Wifey and I made good friends on a cruise with a couple from Tampa area (St. Petes Beach). They were here just a few months ago. The loved it here and would move except for the finances and family ties. They are sick of the every year hurricanes and the year around heat. In one hurricane, their boat got some damage. In another, their house got some damage. And recently they said they have water shortage /rationing.
To me, heat and humidity alone is a big No Go in Florida. A fellow cruiser from Miami once said 'It is like a warm, wet blanket over you all year around!'. YUCK!
I mean south St pete sucks, and many of the nice suburbs are now looks like ghetto areas, hurricans damage the house, insurance will screw you over it, and owner gets mad and move in land or move out of state, that's what's happening in Florida. I am not worrie about hurricanes anymore as I am in more central Tampa, and live in 1st floor apartment but if you are living in a Flood zone then you are pretty much screwed.
A ex-coworker of mine, she is from Canada, her bf American. Her Bf had a house in St pete which got flooded in Hurricane Ian back in 2022, my first experience of hurricanes, and insurance company screw them over so bad, they stacked up 10k bill for airbnb and hotels, after they finally manage to fix their home, they sell it in half a million or more, move to Clemson SC, got a nice 3 bed 3 bathroom house, with 2 acre land, and beautiful access to Lakehartwell, i visited their home back in 2024 and its country country and very republican, their only complain was people are racists there, but there is a good distance between homes so it doesn't matter.
I would not live too country in SC, but Greenville or Lexington/Irmo is definitely 2 other place i will pick within SC. My issue with Florida is not heat, but its super expensive when it comes to homes or rent, secondly the bugs and gators, and snakes and spiders and God knows what else lurks in the swamps. Plus i wanna move to a area which is more green, mountainy, and if i can get something with backyard with pond or lake or river or creek, man that will be a dream come true.
