Originally Posted by shut the front door (Post 2396821)

Odd how the OP knows the personal driving habits of every single one of the snowbirds who come to FL.
And yes, full timers can gripe about snowbirds, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it other than complaining and griping about it on a message board.

Originally Posted by dhdallas (Post 2396791)

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” ranted Peter Finch’s character, Howard Beale, in the film “Network”. I feel the same about the relentless snide remarks & overt negativity directed at and about snowbirds. Let’s look at some facts & common complaints.

We increase traffic congestion.
Hard to argue with that one but we also reduce congestion by leaving for 6 months or more so is the glass half full or half empty?

Snowbirds are bad drivers. Really? Snowbirds come to Florida from all over the U.S. & Canada, driving thousands of miles. How are we able to do this without causing accidents & chaos? It’s really very simple.

We are healthy overall; without vision & hearing problems, coordination deficits, mental lapses or dementia.
We keep our speed at the level of the posted speed limits or with the natural flow of traffic.
We keep to the right lane unless passing.
We use our turn signals.
We can properly & legally park a vehicle (as in between-the-lines & without blocking other vehicles, fire lanes, handicap spaces, etc.).
We put down the phone in order to pay attention to our driving.
We drive defensively.
We practice patience & courtesy.

Floridians seem to think we are clueless as to navigating roundabouts. Newsflash! Florida does not have a monopoly on roundabouts. We have many in my home state & an accident in a roundabout is actually quite rare & never a daily/weekly occurrence as it is here.

Snowbirds living in The Villages pay the same as full time residents in regard to amenity fees, bonds, insurance, property taxes, school taxes & more, yet we are here less than 6 months. We do not vote or influence local & state elections & leave the politics, policies, laws, etc. to the permanent residents of Florida. It is the politicians you have elected who continue to approve new developments attracting more snowbirds to Florida. “If you build it, they will come”

Snowbird money is important to Florida. In 2019, snowbirds contributed over $95 billion to the Florida economy. That equates to 1.6 million jobs in Florida.

To summarize, people love a scapegoat & snowbirds make an easy target but look at the facts:

We are safe drivers.
We pay the same for year-round services.
We benefit the economy.
We leave the politics to you.
We go away for at least half of the year.

Of course there is one way that we snowbirds could put an end to the complaining; we could all just move here permanently. Now, there’s an idea!

Originally Posted by juddfl (Post 2397195)

I love the snow birds. I live here all the time, but I do have some friends that are snow birds. They flutter in and flutter out. I miss them when their gone, but some still work or watch grandkids in the summer break. Snow birds are good for The Villages.

Originally Posted by rsmurano (Post 2397167)

When I hear patience and driving defensively, all I hear is 10mph slower, and stopping at those magically appearing stop signs at the roundabouts.
It is crowded on the streets, in the squares, on the courts, and that’s ok, but I see a lot of people in cars with out of state licenses doing stupid things on the roads, more so than full timers doing stupid things.

Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2397197)

Snowbirds, fine
Sunbirds, fine
renters of 1+ months, especially those that return year after year, fine
Airbnb's-----a growing problem and it doesn't add to the appeal of TV or enhance our quality of life

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2396805)

Funny how the bad behaviors seem to peak when We-who-do-no-wrong arrive.

Is it that You bring out the worst in the non-snowbirds? If so, perhaps the non-snowbirds would be better off if that catalyst were to stay away.

OR, and more likely, the "We" you use assumes a bit more than is actually supported by reality and would be more accurate if replaced by "A few snowbirds, but certainly not all," as in:

A few snowbirds, but certainly not all, are healthy overall; without vision & hearing problems, coordination deficits, mental lapses or dementia.
A few snowbirds, but certainly not all, keep our speed at the level of the posted speed limits or with the natural flow of traffic.
A few snowbirds, but certainly not all, keep to the right lane unless passing.
etc.

Originally Posted by dhdallas (Post 2397231)

I will repeat, one million snowbirds come to Florida from all over the U.S. & Canada, driving thousands of miles AND arrive safely without causing accidents & chaos? It is NOT just a "few".

Originally Posted by RRGuyNJ (Post 2397172)

Friendliest Hometown? Definitely not the case if you follow "Talk of the Villages". Don't forget those heathen "Short Term Renters" LOL

Originally Posted by opinionist (Post 2397006)

Stereotyping is never helpful in describing a large group of people. Yes, there is more traffic. If you want to complain about that, feel free to rant away. Judging people by the group is for the ignorant.

Originally Posted by NoMo50 (Post 2397111)

I, for one, appreciate the "true" snowbirds. You know, the folks who are homeowners in The Villages, yet choose to be seasonal residents. They pay the same amenity and maintenance fees as full timers, which helps subsidize the rest of us while they are not here. During the busy season is traffic worse, are the restaurants more crowded, is it harder to get tee times? Absolutely. But come May every year, the full time residents get to enjoy a much less crowded paradise for about 6 months.

My gripe is with the non-owner visitors...you know, the short term renters and the AirBnB crowd. And believe me, there are a bunch of them. Those people are not invested in the quality of life here, and just show up to do whatever they want and then leave, only to be replaced by the next group. The true snowbirds, and snowflakes, care as much about their homes and the quality of life as the rest of us. Rant over.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 2397251)

You can't have a problem with short-term renters, and not also have a problem with their snowbird home-owner landlords.

There would be very few seasonal tenants if those "true snowbirds" didn't rent out their homes. (and yeah I know there are people and companies that buy properties just for investments and never live in them and just rent them out. That's why I said "very few".)