FEMA Maps seem skewed - Considering moving back to FL and need to chat
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So I am annoyed with FEMA maps - both Hurrican and Tornado CLEARLY show a greater risk near populated areas VS not... example... the county that Lexington Kentucky is in is very high tornado risk, but the next county over, which is hardly populated, is lower than where I live in the Great Lakes...
What I am getting at is, as I look at the maps for Florida, I feel the data I am getting is more based on the "people in the woods to hear the tree fall" rather than how many trees actually fell (if that analogy works)
So that said - looking to move back to florida. Cant afford to get what we want back in Boca Raton, and dont need to be that far down
Would like to be far enough inland that when a hurricane comes in, we can hunker down and not loose everything. Also would like to avoid tornados as best as possible. Hoping to get enough of a lot to build a detached 2 car garage to have a total of 4 indoor parking spaces.
LOVE royal palms and coconut trees, but can live without both. Looking for a small, quiet town within an hour of a decent sized city
Public schools mean nothing, my kids are home/privately educated
Jobs mean nothing - I am self employed, but commercial realestate affordability, as well as residential of course, is important.
Clermont near orlando looks appealing,
I am hoping to get some dialog going and chat out some of my concerns and see your recommendations.
I am only 36, wife is 35. I am sure in our lifetime and that of our kids, florida will change a decent bit, so want to move somewhere that will be least affected by that.
So I am annoyed with FEMA maps - both Hurrican and Tornado CLEARLY show a greater risk near populated areas VS not... example... the county that Lexington Kentucky is in is very high tornado risk, but the next county over, which is hardly populated, is lower than where I live in the Great Lakes...
What I am getting at is, as I look at the maps for Florida, I feel the data I am getting is more based on the "people in the woods to hear the tree fall" rather than how many trees actually fell (if that analogy works)
So that said - looking to move back to florida. Cant afford to get what we want back in Boca Raton, and dont need to be that far down
Would like to be far enough inland that when a hurricane comes in, we can hunker down and not loose everything. Also would like to avoid tornados as best as possible. Hoping to get enough of a lot to build a detached 2 car garage to have a total of 4 indoor parking spaces.
LOVE royal palms and coconut trees, but can live without both. Looking for a small, quiet town within an hour of a decent sized city
Public schools mean nothing, my kids are home/privately educated
Jobs mean nothing - I am self employed, but commercial realestate affordability, as well as residential of course, is important.
Clermont near orlando looks appealing,
I am hoping to get some dialog going and chat out some of my concerns and see your recommendations.
I am only 36, wife is 35. I am sure in our lifetime and that of our kids, florida will change a decent bit, so want to move somewhere that will be least affected by that.
Ready to hear your suggestions
Thanks!
Yep, the maps you are looking at don't really reflect so much the LIKELIHOOD of a tornado or hurricane happening in that county but rather the $$$ damage that would occur if a tornado or hurricane were to hit that county. In other words, it's more of a total amount of money risk than it is the likelihood of a tornado or hurricane happening.
“Understanding hazard risk and social vulnerability at the county level are increasingly important to mitigating weather and climate hazards,” said Adam Smith, lead for NOAA NCEI’s Billion-Dollar Disaster Program. “A location’s risk depends on several factors, including population, infrastructure and exposure to natural hazards. Vulnerability reflects a county’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards based on socioeconomic factors. This new mapping tool can be a source for homeowners, community planners, emergency managers and other decision makers to help prepare for and mitigate natural disasters in their community.”
In other words, the adjacent rural county may be the tornado capitol of the world, yet if it is populated mostly with cows and the occasional barn and farmhouse, then the damage rating from storms will be very low.
Lake County, FL (where Clermont is located) may be an ideal area for you and your family. You would be far enough inland that hurricane risk would be minimal for a well-constructed house built to current code, and yet it's close enough to Orlando and Tampa if you desire "big city" attractions. There is also more than adequate shopping and medical facilities available in the area for your everyday needs.
Tornado risk is very slight and only of the lower grades of storm. This isn't the Midwest!
Clermont, Mt. Dora, and Winter Haven immediately come to mind.
Regarding royal and coconut palms, obviously South Florida is best for anything tropical but inland areas of South Florida like Belle Glade, Immokalee, Sebring, etc are undesirable. Clermont and Mt. Dora can probably have royals, but a bad freeze will kill them. Coconuts are probably a no go. Winter Haven can have royals and coconuts, but a bad freeze will wipe out the coconuts (possibly royals too, if bad enough.) Close proximity to a lake will help a lot.
