Where to live?

[Clivepc]

Hello out there!
This is a very general request for information aimed at those folks who either live on or close to the southern part of the ICWW or have experience traveling and staying there.
We currently live in AZ, having just moved there from the Pac NW. We are inland sailors with limited offshore and larger motor vessel experience.
We intend to purchase a trailer trawler to do some exploring over the next 4-5 years, (R29/CW30) then eventually purchase a larger yacht, say 42-55 ft, that we will keep somewhere on the southern ICWW, or close to, which will be our liveaboard second home. We aim to explore the ICWW, Bahamas, and hopefully do the loop.
(Being a practical guy, and cheap, I’m hoping for a nice older vessel with good running gear and bones that we can refit ourselves. We are home designers and builders and I see great opportunity in some of these older boats)
Anyway, back to the requested information.
We would like advice on where to look for areas that might suit us, and our boat/home, requirements, when the time comes. We understand that what suits one person might not suite others, so here is a basic list or what WE would prefer.
1: We are not wealthy people, so will be looking for decent facilities with reasonable monthly fees, not ritzy.
2: We would like an area where there is chance to be part of a community of likeminded folks.
(Also not done with sailing yet)
3: We would like somewhere warm/er in the winter, and we prefer, quieter towns, so not Miami for instance.
4: Don’t mind being inland a ways, as long as it’s not too far to the coast.
Lastly, we feel generally safer in the continental U.S. but would certainly consider slightly farther out if there was a good expat community and facilities, although Hurricanes are a factor having been in one.
Heard great things about the Sarasota area, SC, Keys..
We realize we are talking about a large area, but we are sure there must be a wealth of knowledge out there on great areas to live and store a vessel. (Maybe there are other forums you could suggest?)
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Many thanks Clive (The Bolton Wanderer) and Monica Culpan.

 

[Adopo]

Right now we are loving St Pete! Very vibrant active city. Airplanes landing, poker runs, sail boats, in fact all types of boating and great restaurants, parks and beaches. Just took these pictures of an unfolding poker run. I heard you say sailors, just a note if you continue sailing, there are a ton of sail boats here because the bay is wide open, and no bridges to worry about. Not a sailor here, but will be learning soon.

 

[FF]

For best sleeping a Hurrican Hole , inland 50-75 miles from either coats would seemideal for a trailerable boat.

Where we are its about 55 miles to Ft Myers , a long long day at 5-7K with locks and bridges in the river.

On a trailer at normal speed it would only be an hour and a half to be launched and underway.

And remember Florida only begins south of lake O , the rest is south Alabama or Georgia.

 

[IronZebra]

Hello, We are inlanders also. Currently, live in New Mexico. So we are neighbors.

We have retirement coming up in the next year and looked at Florida, Alabama, Mississippi for coastal possibilities. Also, looked at Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee for freshwater with Gulf access possibilities. I will have retired military, retired federal, and 401k and none of those three sources of income are taxed by any of these 4 states.

Looking on the coast we found we liked the area from Gulfport, MS to Pensacola, FL. They had reasonably priced real estate and marinas. Also, liked their proximity for being able to shop at military bases. For some unknown reason, I seemed to find a particular fondness for Milton, Fl.

BUT, We decided to go further inland and picked the Pickwick Lake area. We bought a house in Counce, TN that is walking distance to the lake and less than a mile from Aqua Harbor Marina. The house is rented Air BNB style for now and pays for itself. There are lots of various marinas that range from high end to local flavor. Great river and lake cruising. Aqua Harbor has a pool, small gym, tennis courts. It is obviously inland quite a bit. However, we are right where the Tenn-Tom waterway starts and if want to do any extended cruising can be in the gulf in a few days.

 

[ranger58sb]

Clive, you could maybe start with a copy of the Waterway Guide... and have a look (on paper) at the various cities/towns along the ICW... see where maybe rings your chimes. And then there are several other cruising guides that cover the ICW, more info available in each.

Almost any of the stops along the way might be interesting to you. We could make an arguments for (Little) Washington, New Bern, maybe Oriental, Wrightsville Beach (Wilmington), Southport, Beaufort (either one), Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Charleston, Savannah... et cetera... or even several places on the Chesapeake (although not as warm in winter)...

But you'd have to pick whatever floats your own boat...

