Florida, a Corvette's paradise !
Racer
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 395
Likes: 136
From: Goldens bridge NY
Living in Florida we basically get to play with our toys 365 days out of the year. I can't imagine living where you are confined to maybe six months out of the year for your ZR1 due to snow and salt on the roadways. Snow in Florida? No way! Maybe a hurricane ever now and then but its definitely a corvette's paradise. How cold is it where you are? Do you have snow limiting your fun with the ZR1?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 898
Likes: 150
From: SE NY and SE FL
I live a little north of NYC and you are absolutely correct about the weather, but having spent a lot of time over the years in the Palm Coast and Ft Lauderdale area of Florida the one thing I will say is the roads in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess county NY are some of the most fun roads you can drive on when you want to do some spirited driving. Florida it seems is just straight roads and traffic lights. If I am just visiting the wrong part of Florida let me know what part of the state I can find some curves.
I had to go to Ft Lauderdale to pick something up recently and could not believe the traffic. As soon as I crossed into Broward County on I95 traffic was 25 / 30 mph. Driving around Ft Lauderdale was 5 / 10 mph at best. Northern Palm Beach / Martin Counties are much less crowded.
Last edited by GlennSullivan; Dec 15, 2018 at 08:19 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 6,520
Likes: 1,306
From: Windermere FL
There is not much in O-Town anymore, unless you like riding on Death Race 2018 - aka the I4 Ultimiate Death Match Unimprovmenent Project where at least one fatal accident a week occurs. But you will destroy your Corvette's suspension with the tank traps there. Don't mind the 3 sets of lane markers on that road - you just gotta guess and hope the person next to you does not smash into you. I particular like the one that if you follow the right set it will lead head on to a nice concrete barrier! SMASH! Then the RoadRa(n)ge(r) scrapers come and peel your remains off the slab to mail back to your family.
And let's not forget the 10 minute lights at every intersection that help make sure you hit every single red light, while making sure no traffic passes through any intersection. My vette average speed shows as 20 MPH. The county appreciated the extra gas tax revenue burning up the streets.
And if you do my any luck happen to find a stretch of any road with no traffic or lights, well it is your lucky day as the Mosquito County revenue collectors LEO will appreciate your donation to the local political corruption fund.
And least we forget every other construction pickup truck dropping roofing nails, 2 by 4's and step ladders on the roadways to flatten your tires and provide you kinds of opportunities to practice interesting evasive maneuvers. And of course all the landscapers with their uncovered trailers overfilled with tree limbs that they dispose on the roads because they don't want to pay the dump fees.
And did I mention Central Florida has the most expensive toll roads in the country?
And let's not forget the 10 minute lights at every intersection that help make sure you hit every single red light, while making sure no traffic passes through any intersection. My vette average speed shows as 20 MPH. The county appreciated the extra gas tax revenue burning up the streets.
And if you do my any luck happen to find a stretch of any road with no traffic or lights, well it is your lucky day as the Mosquito County revenue collectors LEO will appreciate your donation to the local political corruption fund.
And least we forget every other construction pickup truck dropping roofing nails, 2 by 4's and step ladders on the roadways to flatten your tires and provide you kinds of opportunities to practice interesting evasive maneuvers. And of course all the landscapers with their uncovered trailers overfilled with tree limbs that they dispose on the roads because they don't want to pay the dump fees.
And did I mention Central Florida has the most expensive toll roads in the country?
Last edited by Flame Red; Dec 21, 2018 at 07:45 AM.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 446
Likes: 10
From: Bonita Springs Fl.
