To move or not to move - To Fla

Ive been going to Florida since I was 13 years old. I cant explain how much I loved it from that very first trip. It was so different from NJ. I mean who wouldnt want summer ALL THE TIME??? And as I got older and continued to go I always thought someday it would be a one way trip - Finally. When I sold my home of 39 years in 2022 I thought that moving south would be the next logical step. All ties in NJ were gone really. My parents were gone (still cant believe that). My sister...non existent relationship. My niece moved out to Colorado. We found a beautiful rental until we could get things in order and make the right decisions. I absolutely loved the rental. And I immediately started sending the landlord written offers to buy it - THATS how much I loved it! She kept saying she was not interested. After renting for about 18 months and over paying for a place that needed so many updates we decided we would start seriously looking in Florida and began making frequent trips. Micky even was able to transfer her job. So last year on the 3rd trip we found a place. As we were just about to put an application in for a rental (we figured that would be the smartest way to have time to look for exactly where we wanted to be) my landlord called me WHILE WE WERE STILL IN FLA and asked if I still wanted to buy the townhome we were renting. No hesitation - YES! Timing is everything in life. And im a firm believer that this was a sign that we should not be going to Florida permanently. We came home and closed about 3 weeks later. And I love it. We have renovated the place. New kitchen, bathrooms, some flooring. Still needs to be painted - but in time that will be done as well. So, as it turns out, the place we were going to rent was destroyed in the last hurricane. We were looking in the Tampa area. *Mom, I know that was you leading me away from disaster* I have a much different perspective now. I think the best of both worlds would to become a snow bird! Leave right after Christmas and stay thru April. Smart right? This way the things that trouble me dont really apply to me. -Insurance in Fla is skyrocketing. -The market in Fla is tanking. -HOAs are increasing to the point where people cant pay the new assessments. -Lets not get into the current adminstration and the affect it has on many states. -I believe I heard that Gov. D just signed a law where ANYONE can conceal carry. Dont get me wrong...Im not against owning a gun....but not EVERYONE should be able to. -Weather events are getting more and more destructive. -Salaries can vary. -Drivers are a whole different animal there! -and as I get older WHO WANTS SUMMER ALL THE TIME????? Theres more of course. But I think maybe going down for 3 months or so for our winter months would be better. This way Im not responsible for any upkeep or maintenance of a property that I would be occupying full time.