Looking for a 55+ neighborhood

[rfomd129]

There's a website called 55places.com that can help narrow your search. That's how we started and after visiting some communities we realized we actually didn't want another age restricted community. There's no substitution for actually going out and visiting different neighborhoods to figure out what's right for you.

[Sunshine Rules]

If you check out the 55places website, please keep in mind that about 90% of the communities listed for our area are NOT age restricted. They may lean more towards an older demographic, but they are not officially 55+ communities.

If someone is truly looking for a 55+ community, up until July 1st of this year all such communities were required to register with the Florida Commission on Human Relations. So you could go to the state site and look up the list of qualifying communities there. As of July 1st, communities are no longer required to register with the state. Those communities still have to comply the federal laws, but no longer register with the state.


If the original poster is leaning towards 55+ communities for the social activities, a number of area communities that are not age restricted still offer social activities through the community HOAs.

There are several 55+ communities of singe family homes in the Bradenton - Sarasota area, with homes ranging from those built in the 1960's all the way up to new construction such as Del Webb in Lakewood Ranch. Lot sizes will definitely be smaller and more narrow on the newer construction homes.

There is a 55+ community in Manatee county off of State Rd 64 just west of I-75 that is probably going to be the least expensive of the 55+ single family homes communities in our area -- River Isles.
https://www.riverislesfl.com/default.php

Knowing the budget the original poster is working with would definitely help as there is a huge difference in prices between mobile homes and single family homes.

[Demolitionman2]

My wife and I moved to Florida this past summer on a leap of faith and got into an HOA that was NOT 55 restricted. As it turns out, about 2/3 of the residents fit that criteria anyway. There are some younger families but everyone gets along so well. And there is a clubhouse, community pool, library, etc. that everyone shares. There are mobile homes in here and they range in age from 50 years old to maybe 5 years old. All are set up on permanent foundations and most with carports, lanais, work sheds and some with garages. About half have fenced in back yards, some with privacy fences (we can have a fence 6' high but no higher) and you can't fence in your front yard. Besides automobiles some people have golf carts, most have dogs and I have seen them in size from your little dust mop, to a German Shepherd or Golden Retriever. We don't pay lot rent, we own our homes and land and also have joint ownership in all of the common areas. The sad part is that we are not in the Sarasota area. My take-away...don't limit yourself to 55 HOAs and don't turn down mobile homes, at least on the short term.

[rfomd129]

^^^
Yes, the choices open up dramatically if you don't limit yourself to strictly 55+ and after having previously lived in a "55+" community, I like seeing younger people around.