Well I guess it depends on where you live in Florida. Yes you can drive the cars nearly year round, but in places like Naples in season, the traffic is ridiculous. There are intersections and traffic lights about every thousand feet as most of these places are nothing but a continuous grid work of streets that they continue to widen to compensate for the traffic.. There are enough curves or hills in the entire area to count on five fingers. So it’s stop light to stop light to another stop light which is great to practice shifting technique. In all the traffic it’s hard not to go out in the course of a day and witness rear end collisions at lights with all these boneheads that are texting, or someone that’s way too old to drive. I guess we should also take in to account all of the uninsured drivers here, and a good amount of them don’t even have drivers licenses. Corvettes were designed for curves and open driving, so it kind of defeats the purpose when your driving from light to light. Most of the time it’s too damn hot to take the top off unless you like broiling in the sun. My boat is better as at least I have a T top on that. So most of the time you are driving your car, you are in air conditioning exactly like you are when you are at home. More times than not, the only time I enjoy driving around here is at night when at least the traffic is down and the sun is not baking you. Get your ride all polished up and the drive around and there’s always some mistimed irrigation water all over the street so you can reclean it when you get home. And then there’s the rainy season with oppressive heat humid and constant rain, which of course I am long gone by that time which is a good thing. So yeah, I guess it’s paradise, but take everyone’s air conditioning away for one day and you hear people around here crying like a bunch of monks in a whorehouse. A few months of this and I just can’t wait to get back up north. To each his own I guess.
Plus, the mean northerners go away.
Last edited by seebobgo; Dec 21, 2018 at 07:42 PM.
CF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2004
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Likes: 5,253
From: Cape Cod, Mass.
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Cape Cod in the Spring, Summer and Fall and Pine Island, Fl. In the winter is just right for us. No interest in a Florida summer.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 376
Likes: 36
From: West Palm Beach, FL
SoCal Events Coordinator
I have lived and worked al over the country and had Corvettes from San Francisco to Los Angles, all of Texas, Florida and upstate New York. But I would much rather be here in Florida and drive my Corvette whenever I want, not having to keep it stored during the heavy snow and winter months. Yes some of the roads in upstate NY are good but they do not compare with the Pacific Coast Highway or any of the mountain roads out west, except I do not like to pay $4.97 per gallon for 91 octane gas in California, when I use 93 in Florida. Y'all can keep the north. As far as traffic goes, I would much prefer Ft Lauderdale over, LA, San Fran, NYC, Wash DC, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta just to name a few.
Sorry to burst yer bubbles yanks.
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 39
Likes: 10
From: Coral Springs Florida
I miss the seasons!!
We moved to S. Florida from the Chicago area about 2 years ago. I traded in the AWD SUV for a 12’ GS and then I traded that for a 16’ A8 Z06. It’s definitely nice not having to store the vette for 5 month out of the year. I have noticed the roads more crowded cause of the snowbirds arrival now, but it’s great driving the vette every day now. I am sitting outside with a cigar now in the 76 degree heat on Christmas Day. I definitely miss the seasons, cause it doesn’t change here. A few cooler nights, but the trees look the same and you can’t tell one season from the next. It’s hard to get in the holiday mood wearing shorts and flip flops all the time. I don’t mind the heat that much cause you get used to it. When it’s 88 and humid, you kinda adjust and know you will sweat taking the trash out! It’s still a vette drivers paradise to enjoy it year round!
CF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 19,373
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From: Cape Cod, Mass.
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80 and sunny on Pine Island. Happy Hour starts soon. Hard to beat SW Florida this time of year 
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,927
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From: Any City USA
LOL.... Id rather be in FLA and drive all year long!
Last edited by V Vette; Jan 5, 2019 at 03:03 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,214
Likes: 1,140
From: Santa Rosa Beach FL
Coldest towns in every state...
Milton FL, NE of Pensacola, is the coldest in Florida.
https://www.usatoday.com/list/weathe...?block=florida
https://www.usatoday.com/list/weathe...?block=florida
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,274
Likes: 1,681
From: Long Island
Here it's 46 degrees today, 35 tonight. Long Island is lucky we have a mild winter and a good 9 months of drivable weather .
We were at the car meet this morning at the beach, about 300 cars.
If we get snow it's usually gone in 4 to 5 days.
Same for the summer - we get "hot" days but they are few and far between - the Ocean tends to buffer our weather.
For those in FL - been there done that - June - July - August is not pleasant. We don't get the afternoon rain storm either.
Very few places are perfect all year round. I may split the time next year between Long Island and FL - Stuart.
We were at the car meet this morning at the beach, about 300 cars.
If we get snow it's usually gone in 4 to 5 days.
Same for the summer - we get "hot" days but they are few and far between - the Ocean tends to buffer our weather.
For those in FL - been there done that - June - July - August is not pleasant. We don't get the afternoon rain storm either.
Very few places are perfect all year round. I may split the time next year between Long Island and FL - Stuart.