Clermont, Mt. Dora, and Winter Haven immediately come to mind.
Regarding royal and coconut palms, obviously South Florida is best for anything tropical but inland areas of South Florida like Belle Glade, Immokalee, Sebring, etc are undesirable. Clermont and Mt. Dora can probably have royals, but a bad freeze will kill them. Coconuts are probably a no go. Winter Haven can have royals and coconuts, but a bad freeze will wipe out the coconuts (possibly royals too, if bad enough.) Close proximity to a lake will help a lot.
About those specific palms, I was saying I can live without them in that I dont need to go back to SoFLA, to get even close to what we would want in a home would be pushing seven figures
We need a 4 bed as we have a family of 6. At least a good size 3 bed - but thats three boys in one room. The two older boys share a room in out 4 bed now, but its the old master and is like 13x15 or something. Out master is even bigger. That said, less time will be spent in doors
I want room in the yard to add an extra garage for extra cars, and possible a 16x24 ish out building to be our movie room and rec room kind of thing. NO we are not loaded. Out current house is worth $350. The same house with the same yard in Boca would be way over $1,000,000. IF you can find it. Prices here are VERY low. Probably because the taxes on it are $10,000ish.
That said, we cant afford SoFLA, plus with expensive resi real estate comes expensive commercial. I will ideally need an office and a shop not too far from home
I would LOVE to go out in the country, but in Florida, that almost ALWAYS means giving up that precious manicured Florida look and the Lanscaping etc.
So something in the middle ideally
So home owners insurance. I imagine right now its extremely expensive if you can get it, near the beaches. Since we are trying to be as inland as one can be on a Peninsula, is it any cheaper? Clermont is 142 ft above sea level....
So I am annoyed with FEMA maps - both Hurrican and Tornado CLEARLY show a greater risk near populated areas VS not... example... the county that Lexington Kentucky is in is very high tornado risk, but the next county over, which is hardly populated, is lower than where I live in the Great Lakes...
What I am getting at is, as I look at the maps for Florida, I feel the data I am getting is more based on the "people in the woods to hear the tree fall" rather than how many trees actually fell (if that analogy works)
So that said - looking to move back to florida. Cant afford to get what we want back in Boca Raton, and dont need to be that far down
Would like to be far enough inland that when a hurricane comes in, we can hunker down and not loose everything. Also would like to avoid tornados as best as possible. Hoping to get enough of a lot to build a detached 2 car garage to have a total of 4 indoor parking spaces.
LOVE royal palms and coconut trees, but can live without both. Looking for a small, quiet town within an hour of a decent sized city
Public schools mean nothing, my kids are home/privately educated
Jobs mean nothing - I am self employed, but commercial realestate affordability, as well as residential of course, is important.
Clermont near orlando looks appealing,
I am hoping to get some dialog going and chat out some of my concerns and see your recommendations.
I am only 36, wife is 35. I am sure in our lifetime and that of our kids, florida will change a decent bit, so want to move somewhere that will be least affected by that.
Ready to hear your suggestions
Thanks!
Unless you live in a mobile home, don't worry about hurricanes.
thats not true at all for us - I am a car collector (nothing too expensive, but special to me) and also self employed. A hurricane that bring my community to a halt will, at the very least, stop my business for a while if not destroy it for a long time... So being its a big state, looking for a lower risk. Different areas have different risks. Like, for example, Delaware has only had 2 since like 1850 and is a low risk, but NYC, less than 2 hours away, is at a much higher risk...
I dont know all the science - i could learn, but the advice of locals goes a long way.
I am not worried about getting hurt or dying in a hurricane, its the inconvenience and the financial fallout that i want to avoid.
Like this: I can afford new carpet for my greatroom if it was destroyed by red wine or some chemical spill on cleaning day (have to walk through it with bleach for cleaning bathrooms). I can afford the carpet. I cannot the time and inconvenience to shop for carpet, clear the room, and deal with the installation
A hurricane wont kill me, the stress from the fallout could haha
So, onward with the search for the right place
I also like the look of Lakeland, Ocala, Gainesville....
