As a native Central Floridian, and current resident of Land O' Lakes (no, not where the butter comes from) which is just north of Tampa, near Tampa Palms/New Tampa as an earlier post mentioned, I can say it would definitely be worth the pay hike to come here! Of course, like any large city there are "areas to avoid" but for the most part I love it here. Land O' Lakes, affectionately known as LOL (not to be confused with "laugh out loud" though it used to be considered as such) is actually in Pasco County, the next county north of Hillsborough County which contains Tampa, Brandon, Valrico, and Apollo Beach just to name a few areas. I work in Brandon, which is a 35 minute interstate drive south for me.
The things that I like most about Land O' Lakes after doing most of my growing up here and returning to start my own family after living in Tampa and Clearwater for a while, is that it is now the popular place to build a home. When I lived out here growing up twelve years ago, it was backwoods rural and nobody could understand why anyone would want to live out here (even though it is only fifteen minutes north of TAMPA, THE BUSTLING METROPOLIS where all the fancy-type city folk come from.) We used to be able to go out back and shoot, now that may not be possible without LEA reaction. There were 200 people in my graduating class, but I feel I got eksalunt book lernin'
. Now all those "fancy city folks" want to move out here like they're pioneering the untamed west or something, and as I last read Pasco County was the 68th fastest-growing county in the U.S. last year. It still has some rural charm, in that I still run into people I went to school with in town either because they never left, or like me they have returned.
The range I shoot at is an outdoor range 15 minutes north of my house, but there are a few indoor ranges in the Tampa and Clearwater areas that I know of. If you're a beachgoer, they're not far at all, but we're out of the way of the madness that is "touristville" if you know what I mean.
As mentioned before, Florida is CCW friendly, however you are not required to have a CCW to keep a handgun (loaded or otherwise) in your vehicle as long as it is out of sight and not in your immediate accessiblity such as the driver's compartment or between the driver's and passenger's seats. Many people may try and tell you of a 3-step rule (that is 3 steps to access weapon, i.e. 1) under the seat, 2) in holster, 3) with thumbreak on) when carrying in the vehicle, but this is not the law, just a good rule of thumb. The law is very vague, and written that way on purpose so that good common sense can be held in consideration when TSHTF. I have been told by LEO instructors that an open (not holstered), loaded handgun is perfectly fine in the closed glove box or trunk without CCW. Long guns can be transported in the open just about any way imaginable, including loaded, in one of those infamous "gun racks", on the seat, or even on the dash (none of which I recommend, BTW, unless you're asking to have them stolen) as long as they are visible, and if they are cased, anywhere is fine. In fact, I'd be surprised if the number of personal vehicles containing firearms was less than those that don't. We're kinda like Texas that way!
I'm pretty sure about this info, but anyone is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong!
There are many great places to live in the Tampa area, I hope you give it some consideration! If there's any more info I can help you with, let me know.
Best, Steve
