Those Florida Retirees Are Calling Me Non-Stop This Summer – And Here’s What’s Behind It

Right Now: We’re seeing a huge surge of Florida retirees moving to Tennessee and reaching out to Tellico Lake brokers, all driven by a perfect storm of insurance hikes, hurricane fatigue, and a summer heat wave that’s just gotten too much to handle. Tennessee’s no state income tax, cooler summers, and affordable housing make Tellico Lake the go-to destination for anyone looking to escape the Sunshine State.

My phone has gone from normal phone calls in August to ringing non-stop this summer. And I’m not hearing from the usual Midwesterners who move here to escape the cold. Nope, the calls are coming from folks in Naples, Sarasota, The Villages, and Fort Myers – all places where people used to think they’d found the ideal retiree destination. But now, they’ve got an insurance renewal in one hand and a phone in the other, and they’re calling a broker in East Tennessee that they’d never even heard of six months ago.

I’m not writing this to sell you on Tellico Lake. I’m writing to let folks know they’re not alone in their thinking. And if you’re up north, watching your Florida friends decide to leave, you should know what’s driving that conversation.

I’ve been listed as a preferred realtor by the Tellico Village POA, and I’ve been working these communities since 2006. I mention that only so you know the calls I’m about to describe are landing on a phone that’s heard a lot of retirement conversations. This summer is different.

What my phone’s been saying this August

I’ve been doing this in East Tennessee since 2006. Before that, Toledo. Forty-plus years watching people relocate for retirement, so I’ve got a pretty good sense of what a normal summer sounds like.

But this isn’t a normal summer. And the calls themselves have a pretty predictable pattern. They start with, “A friend of ours moved up there last year, and she says we should give you a call.” Then there’s a pause, and then they start telling me about the insurance bill, or the hurricane that came a little too close to home, or the fact that August is just getting too hot to handle anymore. They’re not looking to buy. They’re just trying to validate a suspicion that’s been building for a while.

Here are three stories from folks who’ve called me in the past few weeks.

Three couples, three reasons

The couple from Naples whose insurance bill nearly tripled

They moved from Cincinnati in 2011, bought a house on the beach for a pretty penny, and thought they were set. But this year’s insurance renewal told them a very different story. They thought there was a decimal error, but nope – the number was real. They’re not underwater on their house, but the math doesn’t add up anymore. As the wife put it to me, “We moved to Florida to retire, not to spend our fixed income on insurance.”

Why they moved: Insurance hikes are the number one reason folks are calling me. On the Gulf Coast, where a lot of my callers live – Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota – homeowners premiums are running $6,500 to $18,000+ a year in 2026, depending on storm exposure. Compare that to $2,400 to $2,600 for a comparable home here in Loudon or Monroe County. And trust me, if you’re carrying a Florida homeowners policy, you already know your number.

The widower from The Villages who can’t take another August

He’s 68, and his wife passed a few years ago. He loved The Villages for the first four years, but since then, the summers just haven’t been doing it for him. Heat index warnings on the pickleball court, trouble breathing just walking outside in the afternoon… He’s not leaving because he doesn’t love The Villages. He’s leaving because his body can’t do another summer like this.

The Sarasota couple whose grandkids stopped visiting

They got tired of hurricane season and hot summers; the grandkids just haven’t been able to visit during the summer. It was too hot for them in the summer, but since then, they’ve been doing spring breaks instead. And this year, they just plain didn’t come at all. Her daughter told her, “Mom, the kids are teenagers now. They’re not doing Florida in the summer.” They called me because a friend from her book club moved to Tellico Village last year, and told her about the drive from Michigan. It’s just 8 hours down I-75, and the grandkids can do it themselves in a couple years.

What Most Buyers Miss: For Florida retirees, the retirement dream often includes the grandkids coming to visit. But when that stops happening, the whole calculation changes. Location relative to your kids is a big factor that most people don’t plan for enough.

