either have to put in a 3-4 story elevator, or sell the place. plan to sell.

would like your choice/recommendation as to where to live in fl. want an urban area, good airport for tatl(1 stop ok), the best weather that is available(not too much over 90+ with 90% humidity) and not too much under 60. at least 300 days without rain. need to be close to a major high quality hospital(50miles max). would like a free standing one story house or ground floor on a low rise condo/coop. real,navigable waterfront would be nice. have no interest in golf ball or spectator sports. would like fine arts, and shows, and a number of tablecloth restaurants.

cost is not really an object. i'm 75, wife is 68 going on 45 and can afford all but front row palm beach and fisher island.

Consider Naples, been here for 28 years and based on your criteria, seems to fulfill most of them. Airport is Ft Myers

That said, I hope you are a Republican. If not and you are a Democrat, as I am (once was a Republican) you might be quite uncomfortable in Naples which is chock full of angry, old, white Republicans!

Worldspan

Tampa Bay might be somewhere to look. It's a big area but has TPA for an airport, museums and art stuff, waterfront, good hospitals, some nice restaurants, ect. Might specifically look at Dunedin or St Petersburg.

Another option might be Sarasota. It's about an hour south of Tampa so you can use TPA or RSW (ft myers). Good arts culture in Sarasota. Lots of nice waterfront and intercostal. More year round residents than in Naples.

So many options....speaking generally....

Tampa south to Marco Island for the Southwest coast, and Boca Raton south to Ft. Lauderdale on the Southeast coast....

For some reason your request feels like a "Ft. Lauderdale" kind of experience....

Another vote for Sarasota. You might also want to check out Longboat Key - nice barrier island linked to Sarasota by the Ringling Bridge. Many homes with boat docks. Some decent restaurants on the island - Euphemia Haye and Maison Blanche.

Coral springs/parkland could fit your bill along with boca raton.

Short hop to Mia and even closer to fll and pbi airports.

Keys are close by (key largo at least) and Naples is only but a couple hours across.

Lots to do around and weather is not horrible, though I'd prefer Cali weather.

I think St. Petersburg would fit the bill very nicely. TPA is 20-25 mins away from downtown St. Pete; a little longer if you are by the beaches.

http://downtownstpete.ilovetheburg.com/index.php

It can't be as bad as The Villages.

Don't know what you're looking for in culture but Miami has the New World Symphony, Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera, and the Arscht Center for the Performing Arts (touring groups).

Just came back from a 10 day visit to relatives and friends both in Broward and on the West coast near Naples-- (Bonita Springs). I mean, this time of year, the weather is fabulous. Low humidity, cloudless, almost no rain.

However, it's quite a culture shock, seems you are from a major metro area as am I. If you listen to talk and news on the radio, forget about it. West Coast particularly, just about zero. Local TV news is focused on traffic accidents and canal mishaps. The terrain is So Florida is FLAT, really flat! Takes some getting used to. Roads are W-I-D-E, and all grid patterns. No little downtowns. 99% strip malls. There are hardly any bends in the roads! All straight and flat, 90 degree turns. As I said, a big shock.

It seems like you will have difficulty finding interesting cultural activities in FL. Miami is said to have some culture, a wee bit in Ft Lauderdale. Uber-rich like to show off on the Intercoastal at FtLaud. It's a "my boat is bigger than your boat" scene. Lots of celebs own homes down there (I had no idea)

I love the warm weather in FL this time of year, but I don't think I could stand it down there for 12 months/year. Summers are said to be unbearable with the humidity and storms. Maybe Charleston or Savannah?

I wish i could move to florida i hate new york with a passion.I go to florida 4 times a year just so i wont kill myself with the new york boredom.

Yes, NYC is very boring. Just about nothing to do.

Good luck...

Sounds like you're into boating so I'd think a home on the intercoastal anywhere from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach would meet your requirements fairly well. The breeze down there tends to regulate the temperature better than on the Gulf side. There are countless hospitals and 3 major airports that can facilitate non-stop or one stop TATL flights. Fort Lauderdale affords proximity to the cultural epicenter that is Miami but is slightly less hectic/ fast paced in my opinion.

went to st pete last week. liked it. went to sarasota. did not like the place(too many tourists????) (too many old people!!!). the return flight took 38 hrs with overnight in charlotte.

do not understand why in st pete the mid sized house on the water are so expensive...3000-3500 sq ft are 6-800K, and the larger houses 8000-10000 sqft are so cheap 1-1.25mil. i want a big one. wife does not want live ins or staff. no 10K house for wife.

anyone know of cost of live ins or staff?

What on earth made your return flight take 38 hours?

I really like TPA. I can get from my car in economy parking and through security in under 30 minutes fairly regularly.

The mid-size houses are so expensive because, like anywhere else with high demand waterfront property, you're paying for the land. It's like in Ocean City, NJ, where a 15 year old beach front house goes for 1.6 million and a newly built one goes for 2 or 2.1 million.

I have no real experience with live-ins but a quick Google search indicates that the average housekeeper's salary is $10.71 an hour with live-ins earning slightly less because of the benefit of free rent.