still in Ft. Myers, and MOVING BACK TO ST. PETERSBURG immediately. The two places are like two different countries. Good luck.

I agree with Fedup - she knows what she is talking about. Ft. Myers has crime statistics equal to Detroit!

[hiknapster]

I think you are at the VERY preliminary planning stages, since Pelican Island is a wildlife refuge on the other coast. Perhaps you meant Pine Island?

[kar]

Originally Posted by jawg

Hello to all,I'm land-locked now and considering move to gulf coast of Florida.Love the water and boats,plan to get a small yacht and follow a dream I've had since I was a kid.I'm a commerical/ residental trim carpenter, subcontractor (high end),I've been in construction for over 20yrs and can build from the ground up, and have done tons of remodeling, but prefer trim carpentry these days.Thinking of renting on pelican island Ft myers area, good/bad idea? What about work in the trades, is there plenty of work,and realisticly what should one expect to earn?Was thinking about Ca. but cost of living there is off the charts, unless you want to live in the desert!
Thankful for any thoughts,insights and information one is willing to give me.
Regards
Rn

If you are in the building trades I would not recommend Florida right now. Housing sales are awful right now and a lot of the builders are laying off people. Not a good choice unless you are willing to find other work.

[JimKing]

If you can do high end carpentry you will do great in Jupiter, Tequesta, Boca, Palm Beach. Folks there have money and are constantly remodeling. The workers getting laid off are cookie cutter tradesman, not high end guys. A talented carpenter will be in high demand all the time.

[jawg]

Thanks , yes hiknapstar I did mean pine Island, and am not packing for Florida just yet,if I make the move it would probably be Dec/Jan.I'm parcel to the gulf coast ,(don't know why really), but that isn't carved in stone.JimKing,I hadn't thought about the eastcoast, but can see your thinking.What is the difference betwen the two coasts, lifestyles etc.?I guess it will be somewhat higher C/O/L on the Atlantic side ?How about commerical building is it still fairly strong? In most areas it doesn't usally follow what residential does,the economy has to take a hard hit to bring it to a halt.
Thanks for the replies !
RN