Seriously is the summer really that bad? (Clearwater, Naples: rent, HOA)

[Corrie22]

merlin, are you a gardener?....if you are, get into growing tropical plants, orchids, etc

...you can't wait until May....because that's when everything starts growing again

and keep in mind.....people are whining about being in T-shirts, shorts, and flipflops...almost all year...LOL

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by merlin337

My daughter lives in North Carolina (Charlotte). The summers there are as hot or hotter than Naples but the winters still get fairly cold. And it's really hot for at least 3 months. So it seems to me that the summer in Naples is only a little worse than NC but the winters are a lot better.

I've lived in the NE my whole life. It's cold or gray or both a good 8 months of the year. Last year we got almost a foot of snow on May 12. And when it rains it rains for 3 days straight sometimes longer, without stop. No way I'm staying here after I retire.

Maybe I'm different from most people but humidity doesn't bother me much. So 90 and humid isn't too bad. I've been in San Antonio when it was 115. Now with that you really couldn't go outside. Waaaay too hot.

If humidity doesn’t bother you then Naples will be fine.

FYI - I’m in Atlanta now and while occasionally hotter here in the summer I found Naples humidity to be worse. But as always it’s personal.

[merlin337]

Originally Posted by markjames68

If humidity doesn’t bother you then Naples will be fine.

FYI - I’m in Atlanta now and while occasionally hotter here in the summer I found Naples humidity to be worse. But as always it’s personal.

But was it a LOT worse or just slightly? Up here in NY it was in the 90's for about 3 weeks straight this summer with 80% humidity. It was actually pretty nice.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by merlin337

But was it a LOT worse or just slightly? Up here in NY it was in the 90's for about 3 weeks straight this summer with 80% humidity. It was actually pretty nice.

I’ve lived in NY during the summer as well. No comparison to Naples.

As others have mentioned, plan on high humidity and 80-90+ temperatures for 6 months of the year. The “real feel” is often over 100.

Also, when you look at Naples weather, that’s Old Naples by the coast and has a moderated effect due to the breeze from the Gulf. Once you get a few miles inland the temperature and humidity is even higher.

[JPrzybylski07]

Put it this way, OP, if you have the luxury not to be here in the summer definitely go somewhere else. I can think of plenty of places that are much better in the summer then here in Naples. If you are stuck here because of work or just don’t have the expense to travel then you’ll learn to adapt. August and September are not only crazy humid but also quite cloudy believe it or not.

Personally I enjoyed my first 3-4 summers down here but now they seem longer and come faster. The summers here are still better then the winters up north, you’ll hear that pretty often from people and I definitely wouldn’t disagree, but summer’s here are still less then ideal. Much better weather pretty much anywhere else in the country during the summer considering Naples is literally one of the most humid places in not just the country but also the state consistently!

Lake Tahoe in July with no humidity and 75 degree air temp with the sweet smell of pine forest, now that’s what I’m talking about...

[motordavid]

If the OP isn't in a time constraint to leap into Naples/Florida full time, why not rent a place in Naples/anywhere in SW FL coastal area for a few Summer months?

I suspect summer rentals are much less expensive, and you could experience the conditions first hand.

We really like SW FL from late Nov to about middle March, but by late April we are heading back to almost mile high elevation, with highs of ~ 77 in the shade. Two houses for 16 years; a cost and sometimes a PIA, but some of us would not live full time in FL, and we do not.
GL, mD

[Ron61]

I don’t mind the heat and humidity because I’ve learned to work around it. What I despise about living here are the winters. Yes, the traffic is that bad, and no, I will never adjust to it.

[merlin337]

Originally Posted by motordavid

If the OP isn't in a time constraint to leap into Naples/Florida full time, why not rent a place in Naples/anywhere in SW FL coastal area for a few Summer months?

I suspect summer rentals are much less expensive, and you could experience the conditions first hand.

We really like SW FL from late Nov to about middle March, but by late April we are heading back to almost mile high elevation, with highs of ~ 77 in the shade. Two houses for 16 years; a cost and sometimes a PIA, but some of us would not live full time in FL, and we do not.
GL, mD

Renting is a good suggestion. What I'd like to avoid is owning 2 homes in retirement. Ideally I'd like to get a home within walking distance to the beach. Looking at Pelican Bay in particular. A decent 3 bedroom in Pelican Bay is not cheap but would be affordable if it's my only home. And I just don't like the idea of wasting so much money on 2 homes. I would probably travel 2-3 weeks in the summer months. Just trying to get a gauge on what summers are like for year rounders. They can't possibly be worse than the long harsh upstate NY winters I've lived through my entire life? Could they?

[merlin337]

Also if anyone has feedback on Pelican Bay I'd love to hear it.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by merlin337

Renting is a good suggestion. What I'd like to avoid is owning 2 homes in retirement. Ideally I'd like to get a home within walking distance to the beach. Looking at Pelican Bay in particular. A decent 3 bedroom in Pelican Bay is not cheap but would be affordable if it's my only home. And I just don't like the idea of wasting so much money on 2 homes. I would probably travel 2-3 weeks in the summer months. Just trying to get a gauge on what summers are like for year rounders. They can't possibly be worse than the long harsh upstate NY winters I've lived through my entire life? Could they?

It's all relative. To someone who likes heat it's better. To someone who wilts in the heat it's worse.

The advantage is that when you acclimate it's easier to go out during the heat in shorts and a t-shirt than bundling up, getting out the shovel, digging your way out and starting up the snowblower.

Personally I don't think it's THAT bad. It's not like a place like Singapore which is near the equator and hot/humid all year long.