> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.beechbumblvd.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Moving to Englewood, FL - URL: https://www.beechbumblvd.com/moving-to-englewood-fl/ - Published: 2026-10-02T17:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T13:17:09.000Z - Author: Bee - Tags: MY SMALL TOWN, 002 ![Florida License Plate](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/beechbumblvdplate.png) ![Englewood Water Tower](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/EnglewoodWaterTower.png) ![STAMP 3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/WelcomeToFlorida.png) ![Hand-drawn vintage postage stamp featuring a Florida license plate reading “BEECH BUM BLVD,” with oranges, orange blossoms, and a sage green background, illustrated by The Small Town Studio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/beechbumblvdplate.png) ![Hand-drawn vintage postage stamp featuring the iconic Englewood, Florida, water tower in cream against a sage green background, illustrated by The Small Town Studio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/EnglewoodWaterTower.png) ![Hand-drawn vintage postage stamp featuring the iconic “Florida Welcomes You” sign with a yellow sun and turquoise lettering between two stone pillars, illustrated by The Small Town Studio.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/WelcomeToFlorida.png) ![sunset over they gulf](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5128-1.jpg) ![Fossilized Shark Teeth on Manasota Key, Florida](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/66787062013__D37334FD-52C9-4BB5-B5FE-9783743FFD9D-2.JPG) ![Golden-orange sunset over the Gulf on Manasota Key, Florida, with waves rolling onto a shell-covered beach beneath a sky filled with glowing clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5128-1.jpg) ![Eight small fossilized shark teeth in shades of brown and black resting in the palm of a hand, collected while shark tooth hunting on Manasota Key, Florida.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/66787062013__D37334FD-52C9-4BB5-B5FE-9783743FFD9D-2.JPG) I remember the first time driving over the drawbridge with my sister and feeling excited. It was the first thing I got a video of. There was an osprey that had a nest on the drawbridge traffic light and appeared to greet each car going over the bridge. The only other drawbridge town I’ve been to was Sunset Beach, North Carolina, where I met my boyfriend, and that felt like a sign. ![Driving across the Lemon Bay drawbridge toward Manasota Key, Florida, with green traffic lights, a drawbridge signal, and the bridge operator's tower beneath a cloudy sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5126.jpg) the drawbridge over lemon bay The next thing I captured was the “Welcome to Manasota Key” sign that was tucked way into the thick Florida foliage, if you blinked, you’d miss it. I remember thinking even then, what a small almost hidden sign for a vacation beach town. Now, after spending years here, the sign feels fitting. A low-key hidden gem that stays tucked into mangroves and sea grapes. ![Blue-and-white Welcome to Manasota Key roadside sign surrounded by palm trees and dense tropical greenery in Englewood, Florida.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5127.jpg) manasota key welcome sign During my first trip to this area, I found fossilized shark teeth, saw bay water actually glow for the first time and watched the sun set over he Gulf. I was hooked. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/66787062013__D37334FD-52C9-4BB5-B5FE-9783743FFD9D.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3409.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5128.jpg) My boyfriend and I actually came here through work. ![A smiling couple enjoying a sunny beach day on Manasota Key, Florida, surrounded by coastal vegetation.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_0031.JPG) beach bums We lived here for a couple of years but had to move after Helene and Milton devastated the key. We were in this strange limbo. We had officially moved out of New Jersey to Florida and then were uprooted by two massive hurricanes. Right before Milton, we packed up our important belongings and evacuated the key. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_2985.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3002.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_2991.JPG) debris after Helene 10/3/24 We headed to the north Georgia mountains. The evacuation drive was long. The traffic was unreal. I had never seen gas stations running out of gas along the highway. ![Gasoline nozzles covered with yellow out-of-service bags at a Love’s gas station during a hurricane evacuation.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3178-1.JPG) gas pumps that ran out of gas We decided to make light of it and spend a couple of days with my boyfriend's family in a cabin to wait out the storm, thinking we'd be going back to the place we made our new home. But after watching the news, from hundreds of miles away, we had a looming feeling we wouldn’t be going back. ![Large Blue Ridge, Georgia, mural painted on the side of a downtown building beneath a bright blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3480.JPG) a small mountain town, our sanctuary from the hurricane On our last day in Blue Ridge, we stopped in town at Huck's General Store. As we were walking the streets, I looked down and saw this little palm tree. It’s funny how little things turn into signs when you need them the most. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3500-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3483-2.JPG) Once Milton made landfall, we were heartbroken. There was no going back. We were kind of floating as we tried to figure out what to do next. After Blue Ridge, we drove to Tennessee and stayed with family, then spent a day in Townsend on the River. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3621-1.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3624-1.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/8d/588df8e5-5baa-466d-916f-57f9952331dc/content/images/2026/10/IMG_3605.JPG) We eventually drove back to New Jersey after days of uncertainty. We felt out of whack for months. But luckily I have an amazing family who helped us in every way possible. Each day I dreamed of going back. We started looking for houses and finally found an old Florida cottage that stood out. The move back was even more exciting than the first move. We had a house. Something to look forward to, something to fix up and make our own. It finally felt like a future. I love my new small town and I can’t wait to share all my favorite parts of it and our little life in paradise.