The couple who decided to stay

I’m gonna tell you about this couple for a reason.

Fort Myers couple called me in June. They’d been thinking about selling their beach house in Fort Myers. It’s a thirty-year-old place, hurricane-hardened, but insurance is a nightmare. They’d spent two days here in July, touring Tellico Village and Rarity Bay, eating at the new Tanasi Clubhouse, and driving out to WindRiver. They loved the whole area.

But after visiting, they phoned me a week later and said, “Rick, we love it. But we can’t leave the ocean. We can’t leave our beach church. We can’t leave the friends we’ve had for thirty years.” They were looking for a reason to be excited about staying, and Tellico Lake accidentally gave them one.

That’s the right call. If the ocean is what makes retirement for you, don’t leave the ocean. Tellico Lake is a lot of things, but it’s not the ocean. And I’d rather tell you that upfront than sell you a house you’ll regret in two years.

The snowbird option nobody talks about

Not everyone who calls me wants to sell the Florida house.

Some of the smartest folks I’ve talked to this summer are keeping their Naples or Sarasota place and buying something modest at Tellico Lake for May through October. They get the pleasant East Tennessee summer, they miss August by heading somewhere cooler for a couple weeks, and they’re back in Florida for November through April when it’s genuinely beautiful down there.

It’s not the cheapest option. But if you love your Florida life eight months a year and can’t take the summer anymore, this is a real conversation to have. Some of the smaller condos and cottages at Tellico Village or Kahite work well for this – lower carrying cost, lock-and-leave, and you’re not managing two big houses.

How Florida folks are actually visiting to check it out

Almost every caller asks the same next question: “How do we come see it without making it a whole ordeal?”

Here’s what most of my Florida callers do. They fly into Knoxville (TYS) direct from Fort Myers, Tampa, or Orlando – about a 90-minute flight. They rent a car at the airport, drive 35 minutes to the Tellico Lake area, and stay two or three nights either at a rental inside Tellico Village or at one of the hotels in Vonore or Lenoir City. I set up drive-throughs of each community they’re interested in – Tellico Village, Rarity Bay, WindRiver, Kahite – and we usually eat one meal at the Blue Heron at the Yacht Club or the new Tanasi Clubhouse. Hence, they get a feel for what daily life actually looks like.

If you can spare three days, that’s enough to know whether Tellico Lake is on the list or off it. If you want to come, call me first, and I’ll help you time it right – some weeks are better than others for seeing the communities at their best.

What your Florida dollar actually buys here right now

Here’s the honest comparison. I’m not going to give you any of that inflated business about how great Tellico Lake is or how bad Florida is. Just the facts.

Tellico Village is an ungated community in Loudon County. It’s got two golf courses – Toqua and Tanasi – the Tanasi Clubhouse that reopened this year, the Blue Heron at the Yacht Club, and over 200 clubs and activity groups. If you’ve got a hobby, there’s probably a group for it. New Villagers is a club for folks who just moved to the area, and it points you towards other groups that might interest you.

Rarity Bay is gated, 960 acres on a peninsula in Vonore. It’s got the golf-cart-and-neighbors vibe that a lot of Florida folks expect from an amenity community. WindRiver’s a smaller, more exclusive community that’s got a similar feel, but it’s a bit more laid back. Kahite’s tucked in on the south end near Vonore, quieter than the others, with its own golf course – The Links at Kahite – and its own crowd.

Florida vs Tennessee: the side-by-side

Here’s the honest comparison, category by category, for a retiree relocating in 2026:

This table is the reason my phone’s been ringing this summer. Line by line, the delta adds up to real money and real quality of life.

