NEW FLORIDA RESIDENT BLOG

Welcome to the Suncoast. New arrivals will often think of the beach as the best county/state parks.  They ARE great, but there are also a few lesser known places that are worth checking out.  Longboat Key has an out of the way attraction and the Ufer Family park is always a big draw.  Our family has a place we call 'our park' because, we are invariably alone when we go there.  Shocking, because it is fun open space and has a great view. Of the ocean. That's right, it's not a beach but, is ocean front and is one of the only places you can play monkey in the middle on the grass or, wade into the gulf to search for hermit crabs.  It's a shame it's not more crowded, it almost makes me want to share it's exact location. Almost.     Rocky, staring out to sea... My Website

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Welcome to Florida. As a non retiree I am often asked to serve on boards or be involved somehow in my neighborhood.  In fact, this past year I have (through some misunderstanding) been elevated to our master community's board of governors.  Which is more work, but fine because I avoided the Pepper Tree committee.  Long story short: Pepper Trees are not native to Florida and behave like weeds here.  They must be dealt with or they take over and kill all other trees and shrubs in any given neighborhood.  It's no fun to deal with them and lots of extra work that no one likes to do, and I was smart enough to get out of it. Or, so I thought. There is an even worse invasive species now in the state and a few of us have been asked to deal with them.  Similar to Pepper Trees, they are not native to Florida, try to take over entire communities and are resilient to almost anything.  That's right, I'm talking about pickle ball players. They seem rather in...

Welcome to Siesta Key. Those of us that live on the Suncoast visit Siesta Key Beach regularly.  As a family, I like Nokomis Beach, my favorite beach to have an adult beverage at, is Lido (Ritz Tiki Bar) and the Venice Dog Beach is always a whoot.  But, whenever visitors come to town they want "the Siesta Experience".  And we get lots of visitors. So this past week, we went to Siesta at 2PM on a Sunday and braced ourselves for the crowds.  Don't get me wrong, the main parking lot was over flowing, the beach was wall to wall visitors and it took forever to get over the bridge - but it wasn't crowded.  I guess the beach is so huge that it can really accommodate thousands.  So please don't let the "too crowded" folks scare you off.  If it's your first trip, or your annual vacation, put Siesta on your list.   2:35PM Sunday, 75 Degrees, Mostly Sunny Our Website