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Originally Posted by rsdata
I have been in that Ft Meyers area in Jan and Feb... what a nightmare traffic situation most places anywhere near the coast around there... If I lived there I would certainly limit new high-density housing which a CG tends to be. For the past few years, I have typically visited in the late fall and traffic is heavy but at least somewhat reasonable.
The pleasure I have had going to FL in the winter months has, at least for me , been mitigated in the past 5 years due to increased traffic in many of the most desirable areas. That even includes the Destin area.
The wife and I stayed away last winter and now again this winter due to some health concerns... not saying that FL is un-healthy... just our personal situation made it so that staying home was the more conservative approach to our situation.
Currently I am looking forward to visiting Ft Meyer next October and then head up to the "Forgotten Coast" area where, as the name implies, congestion is not a big problem most anytime of the year. OOPS, maybe I should not have let that slip out... if you enjoy space and a slower pace.
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"Forgotten Coast" may be a misnomer. It is certainly not forgotten by Mother Nature. It seems like a storm magnet in hurricane season. Many years ago, our first trip to Florida was to the Forgotten Coast. It sold us on Florida for its beauty. But we did notice a lot of concrete pads and lack of buildings from the previous year hurricane. Initially, it was on our short list for a permanent move south. But that was far before retirement. In following years, the storms kept coming into that particular area and we wrote it off. Still a great place to visit if it is not recovering.
As for health concerns, there are two. The first is medical facilities in the areas you plan to visit. Most of Florida is not note for superior health care. Second, the Covid-19 case numbers are concentrated in the more metro areas. Much as the rest of the country. We are located in SW FL in Charlotte County. I would venture a guess that about 10 percent of people wear masks for protection. One store, no mask requirements, the business next door, masks required. Yet the Covid numbers are relatively low. We still wear protection in public.
When Covid-19 started to spread in Florida, we drove to Wisconsin where the county had only two reported cases. It's a fairly rural area. Two cases total for several months. Then came the tourist season and numbers rose. We remained safe there until the numbers started to flip. More cases in the north, fewer in our area of FL. Life is a gamble and Covid increases the odds, but we have to live our lives and enjoy it while we can.
As for FL traffic? It doubles with snowbirds. It can get pretty crazy in certain areas. There is a saying here, "it's not if you will have an accident, it's when." The permanent residents loath the snowbirds for their driving habits and added congestion. Never do they complain about the dollars in revenue generated or that there is no FL income tax because of the tourist trade. In reality, Florida license plates rank high in bad driving habits. They just have less room to play on the roads in season. The speed zone signs are merely decorations along the roadway. Eight to ten over is the acceptable. Anything over that, get out of my way, I'm comin' through and you will get the finger as I pass, thank you.
But again, that is country wide. We managed to keep the sheet metal straight in FL. When we were up north, traffic was negligible and driving was more pleasurable. Until a woman ran a stop sign and totaled our pristine vehicle. Go figure!
Enjoy your trip to Ft Myers and the Gulf Coast. I just heard that they are raising parking fees at the FM beaches. It's now $5/hr.
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