If You Are Thinking of Moving to the Sarasota Area, DON'T!!!

[SRQperson]

Wow, I just logged in for the first time in a while and reread my post- literally nothing has changed for the better. It is actually just getting worse by the day. Here it is again since the latest replies seem to have gotten off topic:





If you are thinking of moving to Sarasota or any of the surrounding areas, READ THIS FIRST!

Yes, this used to be a very nice place to live; almost paradise. The fact of the matter is that it is now super-overcrowded (not just from snowbirds anymore) and what is making that even worse is two-fold: the quality of people moving to the area is lower and the constant building of new apartments and new communities for years to come is compounding the problems almost daily. I will break it all down for you below with indisputable facts:

Traffic:

Traffic had already been terrible for years, but in more recent years it has become intolerable. This is NOT a city like NYC, so nobody should be comparing it to NYC and saying "it's not that bad". In NYC, everything is closer together and you can walk to your destinations easily in many cases. Sarasota is not like that in any way, so driving a car to get to your destination is unavoidable in most cases. Not only can it take 15 minutes to drive a mile in a 35 mph zone, I have seen others on this site post 1.5 hours to go 5 miles in some areas!

Red Lights:
This is not an exaggeration; once you get one red light, you will get 90% of the next red lights if you do around the speed limit. I am not lying when I say that it really feels like they are purposely timed so that people get almost every light. Any current residents don't believe me? Pay attention on your next drive- the lights will literally turn red right before you get to them as if they were timed to. In fact, I can even point out several locations where if you get one red light, you are guaranteed to get the next red light every time- try turning left onto Bee Ridge Rd from Cattlemen Rd to go toward the ramp for 75- you will get that next light every time! And don't forget about the random red lights when there are literally no cars in the other lanes of the intersections- you will sit there for no reason while no other cars are anywhere around and/or the traffic opposite of you will get the green light plus green arrow even if no cars are turning, so you wait again for nothing. The counties are adding many roundabouts now which helps in some cases, but it seems that half the drivers are not savvy and stop anyway- which does not help the traffic much and also causes more accidents.

Quality of People/Crime:
It used to be such a nice area where everyone said hi to each other or were at least polite, but things have changed dramatically in recent times due to the influx of lower quality people- specifically more "thugs" are moving here on a regular basis, it seems. Here are 2 true examples of negative things that happened just this past week which are most definitely attributed to the things pointed out above: We live in a quiet community where there was never any police presence needed or known crime issues- but we were woken up to gunfire nearby at 3am last week. In another instance, normally people who are sitting at an intersection and not going when it is clear will go if you give them a polite horn honk, but the other day, I had to honk at someone not moving and they opened their car door and yelled profanities and almost seemed like they were going to get out and start a fight, as if I was the one being inconsiderate. These might not seem like a big deal to you if you are from a more "city" environment, but this is not how it used to be here and it is only getting worse. There is definitely more gun crime and violent crime in other areas than before, as well.

Not Enough Restaurants/Parking:
Again, this might seem trivial to people from bustling cities, but this is not a bustling city. There is almost always a wait time to get seated at any restaurant- and I am not talking 5-10 minutes; it is normally 30-120 minutes unless you are able to call ahead or join a wait-list, which not all places offer and you still have to wait once you check in at arrival. Then once you arrive, plan on driving around for 10 minutes waiting for a parking spot to open up. Any current residents don't agree? Go to the UTC area literally any day of the week for dinner. It's gotten so bad that unless we can make reservations, we try not to go out anymore. Not to mention that since the pandemic, worker shortages are super high, so many establishments cannot meet the demand of all the new customers.

Apartments/Close-Together Homes/Communal Restaurant Seating:
Do you want to buy a NEW home with almost no property? Would you like to live so close to your neighbors that they can look into your windows while you change? Do you enjoy sitting in a restaurant with other customers literally sitting on the same bench seat 2 feet away so you can hear every word they say and smell their stinky food? If you answered "Yes" to any or all of these questions, then Welcome to Sarasota! Not only are there an insane amount of apartments cramming as many people as possible into small spaces, but any new single-family home communities are putting houses so close together that you have no privacy. And then when you want to go out to eat and get away from everyone, you get to put up with crazy traffic, non-stop red lights and then get seated on communal benches in restaurants where you are literally eating inches away from perfect strangers. Or they even put you at a table with strangers! Don't believe me? Go to First Watch where they have a table that you would think is for large parties but they just put random people together. That is just one example. Again, this is NOT NYC and it should not be this way here.

