Growing Up In Central Florida

I grew up in Leesburg in the 80s.

Back then, things were different.

Fewer homes, more orange groves, and much less traffic.

We watched The Villages come to life, Clermont go from citrus to rooftops, and Mount Dora become an art destination.

An easy drive to the East or West Coast. As a teenager, it didn’t get any better than this.

Looking back, we were living the dream…

Day trips to Daytona on SR 44, rolling the Jeep windows down as we went over the Intracoastal, smelling the salty air.

Wakeboarding, fishing and boating to restaurants on the Lake Harris Chain.

Date nights in Orlando or weekends at the theme parks.

I don’t remember taking any of it for granted,

but 40 years later... I may slightly.

Thousands of people move to Florida every day. I see the same story unfolding everyday with my clients, people who dream to live here.

And if you ask enough people, they’ll say they desire the kind of life we were living.

The things I know I should be grateful for.

Sure, we have our share of hurricanes (or rainstorms, if you’ve been here long enough). But locals like us should be more appreciative. Because there are enough Facebook posts every summer when it’s hot as hell in mid-July, or people complaining about the 3 days it’s below 40 degrees.

It's worth it.

I’ve lived in and been part of the growth in 3 Central Florida counties (Lake, Orange, and Sumter). Traffic and development can be draining, but we have some pretty cool back roads.

Farms, forest land, and two-lane highways connect our counties in little towns like Astatula, Center Hill, Chuluota, Sorrento, and Umatilla.

The beach is an hour away, and today there’s enough boat ramps making it easier to access our lakes, and better roads get us in and out of Orlando quicker.

It's home. And as much as I said I’d never move back here after college... well,

here I am.

There isn’t a better spot.

I'm grateful to be from, and still in...

Central Florida. ☀️