-Chris

 

[denverd0n]

On the east coast of Florida, once you get north of Jupiter the prices start to go down pretty quickly. Once you get north of Cape Canaveral, the probability of getting hit by a hurricane also goes down noticeably (at least until you get to about Savannah). My wife and I, for ourselves, chose the Tampa Bay area. Beautiful beaches, great boating, plenty to see and do, but without the cost, or all of the crowds and hassles, of Miami/Ft Lauderdale. A little harder to get over to the Bahamas from here, but still not too onerous.

 

[Clivepc]

Right now we are loving St Pete! Very vibrant active city. Airplanes landing, poker runs, sail boats, in fact all types of boating and great restaurants, parks and beaches. Just took these pictures of an unfolding poker run. I heard you say sailors, just a note if you continue sailing, there are a ton of sail boats here because the bay is wide open, and no bridges to worry about. Not a sailor here, but will be learning soon.

Adopo, thanks for the reply, photos look great! Even though I am an Englishman I actually had an old Aunt that lived in St Pete. Sadly I only met her once in rainy England and didn't get chance to visit her. I'll put it on the radar! How are slip prices? Drydock rates? Any pointers for good slip areas?
Love your boat.. A labor of love. When I'm in the area we can have a sail together!
Cheers, Clive, The Bolton Wanderer.

 

[Clivepc]

Right now we are loving St Pete! Very vibrant active city. Airplanes landing, poker runs, sail boats, in fact all types of boating and great restaurants, parks and beaches. Just took these pictures of an unfolding poker run. I heard you say sailors, just a note if you continue sailing, there are a ton of sail boats here because the bay is wide open, and no bridges to worry about. Not a sailor here, but will be learning soon.

Ooops! I thought i saw your boat age as 1959! Sorry. I bet the comment about labor of love sounded odd! LOL. Sorry.

 

[Clivepc]

For best sleeping a Hurrican Hole , inland 50-75 miles from either coats would seemideal for a trailerable boat.

Where we are its about 55 miles to Ft Myers , a long long day at 5-7K with locks and bridges in the river.

On a trailer at normal speed it would only be an hour and a half to be launched and underway.

And remember Florida only begins south of lake O , the rest is south Alabama or Georgia.

FF Thanks for this. So where are you exactly? What are local rates for slips and drydock like? Thanks for the info on where Florida actually is! Duly noted Cap.

 

[Clivepc]

Hello, We are inlanders also. Currently, live in New Mexico. So we are neighbors.

We have retirement coming up in the next year and looked at Florida, Alabama, Mississippi for coastal possibilities. Also, looked at Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee for freshwater with Gulf access possibilities. I will have retired military, retired federal, and 401k and none of those three sources of income are taxed by any of these 4 states.

Looking on the coast we found we liked the area from Gulfport, MS to Pensacola, FL. They had reasonably priced real estate and marinas. Also, liked their proximity for being able to shop at military bases. For some unknown reason, I seemed to find a particular fondness for Milton, Fl.

BUT, We decided to go further inland and picked the Pickwick Lake area. We bought a house in Counce, TN that is walking distance to the lake and less than a mile from Aqua Harbor Marina. The house is rented Air BNB style for now and pays for itself. There are lots of various marinas that range from high end to local flavor. Great river and lake cruising. Aqua Harbor has a pool, small gym, tennis courts. It is obviously inland quite a bit. However, we are right where the Tenn-Tom waterway starts and if want to do any extended cruising can be in the gulf in a few days.

Cheers Iron Zebra, we'll check those areas out. As we'll likely be there mostly in the Winter, I'll want it to be warm so we may need to be farther south. Cheers! TBW

 

[Clivepc]

Clive, you could maybe start with a copy of the Waterway Guide... and have a look (on paper) at the various cities/towns along the ICW... see where maybe rings your chimes. And then there are several other cruising guides that cover the ICW, more info available in each.

Almost any of the stops along the way might be interesting to you. We could make an arguments for (Little) Washington, New Bern, maybe Oriental, Wrightsville Beach (Wilmington), Southport, Beaufort (either one), Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Charleston, Savannah... et cetera... or even several places on the Chesapeake (although not as warm in winter)...

But you'd have to pick whatever floats your own boat...

-Chris

Thanks' Ranger, sound advice. I was watching the adventures of Oloh on you tube last night and they stopped at Oriental, looked very nice. I'll grab a copy of the guide. Spent any time in the Sarasota Naples area?
Cheers TBW.

