Summertime in Florida has gotten a bit of a bad rap.
Yes, it occasionally gets a bit uncomfortable outside — that’s why God made air conditioning — but summers here offer delights and natural beauty that snowbirds will miss.
In fact, more than half of the residents of the area’s premier retirement communities — Moorings Park, Moorings Park at Grey Oaks, and Moorings Park Grande Lake — enjoy living in Florida throughout the year.
Florida For Life!
Pete Merkel moved to Moorings Park Grande Lake about a year ago, but he’s enjoyed summers in Florida for decades.
“The things that I think everyone here likes is, number one: less traffic,” he says. “Less population also makes restaurant availability good. And in the summertime, all the country clubs have reciprocal arrangements.” Golfers enjoy the opportunity to sample courses through these arrangements, Pete points out.
“I love nature,” he says. explaining that he likes to stroll the three-mile berm on the beach in Pelican Bay, or bike it with his son who lives in the area. “It’s a great nature walk. Biking on the berm is safe and beautiful. This area is loaded with all kinds of nature benefits.”
And the benefits he’s gained from moving to Moorings Park Grande Lake have made his summers even better.
A Natural Fit
“I'm an active guy, it’s why I love it here so much,” Pete says. “I walk a lot. Here walkways are rubberized. It looks like macadam, but it’s rubberized, so when you walk, you’re not slamming your foot down on concrete. That goes all along the lake. There are a couple of pavilions that stick out over the water; you can stop at one of those and enjoy the scenery.”
He can enjoy nature from the coziness of his residence as well. One of his lanais overlooks the lake and the beautiful neighboring Grande Lake Golf Course. “I often eat breakfast out there,” he says. “It’s very comfortable.”
All-Weather Fun
And Moorings Park Grande Lake abounds with opportunities to stay physically and socially active, regardless of what the weather is like.
“At Moorings Park, the key word is wellness,” Pete points out, and enjoying physical and social activities is a big part of staying healthy and fit.
“I participate in all kinds of things,” he says. “I was at water aerobics this morning; I do it three times a week. They have balance classes twice a week; I do that.”
Next year, he’s looking forward to getting involved in the community’s bocce ball league.
“The social activities are fantastic. We have lectures almost every day in the theatre,” he continues. “We have a theatre that’s beautiful … it’s gorgeous! We have professors in there from Florida Gulf Coast University. We have movies in there. They send out a ballot, we vote on various movies … good current stuff. There are things there almost every day.”
The Payoff
“The physical therapy that’s available is almost unbelievable,” Pete says, referring to the community’s state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training machines. “The community’s wellness trainers set them all up for your height, your weight, and your strength levels, and what exercises you should do.”
Once set up, the machines remember the personalized settings for each resident and automatically adjust to that person’s program.
“I do it almost every day. It’s wonderful,” he says.
“And the best thing? I just recently had my annual appointment with my neurosurgeon. He said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep it up! Cause you’re in the best shape you’ve been in for years!’
“So the system works,” he smiles. “It’s great!”
Aging Happily
“Here at Moorings Park Grande Lake, we pride ourselves on offering the best retirement lifestyle you can find anywhere,” says Gina Paris, the community’s Director of Sales. “It’s great to hear success stories like Pete’s, but it’s by no means unique. Helping our residents to ‘age successfully’ is our core mission.
“Year in and year out, the community has been recognized as one of the Top 25 ‘Best in Wellness’ boomer communities in North America by the International Council on Active Aging,” Gina continues. “And the residences we offer are truly spectacular. In fact, some of the floor plans in our latest building, Eagleview, will be the largest offered at any senior living community in the nation.
“Moorings Park Grande Lake is a premier Life Plan Community. We are still finalizing pricing for Eagleview, but we expect entrance fees will run from $3.2 to $8+ million,” she adds. “Bear in mind that those entrance fees are 70 percent refundable to you or your estate, and a sizable portion of that is tax deductible, though, so the true cost will be significantly less. Interested people have been joining our waiting list.”
You’re Invited: Appetizers And Information
Gina continues, “There is so much to life at Moorings Park Grande Lake that we can’t give more than a glimpse of it in an article. We invite people to join us at our campus on Friday, July 7th, at 10:30 a.m. when Senior living expert Tom Mann will be giving a talk about this extraordinary lifestyle. Our executive chef will serve some tasty treats, and we’ll be happily answering questions about life at this beautiful community.”
Unable to join us? Interested boomers and seniors may want to learn more by enjoying an online seminar, which will also be held on Friday, July 7th at 10:30 a.m.
To register for either of these educational events, please visit MooringsPark.org/Events, or call 239-232-3903.
