Anyone live in the Sarasota, Florida area?

[LindaL]

I wanted to know about available horse farm properties, horse shows, etc. from those of you who live in the area as well as "future neighbors" who are forum members!

Oh...and the good, bad and ugly of living in that part of Florida....LOL!

 

[Jetiki]

There's a lot of shows within a 2 -3 hour drive of Sarasota. Lots of mini stuff to do down there. There is a lot of people on the Forum from the area I'm sure they'll get on here and give you exact details. I moved from that area in 2006

edited to add the ugly is its HOT and Humid and the mosquitoes are huge.

Karen

 

[Tam VanderWerf]

Linda, we moved from there in 2003. We had enough of the traffic, crime and cost of living. We had a 4-acre place near I-75 in Bradenton. At the time we left, the area was expanding faster than the infrastructure could accomodate. The crime rate was terrible. Unless you go pretty far east of Sarasota/Bradenton, you'll probably pay dearly for property.... if you can find any. Developers snap up any sizable piece of property and build either apartments or duplex on it.

There are a couple forum members in the area .... Barbie & also Brandy Mameo (Rainbow Ridge)... maybe they will come on here and add comments.

If we HAD to move back to Florida, we'd look for a place in the Ocala/Brooksville area, as it's a little slower paced.

For some additional information on the area, you can search the internet for the Bradenton Herald and the Sarasota Herald Tribune. The local TV station in Sarasota is WWSB - Channel 40.

You could always try TENNESSEE............

 

[Barbie]

Linda-

I live in Parrish. We're 2 hours from Ocala (looks like maybe 6 shows there this year) and 30 minutes from the place they have shows in Sarasota. There are a lot of mini people around here.

The area is definitely growing - it's definitely a buyers' market right now. We had our home and 5 acres with a 4 stall barn for sale for quite a while with no luck. Finally took it off the market as we don't want to totally give it away.

This is Manatee County, we border on Sarasota County. There are some good vets around. Donna Lavery of Winning Streak is coming down to do a lot of our horses feet.

I love our place, but really want to move to Tennessee near Tam. :modedit:

Let me know if you want to know anything else. Oh yeah, Brandy lives about 20 minutes east of my in Myakka City.

Barbie

 

[Endless]

We used to live in Punta Gorda Florida, within an hour of Sarasota and its a nice area. I to used to think the hot was the ugly part of Florida but now that I am in Canada I miss the hot ALOT!! There are quite a few mini people in Florida, all parts! Good luck to you!

 

[kimie28]

Hi Linda!

We do kinda have our place for sell here in Punta Gorda. In other words, it's not listed with a Realator but I post it on different forums and craigslist now and then. Also have it on my website if you want to check it out. For us, it's "well if it sells it sells, if it doesn't, that's ok too!" We love our place as we built it ourselves and there is still so much we would like to do to it. We are at the end of a private dead end road, nice and quiet. 4 miles to I-75 so about 20-40 minutes to Sarasota, depending on where in Sarasota you are going. Our kids are mostly grown and gone so no need for a 5 bedroom home any longer. We would prefer to get more property and less house....maybe even in KY or TN.

My husband and I are both Native Floridians so living day to day here is all we know. Yes, it does get very hot and humid, but only real bad for a few months. The winter and spring weather is perfect compared to the rest of the US. Bugs are also a real issues and not just outside!! But one advantage to building your own house is we sealed it so well, we very rarely see a bug inside. Florida does have lots of snakes around and then alligators can be a concern if you have any water nearby. Once in a while we find a baby gator in our pond but they usually move on and do not stick around. We keep the plant growth out of the pond and they prefer to have that.

Horse life in Florida is probably rough on them during summer. I do feel bad for them when the thunderstorms come which follow with the mosquitos. Lots of bug spray on them to keep them comfortable. AND pray you don't have one allergic to the bug bites!!! That's another long story!!! If I had my way, my barn would be enclosed with screen windows but that is just one of the things on the list that we have not done yet.

Anyway......if and when you move this way, you are welcome to come visit! I met Barbie here on the forum and hang out with her, Brandie and others when I do get to go to the shows! I might show next year......maybe

 

[Shari]

My Advice....

If you want to move to some place you have never been. Spend a week there first....say a min vacation.

A lot of times...is the best way to find out you really won't want to live in that area.

I have someone I know that was all set to move from the East coast to Oregon. For some reason, this person thought there were lots of jobs in Oregon. While I do love Oregon and would like to keep living here, it does have its draw backs specially now. Like No jobs! And I told this person so. If they did not have a firm job offer, coming over here right now, is not a good time.

One of my Aunts has moved to FL and I now have some cousins down their too. They like it but then, they don't have any animals.

 

[LindaL]

My Advice....
If you want to move to some place you have never been. Spend a week there first....say a min vacation.

A lot of times...is the best way to find out you really won't want to live in that area.

I have someone I know that was all set to move from the East coast to Oregon. For some reason, this person thought there were lots of jobs in Oregon. While I do love Oregon and would like to keep living here, it does have its draw backs specially now. Like No jobs! And I told this person so. If they did not have a firm job offer, coming over here right now, is not a good time.

