[beach43ofus]

July, August, September would be mostly families after the schools let out for Summer vacation.

The Panhandle and Disney gets most of them I'd guess....unless the Grandparents have a place elsewhere in FLA.

I've read that International travelers have returned lately too...Canadians, & Europeans...big spenders who stay longer, so they're coveted by the tourism industry.

Probably a post covid bounce to some extent. We'll have to see if it sustains into Q4 after the students return to school, & the snowbirds return. I wonder how the snowbirds get counted? They are not renting cars or hotel rooms, or visiting attractions as much.

[beach43ofus]

Those 35M visitor's don't care about our "low ACT scores", "skyrocketing homeowners insurance", "rising property taxes", or "collapsing home prices"

All the negativism we see here in this forum is meaningless to those tourists & snowbirds.

They just keep coming in larger numbers...despite the negative nellies here saying that the sky is falling

More tourists, more snowbirds, more residents, & more happy people.

Florida is THE place to be, no matter how pessimists try to spin it.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

July, August, September would be mostly families after the schools let out for Summer vacation.

The Panhandle and Disney gets most of them I'd guess....unless the Grandparents have a place elsewhere in FLA.

I've read that International travelers have returned lately too...Canadians, & Europeans...big spenders who stay longer, so they're coveted by the tourism industry.

Probably a post covid bounce to some extent. We'll have to see if it sustains into Q4 after the students return to school, & the snowbirds return. I wonder how the snowbirds get counted? They are not renting cars or hotel rooms, or visiting attractions as much.

This summer was terrible for tourist in my area and businesses. No Ft. Myers Beach, no Sanibel. Probably great further up the coast for you though! Probably better than last year because some of those visitors booked for your area instead of my area of FL due to Ian.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

This summer was terrible for tourist in my area and businesses. No Ft. Myers Beach, no Sanibel. Probably great further up the coast for you though! Probably better than last year because some of those visitors booked for your area instead of my area of FL due to Ian.

Our Son, who had recently graduated from college, came down to Ft. Myers Beach in April w/ 5 of his pals for a week, because they found a nice large home on stilts that survived the storm, & it was renting really cheap.

When they arrived, they got to see why it was renting out so cheap....it was in the center of a destroyed area...they were shocked at all the storm damage all around the home, which was walking distance to the beach.

The newer homes on stilts were fine, but the older homes were washed off their foundations, and were strewn about.

They still had fun on the beach, & going out to the restaurant/bar that was open under a huge tiki hut roof.

We all felt good about them spending money there to help the locals recover. We all got to see what a powerful 'cane can do to a coastal area. I've never seen a war zone, but I'm guessing that is what a war zone would look like.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Our Son, who had recently graduated from college, came down to Ft. Myers Beach in April w/ 5 of his pals for a week, because they found a nice large home on stilts that survived the storm, & it was renting really cheap.

When they arrived, they got to see why it was renting out so cheap....it was in the center of a destroyed area...they were shocked at all the storm damage all around the home, which was walking distance to the beach.

The newer homes on stilts were fine, but the older homes were washed off their foundations, and were strewn about.

They still had fun on the beach, & going out to the restaurant/bar that was open under a huge tiki hut roof.

We all felt good about them spending money there to help the locals recover. We all got to see what a powerful 'cane can do to a coastal area. I've never seen a war zone, but I'm guessing that is what a war zone would look like.

Late June is the last time I visited Ft. Myers Beach. Not much to see. Sanibel they had the streets cleaned up better and a few businesses were open! However, it was still pretty freaky. I visited the beach for a bit and literally no one on the beaches! The condos/apartments and hotels along the beach were vacant still and some overgrown with grass and fenced off and being repaired and not a single person in them.

Actually it was very peaceful. Hardly any noise.

The mansions that will elevated on Sanibel did better. However they got the peak winds there. Some of the hotels and also the 3rd story floors of houses and hotels and condos had catastrophic failure. I mean the trusses exposed and walls collapsed from the wind. Severe structure failure from wind.

It's going to be years before that area recovers assuming we don't get another major hurricane. Another major next summer will once again set it back years.

Many of those structures built on Ft. Myers Beach were built in the mid 60s to pre Andrew. Same with Sanibel. On Sanibel you could tell the older structures like 1960s thru 1980s vs newer.

Same way here in Charlotte County. The older homes in Englewood I saw severe structural damage. Charley's eyewall narrowly missed Englewood so those houses were not destroyed and rebuilt from Charley. Hence why all the damage from Ian.

You're right in another post about not building close to the ocean due to natural shifting of the coast. I can't see why anyone would want to live feet from the water. In addition to all the sand and saltwater blowing around. Gotta being annoying sweeping sand up.

[hindsight2020]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Florida is THE place to be, no matter how pessimists try to spin it.

Place to visit you mean... by your supporting arguments' own admission. Visit vs Live....not a distinction without difference in the least.

But y'all choice-supportive bias types never cared much for self-reflection; this place has long been a chamber of commerce booster club anyways.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by hindsight2020

Place to visit you mean... by your supporting arguments' own admission. Visit vs Live....not a distinction without difference in the least.

But y'all choice-supportive bias types never cared much for self-reflection; this place has long been a chamber of commerce booster club anyways.

It is "the place to be" for visitors, snowbirds, affluent retirees, business owners, professionals, millionaires & billionaires too.

If you are poor, uneducated, or live paycheck to paycheck, there are 29 less costly states to live in:

https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series