The Snowbirds are Coming! (Cape Coral, Sarasota: RV park, sales, home)

[faithfulFrank]

I guess for the past few years I've been a Fall/Spring bird for a month at a time. Real snowbirds pay me too much to stay at my place.....but soon I'll be there full time.....

Frank

[equalrightsforeveryone]

There is nowhere near the amount of sonw peoples here this year than there were last year.
Not even close

[hiknapster]

That's not good. I was down last March and I couldn't believe how dead it was. It was the quietest I had ever seen, even pre-boom.

Does everyone else think that there are less snowbirds this year, compared to last?

[stahltkd]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

That's not good. I was down last March and I couldn't believe how dead it was. It was the quietest I had ever seen, even pre-boom.

Does everyone else think that there are less snowbirds this year, compared to last?

I can't compare from last year, but I do know that yesterday at Biddles / Carrabas on 41 was packed! They were parking on the grass between the parking lot and 41. Tonight we went to Jason's Deli on Santa Barbara and they were not packed, but had a good showing. Parking lot there was about half full. Last couple of Fridays, we have gone to Ruby Tuesdays and there's always been a line out the door.

I leave for work around 8am and takes me a good 30 to 50 mins to get Three Oaks Parkway from the SE Cape.

Like I said - can't compare to last year, but it's pretty busy around where I go.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by stahltkd

I can't compare from last year, but I do know that yesterday at Biddles / Carrabas on 41 was packed! They were parking on the grass between the parking lot and 41. Tonight we went to Jason's Deli on Santa Barbara and they were not packed, but had a good showing. Parking lot there was about half full. Last couple of Fridays, we have gone to Ruby Tuesdays and there's always been a line out the door.

I leave for work around 8am and takes me a good 30 to 50 mins to get Three Oaks Parkway from the SE Cape.

Like I said - can't compare to last year, but it's pretty busy around where I go.

True season, you cannot get near a restaurant from early bird special time until well after 8, seven days a week.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

They are not called snowbirds any longer.

They are now called SUNNY-BIRDS.

They are coming to the sunshine so they are now sunny-birds.

Wish I was right behind them on my way out of the global cooling we are having up here.

2 degrees here by morning. No wonder they are leaving in droves.

[nhkev]

i posed the question to my dad and he says .. Does not appear to be as busy this year as last. The only thing that I see a little difference is that every house on the street is occupied and they are all year round residences. About 50% owner occupied the rest are renters.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by nhkev

i posed the question to my dad and he says .. Does not appear to be as busy this year as last. The only thing that I see a little difference is that every house on the street is occupied and they are all year round residences. About 50% owner occupied the rest are renters.

Well that's weird. Of course, different street. Last year, my MIL rented on Bayshore. About half the houses were occupied. It looked like snowbird homes but they didn't show up. Of course, she was renting from someone that ultimately lost their house, so who knows. But I thought Cape Coral and Fort Myers were dead last year in March.

[coastal chic]

I don't know about the overall numbers, but the ones that ARE here are spending money. My friends who own retail shops are doing much better than in past recent years and traffic through our model homes has been up. All the local restaurants are packed.

[tmozer]

I experienced my first Florida grid lock today. Although, if I had thought about it in advance, it was totally predictable. I headed off Marco Island just before noon on this rainy day. With the bridge construction, regular lunch time traffic and all the people not at the beach but shopping, it took quite a while to cross the bridge. Kind of like home (the Jersey shore) on a rainy day in the summertime.