Snowbirds love Florida -- but not rising costs, traffic
Amy L. Edwards | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted December 24, 2006 They bypass blizzards, avoid hurricane season and enjoy what seems like a never-ending, comfortable summer. They have uninterrupted days on the golf course, plenty of sunshine at poolside and can travel at will. And to top it all off, they are retired.
This is the life of a snowbird, formally known as a seasonal resident, and Florida is their top destination.
Each winter, hundreds of thousands of retirees leave their Northern homes and flock to Florida. An estimated 818,000 people age 55 or older came into the state for the peak of the 2005 winter season, according to a University of Florida study.
And many of Florida's snowbirds are making the move permanent.
Of people age 55 or older who moved permanently to Florida from 2000 to 2003, nearly 25 percent said they lived part of the year in the state before making the move, the study found.
Additionally, 30 percent of snowbirds said it was likely they will move to the state permanently in the future.
That's a move that Marguerite Marion said she could see making when travel from her home in New York to Lake Wales each year gets to be too much.
"I can't stand the cold and the snow anymore," said Marion, who, with husband Roger, lives in the Towerwood community about eight months a year.
Marion, 71, said she feels better when she is in Florida.
"Your attitude is different. When you can walk to the window and see the sunshine . . . it makes a difference," Marion said. "The sun is definitely a big draw down here."
Florida has competition
At the same time, other states are competing with Florida for the affections of snowbirds and retirees, said Mary Lu Abbott, editor of Where to Retire magazine.
Georgia and the Carolinas are gaining in popularity because they offer four seasons but don't have the harsh winters of Northern states.
Some retirees are turned off by the congestion and growth in parts of Florida, she said.
Others can't afford to live here anymore, said Gerry Brissenden, president of the Canadian Snowbird Association. Rising property taxes and homeowner-insurance premiums are squeezing some retirees out of the state.
"A lot of Canadians . . . are selling their properties and looking to Texas and Arizona as other places to go," Brissenden said. "If you own property down here, you certainly want to insure it. When you can't insure it, you look and say, 'Do I want to be here?' "
Though other states may be gaining in popularity, Florida still has more snowbirds than any other state, the UF study found. Texas has an estimated 300,000 snowbirds and Arizona about 273,000.
The number of snowbirds and seasonal elderly residents is likely to increase in the coming decades as baby boomers age and incomes grow, the study projected. "Florida has a long tradition of welcoming its most famous part-time residents, our snowbirds, with open arms," said Gov. Jeb Bush in response to a query from the Sentinel. "We are working to keep this relationship strong, and look forward to welcoming generations to come."
While many are already here, Florida's snowbird population will begin to peak next month -- 80 percent of snowbirds surveyed reported being in the state from January to March. 'Best of both worlds'
Ask snowbirds why they come to Florida, and you'll likely get the same answer: the weather.
"I think we have the best of both worlds when it comes to weather," said Marge Tackmann, a 69-year-old Michigan resident who, along with husband Jim, calls Four Corners home during the winter. "We love it," she said. "Every so often we have to pinch ourselves."
Eighty-three percent of snowbirds surveyed for the UF study said they come to Florida because of the warm winters.
Snowbirds love Florida, but not all Floridians share the same affection toward the seasonal residents. Roads are more congested, restaurants crowded, and certain public services -- such as calls for emergency-medical service -- are more taxed when snowbirds are in town.
Auburndale resident and Florida native Debbie Smith said snowbirds' driving is what irks her.
"They're too slow," she said. "They just don't know how to drive."
Polk County EMS reported an 8 percent decrease in the number of calls it received from April to June 2005 compared with January through March.
Harvey Craven, Polk's interim EMS director, said paramedics and emergency-medical technicians know winter means a higher call load.
"We know it's coming," he said. "It's something we adjust to."
Boon for businesses
Though they may add more cars to the road and demand government services, snowbirds contend they pay their fair share in property, sales and gas taxes.
"We do spend a lot of money down here," said Brissenden of the snowbird association.
Brissenden said he knows "a lot of people down here complain" about the snowbirds, but he says the snowbirds and tourism help keep Florida from having more taxes.
"If we didn't come down here, we wouldn't have those roads and those restaurants," he said.
Business people certainly appreciate seasonal residents.
"Snowbirds are our customer base," said Debbie Brozio, who, along with her family, runs Taste of Florida restaurant in east Polk County. "Eighty to 85 percent of everyone who walks through that door is 55-plus. A majority of those are snowbirds." The restaurant, known for its grapefruit pie and strawberry shortcake, is only open October through May -- when snowbirds are in town, Brozio said.
Kent Buescher, owner of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, said seniors make up about 55 percent of his park's visitors during the winter but only 15 percent to 20 percent during the summer.
The musical lineup at Cypress Gardens is one example of how businesses cater to snowbirds: Concerts range from Willie Nelson and "Frank, Sammy and Dean -- A Rat Pack Tribute" in the spring to Christian-rock band Third Day in the summer.
Though no state tourism organization or area business group could put a dollar amount on the impact snowbirds have, officials at various agencies agreed they are crucial to Central Florida's economy.
"A significant portion of our tourism revenue is coming from snowbirds," said Mark Jackson, director of Central Florida Tourism and Sports Marketing.
Winter residents also help the short-term-rental market, which has a strong presence in Four Corners, said Sara Moore, spokeswoman for the Central Florida Property Managers Association.
"Smaller properties [condos and town homes] tend to have higher occupancy and longer rentals during the winter," Moore said. "This is due in part to snowbirds taking advantage of a rental home away from home, either by staying in their own property or renting through a management company."
Abbott agreed retirees have positive economic and social impacts on a community.
"First, most of those who relocate from other states are bringing a nest egg: pensions and money gained from selling a home. They're looking to reinvest in a home at their new town," she said.
"Second, they are bringing talent and energy. Many who retire and relocate to a new state are active retirees who want to get involved and contribute to the community. They now have time -- and money -- and many want to give back to society, to make a difference." |