Pros and Cons for Retiring in St. Augustine (Miami, Tampa: new home, neighborhood)

[vigo]

I'm sorry to hear that about USAA . They insure my home here in south Florida but I will be moving to PVB in a year or two and hoped that I could keep USAA. Maybe they'll start writing policies again by then.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by vigo

I'm sorry to hear that about USAA . They insure my home here in south Florida but I will be moving to PVB in a year or two and hoped that I could keep USAA. Maybe they'll start writing policies again by then.

Thanks. I tell ya, it's thrown a wet blanket on our enthusiasm for moving to Florida. It's like the insurance companies are betting we'll regret moving there. OTOH, St. Augustine is still at the top of the list for other qualities, so if we like it after we come down and take a look I'll find a way to make it work.

[ssclulow]

Caladium: Relax....Come, look, decide, find a couple houses that would work, then get some quotes. Seriously, contact the agent I sent to you. He won't disappoint you. It is true that there are quite a few poor insurers trying to get eveyone's money then they won't produce when you need them. BUT, there really are insurers who are very good who are willing to insure property owners who meet their criteria.

[auntbeebe]

Feel free to contact me...I was where you were a few years ago. I have a lot of info.
I bought on Crescent Beach and another Condo close to Flagler for my son.
St Augustine is the only place that could drag me away from NY (only because it's hard to leave a place you've lived your whole life).

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by ssclulow

Caladium: Relax....Come, look, decide, find a couple houses that would work, then get some quotes. Seriously, contact the agent I sent to you. He won't disappoint you. It is true that there are quite a few poor insurers trying to get eveyone's money then they won't produce when you need them. BUT, there really are insurers who are very good who are willing to insure property owners who meet their criteria.

I disagree - but the insurance problem here isn't unique to NE Florida these days. It's all up and down the Atlantic coast (especially after the storms last year) - even up to the northeast. Having been through Hurricane Andrew - I can say with about an 80% degree of being sure that if/when we have another major storm in Florida - that some of these carriers will go under (like carriers went under after Andrew). OTOH - if you build/buy a very well built place in a less than most at risk place - and have some dollars in the bank to pay for repairs should the worst happen - you'll be ok. The way I look at it - there isn't anywhere in the world where one is totally safe. And I am much more afraid of something like earthquakes (they don't tell you ahead of time that they're coming) than hurricanes. Note that we have earthquake insurance - very cheap - because we're in the same fault area as Charleston - which had a major destructive earthquake in the late 19th century. I'm neither pessimistic - nor optimistic. Just hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Robyn

[cece1955]

Hi, I am now reading your post in March of 2012. DH and I are 60 have just retired. We want Florida, and years ago thought for sure Boca or Boynton Beach in a 55+ community. Have reconsidered and are looking at five areas of Florida. Health care is important so the Mayo Clinic is one of the draws to your area. DH really thinks that we need to be in an "active 55+", built no earlier then 2005. We are not golfers, but like to socialize and really enjoy people. We are from the Jersey Shore (6 minutes from beach), and like that, although it is not a deal breaker. NJ has been hit hard and housing values pretty much have been cut in half, so we would prefer to not go over 350K (want to bank some add'tl $), and are looking forward to not paying 18K in property taxes anymore, lol! Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated since you seem to know the area so well. Some concerns we have are insurance (do not want to be in a "flood zone", would like to see r/e taxes and hoa fees at a max of 10K a year, and have heard that medical insurance rates are lower in some areas then others (we cannot sacrifice good medical). Ideally we would like to have a 3 bedroom or 2 + den home (so adult children (& hopefully soon grandchildren) will be able to visit from North East. Would prefer being no further then 1 hour from a major airport; although that is not a deal breaker. I have searched and searched trying to find current blogs where people our age and circumstances are retiring and relocating to in Florida. Have been at the Villages, and are not sure that is for us. We don't have to go for "fine dining" all of the time, but would like it to be accessible for when we want it; and we are looking forward to the second journey together in our lives where we can be casual (but put together), surrounded by people who are somewhat educated (not necessarily "intellectuals" but can carry on a conversation about what is happening in current events), open, and looking to make new friends as we will be leaving all of our friends back east. Nervous would not even begin to describe us, but it is time. Thanks in advance for any additional input. Also, where we should "avoid" by what I am describing would be helpful as well. We are Jewish, so we would ideally like to know that there would be a synagogue within a 45 minute to 1 hour if we wanted to avail ourselves, and we are not right wing conservatives. Thank you in advance if you have any updates, suggestions or recommendations.

[madcapmagishion]

Ponte Vedra!

[Robyn55]

I don't know if your message is addressed to me - but I'll give it a shot.

Since Mayo is one of the things you find attractive here - make sure that it is in network for any insurance you have (it is not in network for many PPOs - or any HMOs that I'm familiar with). It seems from your message that you will be moving here without your current medical insurance. Finding medical insurance in Florida if you're 60ish is difficult/impossible - and expensive if you can find it (we're cheaper than other parts of Florida - but that doesn't mean we're cheap). I don't know what will happen with Obamacare in the next couple of years. I do know that Florida has opted out of the "state exchanges" - so the federal government is running whatever exchange we have in Florida now. I don't know anything about that program (but I'm sure you can look it up on line). I do recall someone on the retirement forum saying that the program rates in Florida are very very high.

