We lived in the Bradenton area for a few years & found the west coast of FL more laid back & less expensive than the southeast coast. Anna Maria Island is delightful & is mom & pop touristy while Longboat Key is more upscale & glitzy. Take your pick.
The Cape Coral and Port Charlotte areas, near Fort Meyers, seem still to have affordable property. If you don't particularly want the coast, the towns of Mount Dora, Live Oak, Dade City, and Arcadia are worth looking at. Gainesville.
On the east coast we also liked the area between Melbourne & St. Augustine. If you like history, you can't beat St. Augustine.
We bought a home in Sun City Center, FL which is about 25 miles from Tampa. This active retirement community has everything you need. Golf, indoor, outdoor pools, tennis, a 40,000 sq. ft. club house. Over 200 clubs you can join and the list goes on. We to plan on spending Jan, Feb, March down there and returning to NC with a few additional two week trips during the year back to Fl. We're originally from NJ and my husband just retired from the Federal government. Good Luck.