 

[Clivepc]

Thanks' Ranger, sound advice. I was watching the adventures of Oloh on you tube last night and they stopped at Oriental, looked very nice. I'll grab a copy of the guide. Spent any time in the Sarasota Naples area?
Cheers TBW.

P.S. Yes want somewhere warm at first as we'll be down there in the Winter.
Likely Dec Feb Jan March

 

[ranger58sb]

Spent any time in the Sarasota Naples area?

P.S. Yes want somewhere warm at first as we'll be down there in the Winter.
Likely Dec Feb Jan March

Not really. We lived near Ft. Lauderdale (and worked in Miami) for a while... so we also drove around lots of Florida... but only for shorter visits on the west coast. Ft. Myers, Tampa, etc.

You'll maybe want south of Jacksonville, then... unless mostly 50-60°s is acceptable for "warm." Happens we spent the 2019/2020 winter at Ortega Landing in Jax, great marina, and we found it very pleasant temps... although Jax itself isn't much of a "tourist" city. Might have been different if we'd been over closer to the ocean...

-Chris

 

[Clivepc]

On the east coast of Florida, once you get north of Jupiter the prices start to go down pretty quickly. Once you get north of Cape Canaveral, the probability of getting hit by a hurricane also goes down noticeably (at least until you get to about Savannah). My wife and I, for ourselves, chose the Tampa Bay area. Beautiful beaches, great boating, plenty to see and do, but without the cost, or all of the crowds and hassles, of Miami/Ft Lauderdale. A little harder to get over to the Bahamas from here, but still not too onerous.

Denver, these are my initial thoughts exactly. I've visited Sarasota a couple of times, spent Christmas once on Anna Maria island, and sailed in the Tampa bay.
Wasn't sure about prices but you are making me more interested. Agreed on the trek out to the Bahamas, but at least there are a couple of ways to get there for that area, one being longer than the other of course.. I don't want to rule out the east coast but I've not been as impressed with the Miami area, but have limited time there. I also believe that the Sarasota/Tampa area has far less hurricane activity. Having been in Hurricane Wilma in Playa Del Carmen, we aren't necessarily anxious to be in another if avoidable. LOL.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Top of my list is Sitka Alaska.
Never have understood the Florida pull. WAY too hot and way too many people.

 

[Clivepc]

Top of my list is Sitka Alaska.
Never have understood the Florida pull. WAY too hot and way too many people.

I get Alaska, I've lived in the Pac NW for 30 years, but at 63, if I had to be cold or hot I'd be hot any day. I can visit Alaska.. To each their own mate.

 

[BandB]

Top of my list is Sitka Alaska.
Never have understood the Florida pull. WAY too hot and way too many people.

Wifey B: Never have understood the Alaska pull. WAY too cold and way too few people.

 

[mvweebles]

We moved to St Pete from San Francisco 15-year ago. Zero regrets - we would do it again even though we liked SF a lot.

Original plan was to leave the boat in SF and go there at least once a quarter. Even though I flew somewhere every week for work, it never worked out well and our boat deteriorated as a result. Careful with your planning.

Unfortunately, you are a couple years late in finding affordable accommodations on Florida. Especially with covid, housing has skyrocketed. I just sold my house and it went for 15% above asking price which was already 50% more than it was worth just a couple years ago.

I don't think there are cheap slips out there either. Best bet might be to find a condo with a private marina. 10 years ago we purchased a tiny condo on the ICW with a deeded slip.

Good luck

Peter

 

[Seevee]

Wifey B: Never have understood the Alaska pull. WAY too cold and way too few people.

Agreed....


However, the crowds in Florida have become ridiculous and just obnoxious. There are MANY places I just don't go in Florida because of the crowds.



Even my home port of the Tampa Bay area has become WAY too crowded. Now if one can avoid places on the weekends and avoid rush hour it's tolerable. With a boat, not bad during the week.


And the prices have gone thru the roof in FL.... especially south. There are some better prices in the panhandle and heading up into Georgia and the Carolinas.


As for hurricanes, further north along the east coast, or way inland are options. Anywhere near the water has its risks.

 

[Clivepc]

Wifey B: Never have understood the Alaska pull. WAY too cold and way too few people.

