How to be an awful Snowbird. (Sarasota, Nokomis: neighborhood, price, dangerous)

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by RustedFox

The cognitive error is that "the economy would collapse". It would simply be different if the animal that is the snowbird never evolved. Again, you're arguing a tangential point.

The other reality ( seemingly not apparent to those who "snowbird" in Florida and assume who matters is like them, and the few year round locals are stupids just there to wait on snowbirds) is that the year round population in many parts of the state are more than sufficient to support an economy based on any number of industries, not just tourism. And they do.

Personally, I'm not so sure that the "current state of Florida, with its population of 21 million" ( and counting), is all that great for the state. Look at what it's doing to Florida's ecosystem.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Yep. I'm a snowbird and while it's pretty quiet around our complex, I dread the January/February influx of grandchildren - with their children - who take over the place and bring the noise level up tens of decibels while dealing (or not dealing) with said grandchildren and monopolizing the pool, etc.

We don't drive on the Florida roads because it's a jungle out there! Most of the terrorizers seem to me to be about 25-35 years old.

Road rage is the worst with people in their 20’s during season. I’m in my 40’s and can empathize but I control it better...

Clogged roads, people who don’t know where they are going and aren’t in a rush to get there anyway, and also people who weave over the lines and routinely drive 10 under the limit.

The sounds of police and ambulance sirens at least 3 times a day, and wrecks beside the road with at least one senior involved.

Senior hits senior
Senior hits pole
Senior hits median
Senior hits cyclist
Senior hits motorbike

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

seemingly not apparent to those who "snowbird" in Florida and assume who matters is like them, and the few year round locals are stupids just there to wait on snowbirds(

This. 100%.

Good snowbird = realizing that everything in the economy does not solely revolve around their wishes and wants.

Don’t get me wrong, without seasonal residents the local economies would not support the same amount of restaurants and stores, but the entitlement aspect of many that assume the entire state is essentially a 55 and over community is amazing.

This is made clear when HOA communities - unrestricted ones - try and illegally limit what resident children can do.

[skeddy]

meh, this phenomenon is not endemic to Florida. Applies to any area where seasonal populations swell.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by skeddy

meh, this phenomenon is not endemic to Florida. Applies to any area where seasonal populations swell.

I’m sure, but FL likely has more snowbirds, tourists and seasonal residents than anywhere else.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by craigiri

Hey, you finally activated one of my major initiatives.

The US could save MILLIONS of gallons of gas per year if we each only filled our tanks 1/4 or 1/2 of the way. Why? Simple, there is much less weight in the car and therefore the MPG is higher. The difference may be in the order of 1% or so, but thing of 1% of all the gasoline in the USA.

140 BILLION gallons a year.

So at 1%, the savings is 1.4 BILLION gallons a year. At 1/2% it's 700 million gallons a year.

Unfortunately, unless many of us do the same it's not as much saved....

Some of us prefer to drive fuel efficient vehicles, combine trips, drive in the most fuel efficient way possible. I figure that will save more fuel than filling one's gas hog 1/4 or 1/2 full.

[NorthofHere]

Originally Posted by Nancy in Nokomis

These posts are very entertaining - well - now that we have black water and dead creatures all around us I do not think we will be having a big snowbird season - might even miss them a little - I have been talking to local business owners and they all say it is very slow - even for non-season

They'll be back because they have rented a year or more in advance and also by the time winter comes around the red tide will be gone (btw there is red tide up in New England as well).

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by NorthofHere

They'll be back because they have rented a year or more in advance and also by the time winter comes around the red tide will be gone (btw there is red tide up in New England as well).

Not red tide.
Red seaweed. Not dangerous....BUT

100% man made....DNA traced it back to Europe..and then Asia. Turns out Ships brought it here in their ballast tanks.

I am here right now and have been for 11 years (at the coast). I don't think I ever saw a dead fish....that wasn't killed by a seagull or hawk.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

The other reality ( seemingly not apparent to those who "snowbird" in Florida and assume who matters is like them, and the few year round locals are stupids just there to wait on snowbirds) is that the year round population in many parts of the state are more than sufficient to support an economy based on any number of industries, not just tourism. And they do.

Personally, I'm not so sure that the "current state of Florida, with its population of 21 million" ( and counting), is all that great for the state. Look at what it's doing to Florida's ecosystem.

Hmmm........I'm not doubting there are industries...BUT

"Tourism makes up one of the largest sectors of the state economy, with nearly 1.4 million people employed in the tourism industry in 2016"

That doesn't include Real Estate related to 2nd and 3rd Homes and the Snowbirds who end up there full time. We can add a million or more easily.at yo

Then - we have to do away with a lot of the fishing industry on the W. Coast (pollution).

Much of the Construction (600,000+ jobs) is based on snowbirds and tourists...
Over 100 million visitors.....a year. Again, visitors probably do not include homeowners.....

You can claim what you like, but Florida is already in the bottom 1/2 as far as per capita income and the removal of 2-4 million jobs (or more) would definitely cause massive shocks.

That would be - easily - 1/3 of the workforce losing their jobs. No way Florida could deal with it. Not even close.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

markjames68 - what you said is so true - I am older but I still have youngish children - we went out to eat and with all the drunk, fat, disgusting snowbirds loudly cursing - they did not care there were children at the next table - just plain trash