[AGE]

Brit,

I currently live about 50 miles north of Orlando. It's supposed to go down to about 32F tonight (0 Centigrade). The high tomorrow is to be 72F. All modern houses here have both heating and AC units. The heat pumps are popular (we have one), but a new 40,000 person development about 10 miles away has all gas furnaces.

It's also true that summers are hot, real hot. In Dec & Jan lows range from about 30F to 55F and highs from 60F to 75F. In April and Sept lows range from 60F to 70F and highs from 70 to 90F. In August lows run 70 to 75F and highs from 80 to 100F (that's what AC is for).

Norm makes a little sense--before hurricane Charley we lived in South FL (200 miles south of here near Ft. Myers). After Charley my insurance company rebuilt our house and we sold it for 4 times what we paid for it 12 years ago. We cried all the way to the bank. We are now having a condo. built about 20 miles from our old house--we're renting here until it's done.

However, I lived most of my life in the frozen north, mostly Pennsylvania but also Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut. I'll never go back to the frozen wasteland unless it's in a box.

Florida is greaaaat.