What's the sales tax there in Lee county? If I remember correctly it was something like 6% or 6.5%. Here in Hillsborough county it's 8.5% and in 2 years the county is wanting to try to get people to vote to increase it to 9.5% which would make Tampa as bad as LA way out in CA.

I know it's only sales tax but everything adds up to increase the cost of living, cost of rent, cost of a house purchase, mortgage, etc. I'll rent when I move because I really prefer to live several years in a city before really knowing the city well enough to know what areas I would and would not want to consider buying a home in.

The neighborhood I'm in here in Tampa is great but I never intended to live in Tampa long term but instead just a few years. I spent over 10 years in Jacksonville and many years in a small town called Lake City but decided to move south to Tampa a couple years ago.

The city is fine but it's just not the city for me honestly. From my past few years of looking online in my spare time, putting together lists of places of interest in different cities throughout FL, Ft Myers has been where my wife and I both are leaning towards.

I want a big enough city but not a real big city and Ft Myers should fit that nicely plus the weather and beaches. Maybe when I get settled in somewhere again long term, I might just get back to fishing and if life treats me good maybe even buy another boat one day but one thing at a time lol.

Venice is beautiful. More Of a big town. Ft myers is more of a small city with an airport, with all that comes with that...