What each community is running in 2026

Every one of these communities has its own price tier. Here’s the honest snapshot as of this summer:

• Tellico Village — Median sale prices $611,000 to $650,000. The best entry point if you want the amenity lifestyle without stretching. Prices have been climbing 4.5% to 5.9% year over year.
• Kahite — $784,000 to $789,000. Larger elevated lots, quieter feel, its own golf course.
• Rarity Bay — $750,000 to $829,000 for standard closes. Custom lakefront estates run well higher.
• WindRiver — The luxury end. Executive homes are closing near $1,970,000. Vacant lots and entry-level parcels start lower if you want to build.

For most of my Florida callers, what you paid for your Naples or Sarasota house ten years ago (and what it’s worth today) is enough to buy at Tellico Village or Kahite outright and still have money left over. WindRiver and Rarity Bay work if you’re moving up, not just moving over.

The tax picture

Here’s what most folks don’t know. Tennessee doesn’t tax Social Security, pensions, or 401(k) withdrawals – same as Florida. Tennessee has no estate tax or inheritance tax either. Sales tax is a little higher here (9.75% in Loudon County), but that hits your grocery bill, not your fixed retirement income.

Property taxes are where the delta really shows up. Tennessee assesses residential property at just 25% of appraised value, and Loudon County’s rate for 2026-27 is $1.1034 per $100 of assessed value. Translation: a home appraised at $400,000 pays roughly $1,100 a year in county property tax. That same $400,000 home in Collier County – where Florida assesses at 100% of value and total millage runs around 11 mills – would run you closer to $3,900 a year in property tax, even after the homestead exemption. On a $600,000 home, the gap gets wider. That’s real money on a fixed income, every year, forever.

Groceries, utilities, and gas run comparable to or slightly below Florida coastal averages. The dollar-that-matters difference isn’t day-to-day spending – it’s what leaves your account before you spend anything: insurance, property tax, and the cost of maintaining a house against salt air.

Who should stay in Florida?

This is the part most brokers won’t write, so I’m gonna put it out there.

If the ocean is what it’s all about for you, then stay in Florida. Not “we like the ocean”, the ocean. If Sunday mornings on the sand are what make retirement feel like retirement, then Tellico Lake isn’t gonna cut it – it’s a big freshwater lake surrounded by mountains.

Stay in Florida if you need a major airport in twenty minutes. There’s a real airport in Knoxville, but it’s forty-five minutes from most of our communities, and it’s no Tampa or Miami.

Stay if your whole social world is down there, and you don’t want to start over. It’s easier here than in a lot of places (200+ clubs, and folks who moved here for similar reasons), but starting over at 68 is not for everyone, and it’s honest to say so.

Stay if you love the beach culture, the pace of life, the year-round shorts weather. We’ve got seasons here. Winter’s mild, but it exists.

Reality Check: East Tennessee gets thunderstorms and the occasional tornado warning. What we don’t get: Category 4 hurricanes, storm surge, or the six-month annual dread of watching the tropics. Tellico Lake itself is TVA-managed, so lake levels stay controlled – no floodplain surprises like some Florida coastal communities. Insurance-wise, that’s the difference between a $6,500 to $18,000+ annual premium on the Florida Gulf Coast and $2,400 to $2,600 here.

If any of those are you, don’t call me. Save your money and enjoy your Florida house.

Common Questions

Is Tennessee really cheaper for retirees than Florida?

It depends on where in Florida and where in Tennessee. But Tennessee has no state income tax (just like Florida), lower property taxes than most Florida counties, and homeowners insurance that isn’t priced against hurricane risk. For most of the retirees I talk to, the annual cost of living here at Tellico Lake is meaningfully lower than a comparable Florida home in 2026. Get the exact numbers before making a decision.

How much is homeowners insurance in Florida right now?

It depends heavily on where in Florida. Rough 2026 ranges:

• North Florida: $2,100 to $2,400 a year (lower wind risk)
• Central Florida: $2,800 to $3,200 a year
• South Florida inland (Broward, Palm Beach): $4,200 to $5,500 a year
• Coastal Gulf and the Keys: $6,500 to $18,000+ a year, depending on storm exposure

For comparison, a homeowners policy on a similar home at Tellico Lake typically runs $2,400 to $2,600 a year in Loudon or Monroe County. That premium delta is the single biggest driver of the Florida retiree calls I’ve been fielding this summer.

