One in four snowbirds find a roost in Florida

By Kathleen Kernicky South Florida Sun-Sentinel Posted March 4 2007

It started with vacations. Vacations stretched into winters. Ruth and Ted Goolst of Boca Raton were snowbirds while Ted ran his optometry practice in Newton, Mass. When Ted, 77, retired four years ago, the couple moved full-time into their condo at Whisper Walk.

"It got to be a bit of a hassle going back and forth. And it was getting too expensive to hold down two homes. It was there or here. We figured our lives would be easier here," says Ruth, 73.

According to a recent University of Florida study, almost one in four people 55 and older who moved full-time to the Sunshine State between 2000 and 2003 started out as a snowbird. In addition, 30 percent of current snowbirds said it was "likely or very likely" they would move here year-round at some point.