By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Florida has been known as a retirement haven since the 1920s. But a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the Sunshine State’s reign is nearing an end—or at least heading downhill.

Rising costs lead to relocation
Real estate prices in Florida have started to fall, but property taxes have increased, especially for newcomers and part-time residents.

And the recent bout of hurricanes has hiked property insurance rates up from their already sky-high costs. Top it all off with a two-tier tax system, and you’ve got an undesirable destination for homeowners.

Florida’s population growth has slowed in the past few years, as a result of “halfbacks,”—retirees who moved there a decade ago and are now relocating to Mid-Atlantic states like New Jersey.

‘Half-back’ heaven
In August 2006, Dorothy and Robert Bennett re-retired from Florida to Seabrook, an Erickson community in Tinton Falls.

“Monmouth County was our home before we went to Florida. We felt it was time for us to live somewhere like Seabrook where we don’t have to worry about the everyday chores. We’ve visited many places in Florida and many places in the Northeast, but we settled here because it was home,” Robert Bennett says.

Seabrook’s proximity to the shore attracts beachgoers who would ordinarily move to Florida, but either want to be close to family or don’t want to deal with Florida’s hassles.

Property tax problems solved
Though New Jersey’s property taxes are even high er than Florida’s, the Bennetts didn’t have to worry.

“Each Erickson community pays property taxes in one lump sum, which makes up the aggregate expenses per community,” says Joe Harsel, Erickson’s director of community relations. “That amount in total is divided up among each residential unit to create the monthly service package.