That's funny!
As I've aged, and interacted with many people from all walks of life, it still never ceases to amaze me how 2 people can look at the exact same set of circumstances, sometimes seemingly black and white, (Can I say that) and come up with entirely different point's of view. I guess that is why there are wars.

 

[Clivepc]

We moved to St Pete from San Francisco 15-year ago. Zero regrets - we would do it again even though we liked SF a lot.

Original plan was to leave the boat in SF and go there at least once a quarter. Even though I flew somewhere every week for work, it never worked out well and our boat deteriorated as a result. Careful with your planning.

Unfortunately, you are a couple years late in finding affordable accommodations on Florida. Especially with covid, housing has skyrocketed. I just sold my house and it went for 15% above asking price which was already 50% more than it was worth just a couple years ago.

I don't think there are cheap slips out there either. Best bet might be to find a condo with a private marina. 10 years ago we purchased a tiny condo on the ICW with a deeded slip.

Good luck

Peter

Peter, thanks for this. Funny I have a sailing buddy named Peter in SF. I guess not that funny Eh!
Anyway, you may be right. property is the same in Idaho and AZ, crazy business. Maybe the condo idea is a good one. At least looking will be fun and I am an eternal optimist!
Cheers.

 

[Barking Sands]

ST. Pete is a great place. We liked out short time at Gulfport Marina. We are a small boat at 31 feet and out monthly rate was right around $400 a month. We are now in Tarpon Springs at Anclote Isles Marina
https://ancloteislesmarina.com/
It is about $425 a month including electric. Although I dont use much electric. Tarpon Springs is also a great place and has several Marinas along with some good shipyards such as Pitmans Yacht Services that has reasonable rates and competent abilities.

There are a ton of Marinas in smaller towns up and down the Gulf Coast that will be a bit cheaper and budget friendly than the East Coast.
Crystal River
Hudson
New Port Richey
Tarpon Springs
Clearwater area
St Pete
Sarasota

The downside to this coast is if you plan to go to the Keys its a bit farther. However if you are trailering the vessel that will be making that trip its no big deal.

On the east coast..one of my favorite locations is St Augustine. But I am not sure of slip costs there. But its an amazing town and area.

 

[mvweebles]

Peter, thanks for this. Funny I have a sailing buddy named Peter in SF. I guess not that funny Eh!
Anyway, you may be right. property is the same in Idaho and AZ, crazy business. Maybe the condo idea is a good one. At least looking will be fun and I am an eternal optimist!
Cheers.

Leaving a boat unattended for months at a time is difficult. I remember one time my wife and I flew into San Francisco and got to the boat at 9PM. At least one rat had been aboard and made a total mess. We got a hotel for the night, and spent the weekend cleaning up and getting upholstery steam cleaned. Another time, someone had accidentally kicked-off my dock cord and the batteries were stone dead. I have a pretty long list of "and there was the time when....." stories from having been gone for a few months.

My boat was at Treasure Island Marina at the old US Naval Station Treasure Island halfway across the Bay Bridge. Although it's a great place to start a mini-cruise, it's a lousy place to visit on a vacation because there is not much there, and you need a car. For our last 6-months, we moved to Emeryville which had a shuttle bus to all sorts of places to eat, shop, drink, etc.

Now, I'm assuming you will not live on the boat full-time meaning you'll fly-in, perhaps for extended stays. But not all of your trips to the boat will involve heading out (I'm assuming you will continue to live in AZ) so even though little out-of-the-way towns along the Florida coast may have cheaper rates, if you're flying in, you'll burn up any savings on car rental and time, plus I'd get bored in these towns pretty quickly.

If I were in your shoes, I would probably look at something either in California or Sea of Cortez that you could conceivably drive to. San Carlos near Guaymus is a haul, but doable. You could dry-sail a boat (leave it on the hard while you're gone), and there's a decent ex-pat/cruiser community there. The cruising is pretty remote in the SoC, but should keep you happy for several years.

Winter cruising is better in Florida/Bahamas than SoC so if your heart is set on Florida, and if you do not plan to live near the boat full-time, I'd look to see if there are places you can dry-sail a larger boat. That would bring your costs way down, and would be easier on the boat. Possible some marinas may have a back-lot.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[Nomad Willy]

Clivepc,
Wifey B and I have offered this angle variation on numerous subjects for several years.
If I ever met Wifey I’d probably think she’s adorable and we’d laugh about everything.
I was born in Dec. in Juneau Alaska and probably didn’t see the sun for several weeks. We lived on Basin Rd up the mountain at the top of town. Plenty of snow and icicles in my thoughts of youth. And in season .. mud puddles .. w/o the mud.

