Our Big Decision: Trading Florida for Belize
The Moment Everything Changed
We absolutely loved our home in Lakeland, FL. We were 1/2 block down a brick street to Lake Hollingsworth; our nearly daily 5k walk around it never failed to reveal an astonishing array of birds and other wildlife, from turtles to otters to alligators. We had wonderful neighbors and lived in a charming older home with a large pool that we used often.
But living in Florida proved expensive. Randy wondered if we could ever afford to retire there. After another week of twelve-hour work days, feeling a little discouraged and tired, he remembered some of the retiring abroad options. So he started researching those programs: Costa Rica, Panama…Belize. Belize had popped on his radar years back.
One fateful Saturday, searching on YouTube, Randy came across Wil Mitchell. Wil had made the move to Belize a number of years ago and had a manufactured home transported by barge to Secret Beach to be a rental property. Fast forward a decade, and Wil has established the Remax brand in Belize and is actively developing in Secret Beach.
Years ago, when making bucket lists was really popular , Randy decided to make an “apocalist.” You know, the things he wanted to do before the zombie apocalypse occurred. And on that list was living outside of the United States for a year. Randy’s travel kept getting progressively longer. Like it started out as a week, and then it became three weeks, and then it became a month. It was never long enough, because he didn’t feel like he was getting a really good feel for another culture. Living for a year in a foreign country felt like a solution; a way , perhaps, to change the course of your life while really experiencing another place fully. So going to Belize for at least a year could check a big item off of Randy’s apocalist :).
We see retirement is more than just about sitting around and not doing anything. For us, it’s more about being financially independent. Getting to a place in life where we’re wanting to slow down a little bit, take in the sights, read some novels, learn to play music, maybe write a poem. But we also need activities, things to do and some adventure. For a number of years, we have followed the SV Delos YouTube channel and thought about retiring on a sailboat. Travel the world. Randy’s mom and dad actually retired on a trawler and did quite a lot of traveling up and down the Pacific Coast. But this lifestyle Is not as freeing as you think, or as it appears when you’re watching the videos.
So when Randy saw they had canal lots on the lagoon in Secret Beach, he thought this might just be the best of both worlds! A canal that, on the lagoon, has direct access to the Caribbean. And we had dreams of sailing, diving, a life of adventure! Rum drinks in our hands, toes in the sand.
One day in August 2025, Randy showed them to Anitra. She didn’t take too much convincing, and a few days later, we decided to travel to Belize to look at a canal lot. The rest, as they say, is history.
Why Belize?
- Affordability: Lower cost of living than the US
- English-speaking: Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America
- Natural Beauty: Beaches, jungles, and the second-largest barrier reef
- Culture: Vibrant, welcoming Caribbean culture–the people are incredible!
- Climate: Year-round tropical weather
- Property ownership: Non Citizens have full property ownership rights
Stay tuned as we share our journey! 🌴