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What is life like in Florida? We are fortunate in living between Sarasota and Venice on the Gulf Coast of Florida which offers some of the most diverse lifestyle opportunities in The States. Sarasota is recognised as the ‘Cultural Capital of The Gulf of Mexico. There is an enormous range of artistic and cultural events available, as well as the day to day activities we are able to take part in simply due to our location under the sun and on the coast. I work as an independent emigration and Florida property consultant and writer living between Florida and our UK office, which to an extent determines the pattern of our life – and the free time we have to enjoy! In Florida people tend to start the day earlier than in Britain and as we are fortunate in living only 5 minutes from the beach, we tend to start our day before it gets to hot by cycling to the beach at Venice and walking along the soft white sand, as the sun starts to rise.  It is a great way to wake up in the morning and beats going to the gym in the UK – sometimes we trawl for sharks’ teeth – Venice beach is renowned for its prehistoric shark teeth that can be found beneath the powdery white sand.   Sometimes we stop for breakfast at one of the many restaurants that open early in the morning for a dish of our favourite Texan style corn beef hash or we pick some orange grapefruit lime or banana that we have cultivated in our garden and enjoy by our pool - the taste always seems great when you have grown your own supply. During the day I usually work in my lanai by the poolside, until it gets too hot either researching on or writing an article or talking to clients in the UK who are looking at the options of buying property in Florida.   Two or three times a week I visit various parts of Florida to keep abreast of developments in particular areas. Driving is usually pretty relaxing apart from the Kissimmee area and the east coast around Miami, Fort Lauderdale where the whole pace of life is far more frenetic than the laid back lifestyle of the Gulf Coast. The difference being that those living the east coast life have often retired there from the pace of New York whereas those on the Gulf Coast tend to be more laid back Mid Westerners and Canadians.   A few years ago we decided to buy a flat bottomed deck boat and some kayaks and as our home is on a canal which leads to the inland waterway, depending upon our energy levels we sometimes paddle along through one of the state parks in the late afternoon just relaxing watching the wildlife including the alligators basking in the sun or if feeling lazy take the deck boat through the barrier islands to one of the small restaurants where you can moor and enjoy the local speciality crab cakes.   Some evenings we spend having an early barbeque by the pool side and a couple of times a week we like to go to one of the theatres in the area. Sarasota itself has an excellent theatre programme as indeed does Tampa which is only an hour away, Venice also has a great little dining theatre programme which can be great fun.   The range of festivals held throughout the year is also very varied ranging from food and wine festivals, art and crafts, fishing, a shark tooth festival in Venice, an international cinema festival in Sarasota and illuminated boat parades during the Christmas season.   There is a strong British community in the area and our friends, who also made the move across the pond, find they have much more opportunity to indulge their activities and hobbies than they did in their previous lifestyles in the UK. Many couples join clubs or live on developments which are built around favoured activities. Two of our friends for example developed a passion for tennis after leaving Norfolk a few years ago and now play 2 hours each morning, a great way to meet new friends and become remarkably fit in the process.   Other friends swear by golfing and those living on golf course communities are able to indulge their passion for the game whenever they like under that sunshine. Many of the clubs offer a whole lifestyle package, with really great clubhouses offering excellent eating options and regular special events and themed evenings which can be great fun. For some there would be no need to leave the gates of these golfing resorts but then there are so many more things on offer!   Those with school age children particularly with children of pre high school age inevitably find many activities revolve around the children. One of our friends who moved from Manchester a couple of years ago found their daughter had the makings of being a really good tennis player – Sarasota is home to the world renowned Bollettieri Tennis Academy and they find a lot of their spare time is now revolving around related events.   Polo matches are held on a regular basis during weekends in the polo season and many spend a day at the event taking a picnic hamper with them. For those that understand the rules there is baseball and football in Tampa, and a great selection of comparatively inexpensive mini cruises to nearby exotic destinations in the Caribbean, so no excuse for ever getting bored?   Fishing is another favoured pastime for many and with fish so prolific in local waters the smell of fish being barbequed along the beaches permeates the evening air as many families savour the delights of a days catch as the sun goes down in a myriad of colours, certainly a very different way of life from Britain.     Thinking about buying a property in Florida - click here   Thinking about selling a property in Florida - click here   Thinking about emigrating to Florida - click here   Thinking about retirement to Florida - click here   Just want to be sent details of suitable agents with excellent testimonials and a proven track record of working with British buyers – click here   Just want details of every available property in Florida – click here Andrew Bartlett an acknowledged expert on property trends and relocation in Florida, writes articles and answers readers’ questions for several British publications including Florida Magazine, Escape Magazine, Place in the Sun, Sunday Times, America, and The Red guide to buying Property in America and is regularly consulted by journalists and broadcasters. His consumer web guides have received numerous accolades. Andrew was a Senior Government Official for 20 years before relocating to Florida several years ago where he was headhunted to set up specialist British property and relocation teams for Coldwell Banker and Remax - America’s largest estate agents. He then established a uniquely impartial and independent relocation and property briefing company working between Britain and Florida. He has written a number of watchdog style articles on overseas property and emigration selling techniques.