We're leaving Orlando for good! We're looking for free & clear land (no mortgage; 2-3 or up to 500 acres+, Orlando-Tampa-Daytona areas all OK) with or without housing on it. Ideally, we'd like to have the land donated to our non-profit organizatin, called "A Quiet Place." We can receipt the donating party so they can write off the value as a tax deduction. We have a small amouint of $ to imporve the land. Other land ideas appreciated even if they have some mortgages to them.

-- Marc White (marc@servant-group.com), August 26, 2000

Answers

Marc, You may want to think twice about moving elsewhere in Central Florida. In less than 10 years, Central Florida is going to be a really expensive place to live as by that time, we are going to have to start drinking treated surface water (how long will it take us to drink up all of that?). Within 20 years, this place will be a dried-up hellhole withno water anywhere. It will take all of the water, both ground and surface, just to generate the electricity we need and local government, who paid $7,000,000 for the study, is refusing to acknowlege it. Don't believe me? Want to check it out for yourself? Contact the St. John's River Water Management District Technical Publication SJ98-2 and page ES-21 of the SJRWMD District Water Supply Plan, Executive Summary. Strange and frightening, but true. Apparently the local politicians and developers are planning to be somewhere else when the lack-of-water issue hits the fan in 7 - 8 years.

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), August 31, 2000.

Marc, what ya'll do is your business but I would get out while you can. I grew up in central Fl and watched any semblance of home town disappear in housing developments. They are eating up the orange groves, small farms and cattle ranches that were so many in that area. What is not being eaten up by housing is going for shopping and recreation. If you are determined to stay in Fl go north. There's still a lot of land and a lot less development up there. We moved to Tn 13 yrs ago and it was like falling through a time warp. As much as I loved growing up down there I have no desire to ever go back. Peggy

-- Peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), August 31, 2000.

Being a more or less Florida native, I'd suggest going north at least to the Gainsville area or over in the panhandle around Marianna. Both areas are basically rural and prices/cost-of-living issues are still resonable.

Good luck.

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000.