But heat and Palm trees? NO

 

[BandB]

Clivepc,
Wifey B and I have offered this angle variation on numerous subjects for several years.
If I ever met Wifey I’d probably think she’s adorable and we’d laugh about everything.
I was born in Dec. in Juneau Alaska and probably didn’t see the sun for several weeks. We lived on Basin Rd up the mountain at the top of town. Plenty of snow and icicles in my thoughts of youth. And in season .. mud puddles .. w/o the mud.

But heat and Palm trees? NO

Wifey B: For the record, there's no real heat in South Florida, no 100 degree days. For heat, go to Texas, go to Georgia, go to Vegas. I grew up in heat and this isn't it.

Oh and palm trees. Whereas beaches are my weakness and love, hubby is the palm tree fanatic. Even if we lived somewhere else or had a second home, he'd have palm trees.

We saw a little ice and snow in NC and some cold but we did say no to opportunities with more. Said no to Pennsylvania, said no to NYC, said no to Omaha. We liked visiting them all but were not willing to go for shorter boating seasons. Oh, and before me, he turned down a great opportunity in Minneapolis.

Now, the OP really needs to listen to us and figure out what is right for themselves as what I prefer and what you prefer wouldn't work at all for them.

 

[BandB]

Hello out there!
This is a very general request for information aimed at those folks who either live on or close to the southern part of the ICWW or have experience traveling and staying there.
We currently live in AZ, having just moved there from the Pac NW. We are inland sailors with limited offshore and larger motor vessel experience.
We intend to purchase a trailer trawler to do some exploring over the next 4-5 years, (R29/CW30) then eventually purchase a larger yacht, say 42-55 ft, that we will keep somewhere on the southern ICWW, or close to, which will be our liveaboard second home. We aim to explore the ICWW, Bahamas, and hopefully do the loop.
(Being a practical guy, and cheap, I’m hoping for a nice older vessel with good running gear and bones that we can refit ourselves. We are home designers and builders and I see great opportunity in some of these older boats)
Anyway, back to the requested information.
We would like advice on where to look for areas that might suit us, and our boat/home, requirements, when the time comes. We understand that what suits one person might not suite others, so here is a basic list or what WE would prefer.
1: We are not wealthy people, so will be looking for decent facilities with reasonable monthly fees, not ritzy.
2: We would like an area where there is chance to be part of a community of likeminded folks.
(Also not done with sailing yet)
3: We would like somewhere warm/er in the winter, and we prefer, quieter towns, so not Miami for instance.
4: Don’t mind being inland a ways, as long as it’s not too far to the coast.
Lastly, we feel generally safer in the continental U.S. but would certainly consider slightly farther out if there was a good expat community and facilities, although Hurricanes are a factor having been in one.
Heard great things about the Sarasota area, SC, Keys..
We realize we are talking about a large area, but we are sure there must be a wealth of knowledge out there on great areas to live and store a vessel. (Maybe there are other forums you could suggest?)
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Many thanks Clive (The Bolton Wanderer) and Monica Culpan.

Wifey B: Dear Mr. Clive and Ms. Monica. (Sure hoping she's reading all this and participating in the planning). I've found paradise but wouldn't be yours. However, I point out one thing. You paradise won't be perfect in everything you mention as some things work against each other. You're going to have to figure out where to compromise. You can get decent and cheap but then amenities and service are a challenge as it that community of people. You can get a bit inland but then spend a lot of time and money just getting out. I love the TN river. Maybe it's not the ocean calling you. Hundreds of miles of inland cruising and then every few years go down to the sea. No decent sailing there though.

My one piece of advice is to travel. Rent or charter? Take a year or so just to evaluate. We took a vacation, our first out of our home area, to Fort Lauderdale and fell in love and still feel the same. I've known loopers who saw the whole eastern part of the country, but fell in love with one stop along the way and returned to live. There are several in Marathon Florida who ended up there because of doing the loop. It won't take long on a visit for you to know. It's like shopping for a house but at a much greater level. You know the minute you step foot in the house.

