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Smart Birds Fly South for the Winter!
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Appeared in premier issue of Snowbirds Gulf Coast Magazine, December, 2006:
-- Linda Coiro
Happy landing to all the snowbirds who’ve flown south for another spectacular winter on the EmeraldCoast. With a couple of Snowbird flockings already under our wings, the anticipation builds as we await the arrival of the rest of our fine feathered friends in January.
Empty nesters come to our region for a variety of reasons. Mostly it’s to get away from the cold and snowy winters up north. Some have landed here by chance and some have come on the recommendation of friends and family. Some of you have researched the entire state of Floridabefore choosing our white sand beaches, outlet shopping, early-bird dining specials, golfing packages and proximity to the casinos a little further west. It is no wonder that this is truly a perch in paradise for all of us fortunate to have found it.
Whether you’re just visiting for the winter or the rest of your life, housing is the biggest issue. Fortunate snowbirds who purchased a nest early on in the Panhandle’s development are lucky enough to enjoy a home or condo possibly all paid for. Some may have been lucky enough to sell that property at a profit within the past two years and moved on to something better. And still others prefer the rental route, returning year after year to the same complex for the familiarity and comradirie of life-long friends who have become more like family than mere acquaintances.
Today’s housing market is very confusing. Whereas two years ago we were in a complete seller’s market, with more buyers than available properties, and prices skyrocketing because of it, we are now in a buyer’s market, meaning there are more homes sitting on the market than there are buyers. With so much available inventory, prices are sliding down like skiers on a slope, and bargains await in the ski lodge at the bottom. Now is the time to buy if you want to pick up that snowbird cottage, or balcony view of the gulf from a condo on the beach. There are incredible deals on smaller homes with very low yard maintenance. Many of today’s sellers are experiencing the stress of owning two homes, one of which is for sale and currently vacant causing double mortgages and withdrawals of life savings in order to keep up with the bills. They are fishing for buyers and once they have one on the line, they’ll do whatever they can to reel that fish in and onto the boat. With interest rates as low as they are, more and more snowbirds are finding that owning a property here can be a viable alternative to renting. It could mean that you spend more time enjoying retirement and come and go as you please. It could mean rental income if you choose to rent it out during our high peak summer months. It could mean family reunions any time of year.
It could mean your children and grandchildren enjoying the sunshine, the beach or the pool or a day on a fishing charter catching marlin whenever they feel the urge.
Like the stock market, buy when the price is low.
Then ride out the wave and remember that along with baseball and apple pie, owning real estate is still the all-American dream.
Linda Coiro Snowbird Destin Mayor Craig Kelly Klein
Pres. Barker
Destin Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at the Community Center, Dec, 2006.
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"TOGETHERING" is a cozy affair!
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Appeared in second issue of Snowbirds Gulf Coast magazine, January, 2007:
-- Linda Coiro
”Remember the good old days.” Is that saying just a cliche or is it a reminder of when life was simple and everybody paid with cash? When families lived together or at least nearby? A time before job relocations and jet planes put miles of space and states between loved ones.
Technology today has enabled us to bridge that gap.  Cell phones and computers, if we’re savvy enough to understand how they work, help keep families connected. Even though technology has become part of every day life, it can’t take the place of the smell of grandma’s gooey chocolate brownies baking in the oven. And it can’t take the place of catching catfish off the dock with grandpa. I can still feel grandma squeezing my cheek when we arrived at her house for Sunday dinner. Friends and family just walked right in, no need to knock, all the family lived in the same neighborhood – we were personal back then, touchy-feely back then.
It seems the older we get, the more impersonal our lives become but yet somewhere in the echoes of our minds, we all miss that family bonding.
Empty-nesters are determined to live life to the fullest. Retired and not having to answer to the boss man, they take to the road, in Caddys, in RVs, in the shiny new vehicles they’ve always dreamed of enjoying. Waving bye-bye at Sue and Jeff and their dribbly baby granddaughter, Nanny and PopPop pass billboard after billboard advertising pecans, and oranges and finally the “Welcome to Florida” sign has them sighing, “another winter in paradise!
Let’s unpack and head over to Golden Corral!”
Nanny and PopPop always rent this one particular unit – the one with the bunks for the grandkids. It never fails, if you have extra beds, they will come! From all corners of the globe, even the distant relatives come out of the woodwork for free room and board in the Panhandle! Who wouldn’t want to visit the most beautiful beaches on earth? So the reunion is planned, phone calls are made and the date set.
Togethering can be a very cozy affair! 
This year, Nanny and PopPop and the kids took the plunge and decided to buy that 2 bedroom unit with the bunk beds. After all, the kids loved it. And best of all, they don’t have to squeeze all their retirement time into a few short months! They drive over whenever the mood suits them; they especially like spring, when the flowers start to bloom and they can walk the beach and wiggle their toes in the beautiful white sand. Jeff and Sue and the kids will drive over in July and cool off in the pool. And in between, it will be rented out so the family will have a positive cash flow for the time’s they’re back up north. Togethering … now these are the good old days that memories are made of.
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Appeared in third issue of Snowbirds Gulf Coast Magazine, February, 2007
-- Linda Coiro
A snowbird’s life in paradise is a short but sweet worthwhile taste of living well. It’s also a wonderful way to enjoy warm and welcoming weather for a few chilly months out of the year. But it seems just like yesterday that the celebratory welcoming parties began and now we’re already bidding a fond farewell to all our old and new friends. It’s not a sad parting, but instead one of new friends made, good times shared and fond memories to last a lifetime. We leave with hugs and kisses and promises to meet here again same time next year.
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The EmeraldCoast is certainly a come-back-to haven for all who visit. White sand beaches and crystal blue waters…. how can this place possibly be topped? And my mom and dad thought Orlando was the cat’s pajamas! The land of the mouse doesn’t come close! Boy am I glad to have discovered that they were wrong and that what we have here truly heaven on earth.
Being a local homeowner, I can’t imagine where I’d want to be when the AARP card comes in the mail. I’ll be all ready for snowbird season because I love just being here anyway! Maybe I’d just rent a condo on the beach for a little while so I can wake up and watch the seagulls and herons from my balcony. Or maybe I’d be happy with a pool view and daily morning swims. Or a round of tennis or golf at one of our many prestigious courts and courses.
Not to mention all the great discounts at local restaurants and establishments…. Proof that snowbirds aren’t a dying breed and add greatly to the community even for the short time that they are here.
My good friends Arthur and Margaret know this all too well. For them, their retirement dream is their second home in the heart of Destin. Whereas some prefer to rent, Art and Margaret are proud to be homeowners here, even for a short while.
They know that if they want to visit, their own home is available to them at any time – without having to make reservations or praying that there was available room the week they wanted to come.
But for now, the time has come to go back to reality and the family up north (or west or east for that matter!). To share photos of magnificent sunsets on the beach and new friends made. To uncork a bottle of local wine and hang the new hammock in the yard. To be able to say ”There’s no place like home” and be lucky enough to have two!
Happiness and health to you and yours till we meet again!
 Bye bye!
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Snowbirds and the Economy
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Snowbirds love Florida -- but not rising costs, traffic
Amy L. Edwards | OrlandoSentinel 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 LakeWales 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."
PolkCountyEMS 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 PolkCounty. "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 CypressGardensAdventurePark, 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 CypressGardens 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." |
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