Does Tennessee tax Social Security or retirement income?

No. Tennessee doesn’t tax Social Security, pension income, or 401(k) and IRA withdrawals. It’s one of the most tax-friendly states in the country for retirees on fixed income – functionally equivalent to Florida on the income side. There’s also no state estate tax or inheritance tax.

How hot does Tellico Lake actually get in the summer?

June and July are pretty nice – mostly mid-eighties with the lake breeze to cool things down and surprisingly lower humidity than you’d expect. But then comes August – the hot month – with humidity up the wick and temps in the upper eighties all the way up into the low nineties. Now I know some folks complain about the heat, but let’s be real, it’s not a five-month season like you’d experience down in coastal Florida.

What’s the winter like at Tellico Lake?

Mild but real. Daytime highs in the forties and fifties from December through February, occasional overnight lows in the twenties, and one or two light snows a year that usually melt within a day. Golfers still play most winter afternoons. It’s the kind of winter that reminds you it’s a different season without punishing you for it.

Are there hurricanes in Tennessee?

No. East Tennessee is far enough inland that hurricane remnants occasionally bring rain, but the destructive wind and storm surge that define Florida hurricane season don’t reach us. Severe thunderstorms and occasional tornado warnings are the tradeoff – but they’re not a five-month annual dread.

What’s the drive time like from Tellico Lake to the Midwest and Northeast?

Driving up to Michigan or Ohio is a pretty straightforward 9 to 10 hours on I-75. Pennsylvania’s a bit further, more like 11 or 12 hours depending on traffic. One of the perks that a lot of my Florida-to-Tellico movers have told me is that they can get to their kids’ houses in a reasonable amount of time, and that really helps make visits from the grandkids happen more often.

Are Tellico Village and the other communities gated?

Tellico Village isn’t gated – it’s a full-on residential community in Loudon County with roads that the public can use. Rarity Bay over in Vonore is gated, as is WindRiver near Lenoir City, and Kahite in Vonore too. Each one has its own feel, so it really depends on what you’re looking for.

Is Tellico Village a 55+ community?

No. Tellico Village is an all-ages community in Loudon County – not age-restricted. In practice, the median age skews older because of who’s drawn here, but you’ll see young families and working professionals too. Rarity Bay, WindRiver, and Kahite are also all-ages. If you specifically want a 55+ age-restricted community, that’s a different search.

What about healthcare? I’m used to having top-class medical facilities nearby.

Knoxville is 45-60 minutes from most Tellico Lake communities, and it’s home to the University of Tennessee Medical Center – a Level I trauma center with full specialist services. Closer to home, Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City handles most day-to-day needs, and Blount Memorial in Maryville covers the south end of the lake. Medicare Advantage plans are widely available here through Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. It’s not going to be Mayo or Cleveland Clinic in your backyard, but for most retirees, it’s more than adequate. If you have a specific condition that requires a specific facility, do that research first.

The Bottom Line

I’m not going to put on a sales pitch and try to convince you to come on down. If you’re a Florida retiree reading this because a friend sent it your way, then you’ll know right away if the conversation we’re having sounds like something you’ve discussed with others. And if you’re up north watching your Florida friends have this very conversation, then you might be getting a glimpse of what’s in store for you down the line.

Either way, the folks I’m talking to this summer aren’t looking for some slick real estate agent to sell them a house. They’re looking for someone to chat with honestly and give them a straight answer – is Tellico Lake a good fit for them, or is it not? That’s what I do.

If you want to have that chat and get some straight talk, give me a call at 865-696-9002, or you can find me online at tellicolakehometeam.com. No pressure, no sales pitch – just a straightforward conversation.