Weather and Woods - Need Info (Jacksonville, Tampa: HOA fees, homes, to live)

[sharingsunshine]

Hi Y'all!

A move to FL is necessary for health problems, but it's not a state previously considered out of desire since I can't be in the sun and I am in love with forests because of that, so we've lived in woods and a bit rural for the past 19 years.

We are planning a trip down to FL but don't have a clue where to begin. The state forest in Ocala looks appealing since we're not into palm trees or beaches (obviously) so the oaks hold great appeal.

My question is how bad is the weather in summer - like right now. Do you have cool mornings and evenings there for a bit of gardening time? We've lived in AL previously and summer was hot and humid all through the night. Is that the case in Ocala? Wondering if the ocean breezes cool it down each night.

Also, are there many sub-divisions (acre of land or more) that are wooded?

Is the town treed at all? Gainesville is a Tree City and we loved the look of the forested canopy as you drive about. Is this typical of Ocala also? I've looked at the downtown photos online and it doesn't seem so.

Any help you could give would be wonderful -- or if there's any other area that fits this bill, PLEASE let me know. We can live anywhere since our business is online. My favorite habitat would be jungle (like Costa Rica rainforest) to give you a visual image.

Some people consider a park-like setting with a lot of grass and a few huge trees as wooded .... but what I mean is forest (no grass). Is there any hope?

[OneSweetWorld]

Originally Posted by sharingsunshine

Hi Y'all!

A move to FL is necessary for health problems, but it's not a state previously considered out of desire since I can't be in the sun and I am in love with forests because of that, so we've lived in woods and a bit rural for the past 19 years.

We are planning a trip down to FL but don't have a clue where to begin. The state forest in Ocala looks appealing since we're not into palm trees or beaches (obviously) so the oaks hold great appeal.

My question is how bad is the weather in summer - like right now. Do you have cool mornings and evenings there for a bit of gardening time? We've lived in AL previously and summer was hot and humid all through the night. Is that the case in Ocala? Wondering if the ocean breezes cool it down each night.

Also, are there many sub-divisions (acre of land or more) that are wooded?

Is the town treed at all? Gainesville is a Tree City and we loved the look of the forested canopy as you drive about. Is this typical of Ocala also? I've looked at the downtown photos online and it doesn't seem so.

Any help you could give would be wonderful -- or if there's any other area that fits this bill, PLEASE let me know. We can live anywhere since our business is online. My favorite habitat would be jungle (like Costa Rica rainforest) to give you a visual image.

Some people consider a park-like setting with a lot of grass and a few huge trees as wooded .... but what I mean is forest (no grass). Is there any hope?

Obviously the forest is a great place to start if you're looking for a tree setting. IMO, its mostly miserable from 10am to 10 pm between April and October. Lows in the low to mid 70s and highs in the low to mid 90s with dewpoints in the 70s. In Ocala there is no such thing as an ocean breeze, the Gulf is 30-40 minutes left and the Atlantic in 45 minutes right. I may be wrong because I haven't lived here too long but compared to St. Petersburg and Jacksonville, Ocala has no sea breeze.

[John Hart]

My wife and I moved to Homosassa, FL 2yrs ago from the Pocono Mts, PA and we were looking for an area just as you described. What we found was a development called Sugarmill Woods and most homes back up to greenbelt (oak, live oak, birch, maple, and pines). We are located 15 min. from the gulf and generally have a breeze. The temps in the summer months will be a daytime high of abt 88 to 92 degrees with night time lows in the low to mid 70's. Which we find very comfortable to sit on our lanai in the mornings and evenings. During the winter months we will get 6 to 8 frosts as we are Northwest Central Fl. We do our lawn work in summer months in the morning and evening.

Sugarmill woods is just off Rt 19 and 98, and there is never a traffic problem because of low population. We are located 35 min from Ocala, 50 min from Tampa, 1hr 30min from Orlando and 1hr 15min from Gainesville.

If you need anymore information please let me know.

John Hart

[sharingsunshine]

Hi John! You mentioned Sugarmill Woods on your post and also the Poconos. I'm from Reading, PA, so PA sounded so "home." :-)

I looked at the development and am impressed with the green space they allowed and no homes backing to each other. Very nice! You mentioned doing "lawn work" morning and evening. Does that mean the yards are cleared back to the green space and grass is put in rather than leaving the trees around the home?

How far is it to the closest town where we would be able to volunteer -- or to a nature center to volunteer? I'm a country gal, but like to live near the edge of a city since I like to be involved in a variety of things.

Did you check out other areas around there? How did you determine where to look? That's been the real challenge. I know what we're looking for .. but without just spending a ton of time on the road all over FL, it's hard to know "everything" from checking online.

I had assumed from the name, that Citrus County would have more orange grove type views, rather than forest? We're looking for a forested county. The temps you mention are great so maybe closer to the coast is a better deal than central. We love nature trails since I can't be in the sun ... and enjoy wildlife photography and woodland gardening.

Somebody mentioned Hernando County as being very forested. Have you visited that area? How would you compare the two ... if somebody wouldn't mind answering.

We're in a golf community now and neither of us play golf. Do the HOA fees maintain the golf course or are the two kept separate?

Any further insight would be much appreciated on Sugarmill or other communities and areas. Thanks so much!

[Alphaman]

The summer days are hot and humid (90`s) the summer nights almost never get lower then the 70`s but it`s not too bad in the evening and nights but even better after a nice rain.