Are these reasons not enough for you? How about red tide so bad that you can't even go to the beaches for big chunks of time each year? The cost of homes/apartments have gone up crazy high- good for homeowners, bad for new residents moving here! Hurricanes; humidity; mosquitos, no jobs... There really is no reason to consider this area any more.

One more thing: There are always people who post comments replying to posts like this saying "it's not that bad" or "then why don't you move if you don't like it?" DON'T listen to them- they are either part of the problem or have no idea. I will not be monitoring this post or responding to comments, so those people can hold their breath. All the things that I stated are indisputable facts, so no need to argue with anyone who wants to portray things otherwise, which would in fact be completely untrue.

[beach43ofus]

Traffic- much worse than it used to be 30 yrs ago, or even 5 yrs ago, but I moved here from Atlanta, so from my perspective, SRQ's a breeze. Locals know how to maneuver around most (not all) hot spots during season. I mostly avoid Siesta Key St. Armands, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Downtown SRQ, Tamiami Trail, & I-95, from Dec 1st to April 15th.

Red Lights- Agree 100%. The local authorities here purposely sequence most lights so its very hard to hit 2 Greens in a row. They do it to control traffic speed, w/o having to enforce speed limits. Its maddening...a massive waste of time & gasoline. Buy a Tesla Plaid, if you want to make 2 lights in a row.

Not enough restaurants- True, from December 1st-April 15th from 5pm-7pm. Best bet is to avoid these times, or dine only at places that take reservations. If you go to fast food, or 5-Star restaurants during season, you'll have better luck than anything mid-price.

Not enough parking- True in a few places, but not overall. Benderson strip centers are the worst. Somehow, (I think I know how but don't want to be sued) they get local gov'ts to waive the parking space requirements. The new Aldi in Venice is in a strip center that sorely lacks adequate parking. The Sprouts/Total Wine/Burlington off 41 in Palmer Ranch is just as bad. In the city of SRQ, paid parking is taking over (see St. Armands Circle). Parking Downtown is problematic. I've nixed the farmers market, & all festivals/events.

House's too close together - True. Tiny lots are nearly impossible to avoid if your price point is <$2M, & you want to live conveniently close to retail, in a newer home. Realtors, & I, know ways around this, but sacrafices must be made.

All the rest- mostly true, but I have not found mosquitos to be an issue.

Not mentiond above- I also try to book most auto services off-season, & all non-urgent medical...like Dental, check-ups, derm, labs, ect..

I still find Southern Sarasota County to be bearable, if you modify your lifestyle Dec 1 to April 15th. I've pretty much given up on the City of Sarasota, & the barrier Islands during season.

[beach43ofus]

With all the negative things we can say about the changes this forum area has had, & will continue to have....

...where else is better to escape bad weather up North from Dec 1st to April 15th?

So, there's the conundrum. Another country? Another state? Another place in Florida?

For most affluent retirees, work-from-homers, or mobile business owners (like myself), enduring cool wet Winters is in our past.

Until an obviously better place pops up, I'm staying here...10 months a year anyways. Mid-Summer, I'm in cooler climates.

Maybe I'll visit the city-versus-city forum to look for alternatives....but I dont care to live in any city...I'm an suburban dweller.

[StraightTalker2022]

The entire area has greatly changed. Obviously, The ones who don't see it are the new comers. A/K/A, "The Experts" These pickle-ballers found Florida on the map and now control the direction of the State. The latest shipment of cattle has once again elevated the levels of life down here (for the worse). Sure, market values for homes have increased , but who cares ? The "day to day" stresses that we experience nowadays, ie: congestion, parking woes, beach litter, ridiculously high insurance etc, were not in place at this elevated pace. THIS IS WHY IT WAS BETTER! Comparing this forum area to where you came from is not a valid argument the way "long timers " view it. I think we need see to the State of Florida under a different light. it's basically "Pre and Post" invasion. For decades, many Northerners relocated here and things remained relatively consistent. It's over the last 5 years, where everything has gone HAYWIRE. (To be read in the spirit of Budweiser Real Men of Genius commercials from 20 years ago) So....Today we salute you, Mr. Pickleball Champion. Only you can turn a perfectly built tennis court into 4 perfectly lined courts of fabricated victory. Where else can you create a bronze-tanned Champion Athlete warrior from a slothful, parka-coat-wearing freedom seeker?

[NSHL10]

Shecky your 1 man crusade has failed. There is no turning back. As long as the area is an improvement for someone who wants to come here, they will. The only thing that will stop migration to Florida is a huge hurricane.

[StraightTalker2022]

FYI there was a sighting in SRQ. These monkeys are getting around now , https://www.clickorlando.com/health/...ve-been-found/