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Talk of the Bay
Housing costs send them halfway home
By JAMES THORNER
Published September 25, 2006
Heard about the Tampa Bay area halfbacks? They're not part of the Buccaneers' roster. They're people, often retirees, who moved to Florida years ago from the upper Midwest and Northeast. Now, torqued off about higher insurance, taxes and housing prices, they're moving halfway back home, usually to North Carolina. As developers and builders assess why the housing market is hobbling this year, some point to the halfbacks. People are moving to the area in droves, but part of the inflow is canceled out by people fleeing Florida. No less a real estate grandee than St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen dropped the phrase at an affordable-housing summit this month in Tampa. Of course some families, relegated to the North Carolina sticks, hanker for a return to Florida. Their hopes rise with talk of falling Tampa Bay area home prices. So expect some of the half-backs to try out a new play. Anyone for a double reverse?
[Last modified September 25, 2006, 06:07:48]
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