I am considering relocating to Florida, at this time I am unsure of the exact location that I would like to live. I would like some suggestions from anyone who either lives there or is familiar with the state. Here are the things that I have to consider when choosing which area I would like to live in, in no certain order.
1. Employment; I have experience in Law Enforcement, however, I would like to enter the Security field, preferebly build my way up too Executive Protection.

2. Shooting ranges; I would prefer one that allows rpaid fire from handguns, holster presentations, NFA weapons, etc.

3. Class III friendly; CLEO sign offs, this is a very important item for consideration, as I would like to start building a Class III collection.

4. Good Gun Shops; Obviously they need to be Class III.

5. Gyms; I also need a location with good fitness centers as well as martial arts Dojos.

6. Close to the beach!

Thanks in advance for any information anyone may be able to provide.

I'll go out on a limb and say...Probably not Dade County. 1)LEO jobs are in the papers now, but security here is fairly low-paying and English/Spanish is a plus in that field. 2)I Don't use public ranges much anymore but, when I did, rapid fire was a big no-no. There may be exceptions now and there are plenty of comps. 3)???? 4)Most, not all, but most gun shops have been hounded out of existence in Dade. There are still a few but you will wade through some real "winners" to find them. 5)This we have.  6)This we really have. Hope this helps. My style's a lot more laid back than yours sounds like, and I never cared for Ft. Lauderdale area (Broward County) but maybe someone from there will chime in. Good Luck. Stay Safe.  

Being a gun owner and more than likely a conservative some place in NorthWest Florida would be more to your liking. The area around Fort Walton, Niceville Valpariso and Crestview is very nice.

7th

Nice area, beach wise.  Two decent ranges, but both are about 75 miles from my house in FWB.  The one I belong to is NRA affilated, has four seperate ranges of 25, 50, 100 and 200 meters  and allows class III.  The other is a state range.  It has two seperate ranges; one with 25 and 50 yard points and the other has 50 and 100 yard points.  I'm not sure, but I think they allow class III, but no rapidfire (if that makes any sense).  Probably wouldn't have much trouble landing a job in LE, but the pay isn't going to be that great.  Too many retired AF cops.  AFA I'm aware, the executive protection business is pretty limited.  We have the gyms and beaches.  A couple of respectable gun shops, but I'm not sure of the class III aspect.  I've heard that one shop is working on it and I know a couple of guys into class III.  If you think you may be interested in the area, shoot me an email and I'll ask them a few questions.    

Eddie

LS1, I just heard from the ATF the other day, they said that they are'nt working on any new C-IIIs until at least April. The only other C-III that I know of in the area is in Panama City.

Looking almost anywhere, in MOST states for a Class III friendly/accessable location is like asking for a good place to buy plutonium.

Florida does do C-III, but it is seriously dependent on which counties favor signing off on the requests. Which ones those are, I'm not real sure. It's been a while since I've had $10,000.00 to drop on a NIB MP5A3, so I haven't looked in to it real hard.

There is a range in Dade county that allows NFA/ClassIII weapons. Try looking here...
[url]http://www.aaconsult.com/machinegun/[/url] ...here's a shot of some of the toys they play with down there. [img]www.aaconsult.com/machinegun/Pictures/bMvc-016f.jpg[/img]

As for good gun shops, another dying breed. I have yet to see any REAL good gun shops in Florida. There are some worth your time, but the best deals are now found via the net.

No Florida advice here, just wondering about the Robin Sage handle.  Army exercise of the same name, but can't recall where it happens at?

I know two guys in my area that own Class III weapons, but I don't know anything about how they go about handling the paperwork.  Last week, I handled a suppressed Ruger that one of them had just received.  Sigh...

I should see one of the guys Tuesday; I'll ask.

Eddie

ROBIN SAGE is the final Phase (III/IV) Unconventional Warfare exercise for the Special Forces Qualification Course.

The majority of the exercise takes place in and around Uwharrie National Forest, in central NC.

I'm in Tampa (where kids like to fly planes into buildings).  A few indoor ranges in this area.  I used to live in West Palm Beach, but prefer Tampa instead.  Dade/Broward area is nothing but soccer moms or criminals.  If I were to move within this state, I would either stay in Tampa or move a little north.

No, but I'm willing to learn. Is Katherine Harris still single?