When I visited you that time people (snowbirds) moved there for the climate or were there just in summer. Is that still a thing? The weather just seems to be getting worse and worse
People relocating to Florida from northern states have, and always will, be a thing. There is a difference between the relocation people being permanent and being here just for the winter months. The wintering people are snowbirds because they're here for a limited amount of time and go back to where they came from when winter is over.
In the winter months, snowbirds escape the colder [snow] areas of the country (it usually starts to trickle with people in the fall - around the last week of October [Halloween], but majority are here by the second week of November, and everyone is definitely here by early December). It sometimes depends on when the first snow starts in that person's area, but most people like to be here to watch the kids go Trick or Treating. If they are here by that point, they do go back home during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas to be with northern family (or they stay up for the month once they get there for Thanksgiving), and then fly back to Florida after the holidays. Once spring arrives (whenever Easter falls - that's the not talked about cut off of the length of stay for them), they go home. They are certainly home by May 1, as it gets ungodly hot here in the summer, and the thunder storms are horrible (as you might recall, Froggy). Add the uncertainty of hurricanes, and you got yourself a mix of crazy. Whoever is left in the summer are the full time residents.
The total amount of time snowbirds spend in Florida spans about 6 months, give or take a few days. However, in order to get "resident" "perks", the laws put forth by the state government say you must be living here six months and one day in order to gain certain housing and other benefits claims.
Those in the north who are completely sick of their weather patterns move to Florida for the sun all year round because they don't want to deal with whatever they have (snow is a big one, but earth quakes and wild fires from the Western part of the country - California, etc. also shift people here. Lately the conversations have been about cost of living too. "It's cheaper in Florida" which is why there's been a hurried build up of communities. Yet, the pay is low for jobs and due to tourist and snowbird season in the winter, working in the summer months are part time. As in, 28 hours a week could be your max, which means no work benefits like insurance. In the winter time, you certainly could work over 32 hours and definitely over 40 hours a week. But if your status is still part time, no benefits. You have to be full time to gain extra stuff. Most businesses state they hire full time for winter and fire majority of their staff for summer. Those who stay on are part time. You are lucky if you maintain full time [32 hours plus] status).
The coldest it gets in my area in the dead of winter is 45°F, and that's just for a day or two. It's not often and it's not a "chilled to the bones" cold, although the longer you stay here, the more your blood thins out because you're not accustomed to the cold anymore, so it will feel cold and some people will put on winter clothes like fluffy down jackets, hats, mittens, etc. It's funny to see, but it's something people do. I mean, it's cold, but it's not icey feeling because you don't have the freezing / snow part of it. Again, it depends on how quickly your blood thins out. Only a few times has it reached 45, otherwise it can be around 50-60°F at the lowest point. Winters here are usually around 70-75 with no humidity, so it's comfortable. Winter months have no humidity, just sun and pleasant warmth. Late spring is when the humidity starts and summer it's brutal, fall it peters off. Although right now it's still hitting 95° with humidity, as it's been doing lately.
But the past few years, due to hurricane seasons, the flooding is scary. In the north, you can watch snow arrive, start and stop. You know when to go out and shovel. You can't do that during a hurricane. If you don't have shutters up during a storm, you can watch the flood waters rise and fall and sometimes come up to your house, if it doesn't come straight knocking on your door and come inside. I work with a woman who had water in her house (
very minimal) this past week due to Helene. She's still fixing her house from Ian (like a lot of people are). You can only prepare so much for a hurricane and flooding, but you can't do anything to stop it, which is what harms a lot of people - they can lose their houses or their lives if they are stupid about it.