Having become “too expensive”, Florida, a destination which has long been “natural” for thousands of snowbirds, is now abandoned by many of them.
Housing prices which have doubled, or even tripled in places, hefty bills at restaurants or golf courses, new legislation surrounding the management of condos, but above all, disadvantageous exchange rates: the economic reasons cited by several snowbirds who recently deserted Florida are numerous .
Illustration Journal de Montréal
In the Dominican Republic, The newspaper also met many Quebecers, who were preparing to spend their first or second winter under the Dominican sun, after having wintered for five, ten or even fifteen years in the Sunshine State.
“We always rented in Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, but the prices have increased so much there. It has absolutely doubled,” describes Pierre Dufort, 64, who now goes to Punta Cana to play golf, with his partner, Julie Verreault.
Originally from Drummondville, Julie Verreault and her partner, Pierre Dufort, recently decided to leave Florida in winter. They now go to Punta Cana, in particular because of the lower cost of living there.
Photo provided by Julie Verreault
Post-pandemic increases
During the pandemic, snowbirds “panicked” and several decided to sell their property, says notary Christine Marchand, who has worked with Quebecers since 1990. “They said to themselves that they were going to come back and rent, but the rental prices , it has increased enormously, and they can no longer buy either and go elsewhere,” she explains.
“It is an upward trend that we are observing”
– ,
Photo PROVIDED BY STEPHEN FINE
To explain these increases, the president of Snowbird Advisor, Stephen Fine, states among other things that several Americans who lived in the north chose to come and settle in Florida to live and work remotely, thus considerably increasing the prices of housing.
New expensive law
What’s more, a new law surrounding the management of condo buildings has also already started to discourage some owners, who have decided to sell.
- Listen to the interview with Elisa Cloutier, journalist at Journal de Québec and one of the recipients of the QMI Scholarship on Alexandre Dubé’s show via QUB radio :
The Condominium Act, which officially comes into force at the end of 2024, notably requires owners of buildings over 40 years old with three floors or more to put money aside in a contingency fund, which has become OBLIGATORY.
“There will be a lot of special assessments and a lot of increase in monthly fees for a condo. Additionally, commercial insurance has already started to increase,” says Andy Mandel, real estate agent for Remax in Coral Rings.
It is precisely because of this new law that Denis Turgeon recently decided to sell his condo, after having stayed in Florida for around twenty winters. Their reserve fund, previously nearly $70,000, was set at $1.5 million to comply with this new legislation.
Fire arms
Security is also pushing Quebecers to leave Florida, while it is now possible to walk around with a loaded firearm, without a permit, provided that it is not visible.
Since 1er July, an American can thus walk around with a concealed loaded weapon, without having to take a weapons handling course or undergo a background check.
It was after hearing gunshots at the campsite where she was that Laurie Buzzell, originally from Granby, gave up her plans to retire in Florida.
“We went to try Florida since that’s what we thought we would do for our retirement, but one night, I hear gunshots and I see a police officer running after someone on the ground. For me, it was over, the United States does not interest me,” she confides, speaking of her bad experience in Broward County.
- This report was produced thanks to the International Reporting Grant from the QMI Agency