I also don't know anything about "active 55+" communities. One of the reasons I moved where I did was so I could live in a community with normal age demographics. Not only old people. You might ask on the retirement forum about any communities like that in this area. Your 2005 date might be unrealistic. The housing bust started here about the end of 2005 - and construction pretty much ground to a halt. I think things are starting to pick up a bit now. But any established community is likely to pre-date 2005.

I don't have an exact number - but I'd guess that only about 5% of the metro area isn't in some type of flood zone (there are different flood zone classifications for federal flood insurance purposes). Also - various parts of the area are subject to flooding when we get extreme rain events (like lots and lots over the course of several days) - even in the absence of a storm. You will almost certainly want to buy flood insurance. You will also want to avoid areas that flood easily.

It's pretty easy to get to JAX (airport) in an hour or less from most of the metro area.

The metro area has very few Jewish people (about 25,000 give or take last time I looked). OTOH - the Jewish community is pretty active considering how big it is. The major area where Jewish people live is in Mandarin - although there are a fair number out at the Beaches. There are synagogues in all flavors in Mandarin (Reform/Conservative/Orthodox) and there's a Reform synagogue out at the Beaches. The JCC is in Mandarin - as is the "Jewish" nursing home in JAX (River Garden). If you want to take advantage of the Jewish cultural life in Mandarin on a regular basis - and not drive too much - you should probably be somewhere near the Mandarin area. OTOH - we're at the Beaches - and my late FIL (not Jewish) was a resident of River Garden for 2 1/2 years. We didn't mind the drive because we thought it was the best SNF in the metro area. OTOH - being in our mid 60's now - we wouldn't want to be driving from the Beaches to Mandarin on any regular basis for anything.

My husband and I aren't very social people. But I think that people here tend to socialize based on things they have in common or activities they like to participate in. Whether they're golfers - or tennis players - or boaters - or have kids on a soccer team - or are somewhat religious - or interested in politics - etc. - etc. If you and your husband are both Jewish - it would probably be a natural for you to join a synagogue and the JCC - make your initial social contacts in those places - and take it from there. You are also more likely to find people who aren't politically conservative in the Jewish community here (although many here - like many Jewish people elsewhere - have become more conservative politically in recent years). Note that I am fairly conservative politically (except when it comes to so-called "social issues" - where I am more or less middle-of-the-road). So I am pretty much a "fish in water" here.

You shouldn't have too many problems with your housing budget here. It's more a question of finding a place that's a good fit for you. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by madcapmagishion

Ponte Vedra!

I think the big problem here won't be the place - but health insurance for a 60ish couple looking to buy new health insurance - especially health insurance that covers care at Mayo. My current insurance (no longer available for new applicants) costs about $570/month for really good coverage. But with a $10k deductible - and a 20% co-pay up to an additional max of $3k a year. Mayo is in my PPO network - but only gives a 5% discount off "list price" when I pay out-of-pocket. I also have a very old "excess indemnity policy" through the Florida Bar with a $25k rolling-3-year deductible - which I met in 2010. So that carrier is picking up my out-of-pocket costs now - and will until I go on Medicare later this year and drop the policy (benefits would expire 2 months after I go on Medicare - so no reason to keep the policy).

Even when you go on Medicare here - it is no great bargain (although it's a heck of a lot cheaper than what I'm paying at age 64). My husband is paying the normal Medicare premium (about $100) - plus about $200/month for really good Medigap and Part D policies. IOW - he's paying about $300/month. I will be paying about the same when I go on Medicare.

Note to OP - Mayo accepts traditional Medicare (not Medicare Advantage) patients - but does not "accept Medicare". So it can charge a Medicare patient 15% over normal Medicare reimbursement. There are some Medigap policies that cover this extra 15% - but they are the highest end Medigap policies. Also note that Medigap policies cost about 40% more in south Florida than they do in north Florida. Like I said - medical insurance is cheaper here in north Florida - but not cheap. Robyn

[vigo]

cece1955,

You might want to look into Del Webb at Ponte Vedra (formerly Riverwood by Del Webb) in Nocatee. It's a 55+ community with a really gorgeous new clubhouse. The new homes are in your price range and it's far enough from the coast to not be in a flood zone, I think.

My husband and I have been looking at possible places to move to from south Florida when we retire in a couple of years. We were impressed with Riverwood itself but not so much with Nocatee. It's just not developed enough yet so it still feels too remote. However, that's just my opinion -- there are lots of folks here on this forum who love Nocatee.

I can't say enough about the lovely homes at Riverwood, though, and the clubhouse is exquisite. We gave it serious consideration but just couldn't get past the weird feelings we got from Nocatee . You may feel differently so you should definitely give it a look.