Much is where you're coming from too. In NC our boating season wasn't so good part of the year, but once I became addicted I couldn't have lived with a 4 or 5 month season. Even if it was 40 degrees, I could still boat in January. Now after Fort Lauderdale, nothing but year round boating can satisfy me. I'm use to wearing very few clothes and I hate bundling up for the cold. I knew a girl in Charlotte NC who had moved there from Wisconsin. In the summer she was so miserable her life was home to car to work to car to home with no more than 5 minutes at a time outside air conditioning. Hubby traveled to the UK on business and in offices without air conditioning. It wasn't hot to them when the office temperature was in the upper 70's but he'd never worked in an office that hot and found it miserable. People in the PNW generally love it. I knew people who had always lived in Portland, OR and thought it was heaven on earth. However, they had a horrible suicide rate which was mainly those who moved in and encountered their first winter and months with only 2 or 3 days of sunshine and perhaps their job wasn't working out. Seasonal Affective Disorder can be very serious and it can impact you in great places with one season a year that's not for you. I've seen people who moved to FL and one hurricane came along, didn't hit them at all, but created such intense fear in them that they immediately decided to move out.

You'll know when you find your paradise. I'll tell you though, the search and exploration could be pretty wonderful. Maybe even find a boat and cruise a couple of years without even worrying about where to keep it and settle. Be a full time transient boater. Then you'll say, "Great Marina but way too expensive"..."no other serious boaters there"...."too hot"...."too crowded"..."nothing to do, boring"....and finally, "it just feels like home."

 

[FF]

"Thanks for this. So where are you exactly? What are local rates for slips and drydock like?"

We are a mile or so East of the Ortona Lock which is on the river from Ft Myers to lake O.

Glades boat yard is a DIY yard 3 miles further East , there rates should be published. For the thick wallet folks River Forrest is 1/2 mile away with inside storage.

A storage slip (no live aboard) is about $50.00 a week behind someones home.

Turkey Creek is a boating community , property values languished for a while with the Wohan 19 problems of folks in other states and Canada locked up, but have begun to soar in the past few months.

For big box stores a drive to FMY is required , although the nearest town La Belle has Ace Hardware a Walmart , and Tractor Supply along with the usual fast food outlets.

Compared to CT property taxes are low , and of course there is no tax on income.
During the season the coasts get mobbed , but here in the woods of Glades County its real quiet.

 

[Osprey69]

You'll know when you find your paradise. I'll tell you though, the search and exploration could be pretty wonderful. Maybe even find a boat and cruise a couple of years without even worrying about where to keep it and settle. Be a full time transient boater. Then you'll say, "Great Marina but way too expensive"..."no other serious boaters there"...."too hot"...."too crowded"..."nothing to do, boring"....and finally, "it just feels like home." [/QUOTE]

This. Our plan is to take as long as need be (up to a year) and week by week poke around and figure out what that area looks like and "feels" like. Moving the boat makes it much easier to explore. I want to buy that next bit of dirt and feel good about its permanency. Spent 30 happy years in a NE town and a big house and know how important the environment is bedsides the brick and mortar. Looking forward to the adventure of seeing new parts of our glorious country.

 

[denverd0n]

I also believe that the Sarasota/Tampa area has far less hurricane activity.

It does. Among the very lowest hurricane areas of the state.

 

[Clivepc]

ST. Pete is a great place. We liked out short time at Gulfport Marina. We are a small boat at 31 feet and out monthly rate was right around $400 a month. We are now in Tarpon Springs at Anclote Isles Marina
https://ancloteislesmarina.com/
It is about $425 a month including electric. Although I dont use much electric. Tarpon Springs is also a great place and has several Marinas along with some good shipyards such as Pitmans Yacht Services that has reasonable rates and competent abilities.

There are a ton of Marinas in smaller towns up and down the Gulf Coast that will be a bit cheaper and budget friendly than the East Coast.
Crystal River
Hudson
New Port Richey
Tarpon Springs
Clearwater area
St Pete
Sarasota

The downside to this coast is if you plan to go to the Keys its a bit farther. However if you are trailering the vessel that will be making that trip its no big deal.

On the east coast..one of my favorite locations is St Augustine. But I am not sure of slip costs there. But its an amazing town and area.

Barking sands, many thanks this is great information, much obliged!
Out of curiosity, what boat do you have?
Cheers TBW crew.