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I’ve been considering spending the winters in Florida myself.

Could you go into a bit more detail about the “police state” comment? Someone told me that about Broward County, so I’m curious about whether it’s the same deal on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

I haven’t been to Florida in many years, so my inquiring mind would like to know.

I live in this area - not only is this area NOT a police state, the police we do have are professional and helpful - none of that totalitarian TSA stuff. Our politicians are better then most - and elections are for the most part, clean. The ex-governor’s father lives here - he’s Greek, a doctor - and Republican. Our newspaper’s liberal - but one of the best in the country - and the local government tends toward conservative and responsible. And that’s south Pinellas - Tarpon - north Pinellas - has the same - plus old world charm...

Ignoring my personal experiences for the sake of objectivity, Pinellas County is where Terri Schiavo was starved to death by court order. From a merely secular perspective, you've got to be wary of the courts. You ought to wonder about what sorts of bizarre things must go on in the local government that makes The Church of Scientology feel so at home in Pinellas county. You would be forgiven for any misgivings that knowledge of any of the following would arouse: a man standing outside a 7-11 wearing a baseball cap with the letters LAPD (a popular television show at the time) was arrested by Pinellas County deputies for "impersonating a police officer.".
Several people were arrested by Pinellas County deputies for having unpaid library fines.
A woman was taken from backyard by Hillsborough County deputies because her neighbor complained that she was sunbathing (within her fenced property). She was not allowed to get dressed before being handcuffed, forced into a cruiser, and taken to be processed.

Just a few stories that come to mind and are part of the public record. I left that madhouse 6 years ago, and haven't kept up with things. I feel much freer in Manhattan.

I felt very unsafe in Deerfield Beach. I would not let my family wander around at night. We stayed at the hotel at night and kids swam in the pool and we ate poolside. Deerfield was like a third world country. I say this because you mentioned Broward County.