Only 1 Florida City Made The Top 10 In US News ‘Best Places to Retire’ List
Florida has always been seen as the retirement destination. Jerry Seinfeld said it best “My parents didn’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that’s the law.”…
Florida has always been seen as the retirement destination. Jerry Seinfeld said it best “My parents didn’t want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that’s the law.” So when US News came out with their '2024 Best Places to Retire' list, it was a bit startling to only see one Florida city in the top 10. Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral - none of them even made the top 25. The only Southwest Florida city on the list at all is Sarasota.
So where are the new best places to retire?
Well, according to US News, it's Pennsylvania. Apparently the warm weather of Florida is no longer a draw. Number one on this list is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, on average, gets 33.2 inches of snow per year. And the cold? According to rssweather, "Harrisburg's coldest month is January when the average temperature overnight is 23.1°F." Retirees seem to be drawn to the parks, state forests, and accessibility to major metropolitan areas. After Harrisburg at 1, Reading, PA is number 2. Lancaster PA is third, and Scranton is fourth. It's actually a top 5 sweep as Allentown, PA is fifth on the list. Personally, I love February weather in Florida. Wouldn't trade it for any other month. So where does Florida rank on the list?
8. Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona has a lot going on, including 23 miles of beaches.
12. Tampa, Florida I never really thought of Tampa as a retirement hotspot, but 19.6% of it's residents are 65+.
18. Sarasota, Florida Sarasota I definitely see as a retirement haven. But escalating housing costs have moved them down the list.
22. Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is all the way down at 22 on the list, but I'd have it higher. Lakeland offers a lot of what other Florida cities do, at a fraction of the cost. Ever been jet skiing on a lake? It's kinda awesome.
23. Melbourne, Florida Up the Space Coast. Beautiful place. Side note - Toledo Ohio is number 19 on this list. Hooooow is that possible?
24. Orlando, Florida There's so much more to Orlando than the big theme parks. Did you know you can rent a tank and crush cars there?
Let's see what's in the news in Daytona...
Florida Man Carjacks Street Sweeper – Apprehended After Three Hour Pursuit
Florida Man carjacks a street sweeper. My dude, you do not disappoint. This is straight out of Grand Theft Auto. If you're going to carjack a vehicle you're gonna want to have a story in prison. My favorite line in the whole story is at the beginning "armed carjacking of a street sweeper". I really hope the Flagler County sheriff department releases body cam footage of the arrest. It'll better explain why everyone is covered in mud. I mean, I get what happened - but I want to see it, too!
This from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office:
An early start for Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies kicked off Monday morning with a “Be-On-The-Lookout” (BOLO) from Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) after an armed carjacking of a street sweeper. Deputies ultimately arrested 18-year-old Sterling Orlando Davis-Jones of Jacksonville after a three hour pursuit in the “P” Section of Palm Coast that also led to an injured FCSO deputy.
Flagler County Sheriff's Office(Florida Man Carjacks Street Sweeper. Photo: Flagler County Sheriff's Office)
How it began
Around 4:15 a.m., FCSO was notified of the BOLO from Daytona Beach about an armed subject, described to be a light-skinned black male wearing a gray hoodie, dark pants, with short dreadlock-style hair driving a stolen pick-up truck used as a street sweeper that was taken during an armed carjacking in Daytona Beach. Deputies spotted the vehicle at which time the driver bailed-out and ran on foot. The subject was observed running down Point Pleasant Drive with what was believed to be a firearm in his hand, but deputies lost sight of him. The search continued while K9 teams and Volusia Sheriff’s AirOne responded to the area. FCSO Communications Center notified the affected community with a reverse-911 and FCSO’s social media platforms informed the community of the activity.
But what about the mud?
Utilizing investigative techniques, the FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) was able to aid deputies in tracking the subject and a perimeter was established in the area of Point Pleasant and Point of Woods Drive in Palm Coast. At approximately 7:30 a.m., a deputy was notified by a resident about a male fitting the description walking into his backyard. At the same time deputies were notified, the male was seen running south on Point of Woods Drive onto Belle Terre Parkway. The subject continued on foot but was ultimately apprehended when FCSO’s Deputy Clay tackled him to the ground, both landing in a mud-filled ditch. The suspect was secured without further incident. Deputy Clay sustained minor injuries during the apprehension and was treated and released from AdventHealth-Palm Coast. Sheriff Staly visited Deputy Clay at the hospital and he is expected to make a full recovery.
The arrest
The Deputy will be fine
“Another outstanding job by the team getting this dangerous criminal off the streets,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “The juvenile justice system failed this kid by giving him chance after chance. This kid is never going to learn his lesson so now that he is an adult the system needs to hold him accountable and send him away before he seriously hurts or kills someone. I’m glad that Deputy Clay is expected to make a full recovery!”