One of my Aunts has moved to FL and I now have some cousins down their too. They like it but then, they don't have any animals.

Shari...Deb is from that area, so she knows it quite well. I was there last April (drove from Tampa, down to Venice (which is just south of Sarasota), then up to Brooksville/Spring Hill, then to Orlando, then back to Tampa....lol)...We are going back there in July (heat of summer), so I can see what that is like. Deb is a nurse, so jobs are always going to be available ...no matter where we live...and I am "unskilled" (meaning I can do anything like cashiering to light management) so I am sure jobs would be easy for me to get as well.

Thanks to everyone else, too, for your input on the area.... I am kind of worried about the crime down there (our friends post stuff that happens on Facebook), but...there is crime here, too...so I guess its the world we live in...

We want to stay kind of in the Sarasota area, even tho it is more "horsey" in the Brooksville area. Our friends are down there.

Like I said...we won't make any kind of a commitment to move at least 'til after our trip this summer, then won't even actually move until early 2011, so we have a ways to go before we do anything.

I think Oregon is the most beautiful state in the country...but I am tired of the rain, cold and snow. And, if/when we move...we can always visit anytime we want cuz my whole family is here!

 

[Marty]

They got skeeters down there the size of Buicks. One year a skeeter was dive bombing on our barn and it took 3 guys with oozies to shoot him down and then 10 guys for paul bearers to haul him off

Ok a little exaggeration there but those bugs down there will eat you alive if the red ants don't get you first.

Sarasota County is my home and I am so glad we left when we did. As far as horse shows, , speaking big horses, you can find one every weekend close by. The local shows are actually just as competitive as the breed shows and now I am being told many of the local shows have mini classes included, as well as "non-stock" etc. The price of hay will kill you and is insane and so is boarding costs. You'll go broke on bug spray alone. There is little pasture grass to speak of in that area, its all sand based; they will fight over the same blade of grass and pull it right up by the roots. During the day I would feed and turn out about 7:00 am and by 9:00 am they were tearing the gates down to get back inside under the fans. We rode a lot at night under lights in our arena. If the bugs don't get them the humidity will. In other words, in my opinon, its hard on a horse down there and I would never own one again if I had to live there.

As far as I know, there are no jobs down there anywhere. I've got people there with a college education who have been out of work for sometime and can barely get 20 hours working in a convenience store. It is a rat race, high cost living and high crime rate.

The good part is that if you love the beaches and the extreme heat and the ocean and swimming and sharks and manatees and all that goes with it, it's paradise. I miss the ocean and my old horsey crowd a lot but my bikini beach days are long over.

 

[bevann]

You are welcome to come to Delaware.No poisionous snakes, no predators for your Minis, no sales tax, low property taxes, lots of very good equine vets and farriers, lots of reasonable hay, lots of horse people of all breeds, 3 Mini shows every year at state fairgrounds in middle of state.The whole state is only 90 miles long and 40 miles wide so you can get through it quickly.Baltimore,MD Phila, PA and Wash DC only 2 hrs away for the culture and all that stuff and major airports.Lots of farmland and low crime rates in most areas.Reasonable Hispanic farm help.Weather is nice.We don't get really severe anything and get change of seasons.Just the tail ends of hurricanes and blizzards once in a while.Lots of properties for sale.Jobs are somewhat scarce depending on what you do.Always jobs in health care.Come on to Delaware I will help you in any way I can.Beautiful Atlantic Ocean and beaches not too far from me.Very active DELMARVA MINIATURE HORSE CLUB in this area.

 

[kimie28]

Yep, I totally agree with Marty as we are 30 minutes south of Sarasota. I feel really bad for the horses here come summer but I feel really bad for the horses up north in the winter too! I think every area has it good points and then their bad points. My husband and I are both Florida Natives so living here is all we know. BUT we would love to move to KY or TN as we want a change and are sick of the summer heat and BUGS! When we visit in other areas of the country, we just love it as it is soooo different PLUS my hair does so much better without the humitdity for sure, LOL!!!!!

Job wise.....BAD! Unless you are in the healthcare field as there are many Dr's around for the retirees. Construction or what you called "unskilled" jobs are few and far between and when there is an opening, they have 100 plus applicants to choose from now a days! I am not exagerating either......but maybe by 2011 things will get better here and for the whole country!

 

[rcfarm]

Hi

I was born and raised in Florida YES a Cracker! If I had a choice I would move to Tenn. or Kentucky, even N Ga. .

So tired of the heat in summer, and the bugs. As I get older it only gets worse LOL.

Not in cards for us for a few years yet.

As for property good deals abound , sad but true. With this enconomy a lot of forclosures. Example: 5 yrs ago prpoerty 5 acre plots sold for 200,000. now you can by a 3/2 home on 5 acres for 180,000.

Jobs are tough in our county, only medical is hiring.

We live on the east coast, so not sure how the west coast is faring for jobs and homes.

Good luck!