Then there is tornados to discuss =) There are no guarantees, but there are decent statistics to make an effort bye
thats not true at all for us - I am a car collector (nothing too expensive, but special to me) and also self employed. A hurricane that bring my community to a halt will, at the very least, stop my business for a while if not destroy it for a long time... So being its a big state, looking for a lower risk. Different areas have different risks. Like, for example, Delaware has only had 2 since like 1850 and is a low risk, but NYC, less than 2 hours away, is at a much higher risk...
I dont know all the science - i could learn, but the advice of locals goes a long way.
I am not worried about getting hurt or dying in a hurricane, its the inconvenience and the financial fallout that i want to avoid.
Like this: I can afford new carpet for my greatroom if it was destroyed by red wine or some chemical spill on cleaning day (have to walk through it with bleach for cleaning bathrooms). I can afford the carpet. I cannot the time and inconvenience to shop for carpet, clear the room, and deal with the installation
A hurricane wont kill me, the stress from the fallout could haha
So, onward with the search for the right place
I also like the look of Lakeland, Ocala, Gainesville....
Then there is tornados to discuss =) There are no guarantees, but there are decent statistics to make an effort bye
We live in Lakeland and you could probably find something to suit you on the far north end of town, more affordable properties with bigger land there. Also you could look on the outskirts of Winter Haven. We are the center of the state on some of peninsular Florida's highest ground, so hurricane risks are smaller; however do keep in mind anywhere in the state is a risk some of those 'canes are bigger than the whole state.
Build a deep-earth nuclear bunker in the desert. Better yet, buy one that already exists, there are a few for sale. There exists no part of the USA that is NOT safe from hurricanes, or tornadoes, or wildfires, or flooding, or other building-damaging acts of nature.
You want a 4-bedroom home on a couple of acres of land for 4 kids who won't be going to public school. I assume you want that land already hooked up to municipal sewer/water and electric service, with proximity to a cell tower and wi-fi access. And you want to spend less than a million on it, including a 4-car garage for your car collection. Oh and you want it to be affordable for both commercial and residential property.
You've already posted a few times here in this thread, but haven't once mentioned what your budget actually is. We know it has to be less than a million, you've mentioned that. And you've mentioned your current home is valued at $350k. So, are you looking for a home under $500k? Between 500-950k? Less than 350K?
Are you looking for a home in a gated community? Do you want it in an actual neighborhood, so your children can find people to hang out with *especially* since you plan on isolating them with home-schooling? Do you want it to be within walking distance to the nearest commercial district, or supermarket?
About those specific palms, I was saying I can live without them in that I dont need to go back to SoFLA, to get even close to what we would want in a home would be pushing seven figures
We need a 4 bed as we have a family of 6. At least a good size 3 bed - but thats three boys in one room. The two older boys share a room in out 4 bed now, but its the old master and is like 13x15 or something. Out master is even bigger. That said, less time will be spent in doors
I want room in the yard to add an extra garage for extra cars, and possible a 16x24 ish out building to be our movie room and rec room kind of thing. NO we are not loaded. Out current house is worth $350. The same house with the same yard in Boca would be way over $1,000,000. IF you can find it. Prices here are VERY low. Probably because the taxes on it are $10,000ish.
That said, we cant afford SoFLA, plus with expensive resi real estate comes expensive commercial. I will ideally need an office and a shop not too far from home
I would LOVE to go out in the country, but in Florida, that almost ALWAYS means giving up that precious manicured Florida look and the Lanscaping etc.
So something in the middle ideally
So home owners insurance. I imagine right now its extremely expensive if you can get it, near the beaches. Since we are trying to be as inland as one can be on a Peninsula, is it any cheaper? Clermont is 142 ft above sea level....
I get the car thing, that's a huge consideration for us in a move. But if I were you (which I'm not), I would not let a manicured look get in the way of a good location for me.
I'm in New England where we've been using the terms dooryard and barnyard for centuries. The dooryard is where you fence off an area so the barn animals can't get to it, and have your flowers and veggies - or in your case, the manicured look.
That's my plan for when we get acreage. No need to mow and fret over a bunch of acres, but I plan on a nice area - maybe it will be by the back door, or where I can see it while doing dishes, or when I first get up.
(I realize I don't know the climate of the areas you're considering and maybe those country areas won't allow for that, but those are my thoughts)
Good luck with your search and hey thanks (maybe not) for more maps to pour over!
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