Bird Key ranked among nation's best retirement destinations

Apart from cost of living, it’s difficult for retiree magnet cities to compete with Hawaii, but a dozen Florida communities have been ranked among the top 130 in the U.S. to retire by MarketBeat, a digital publishing company that provides financial data and market insights for investors.

The website conducted a survey among retirees to ask what they consider to be their dream retirement destinations. Coming in at No. 1 was Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, for the obvious reasons of a tranquil tropical lifestyle with all the amenities of a high-end resort area in a residential setting. 

Ranking second was the Pelican Bay neighborhood in Naples, the top-ranked among the Florida destinations that saw Bird Key in Sarasota rated No. 29.

Among the top 10 Florida communities ranked were Southeast Gables in Coral Gables at No. 3, The Villages at No. 5 and Marco Island at No. 9. 

About Bird Key, MarketBeat writes, “The neighborhood of Bird Key is particularly notable. Sarasota is celebrated for its vibrant arts scene, beautiful beaches and Bird Key offers a secluded, upscale community with waterfront properties and private boat docks.”

At about the midpoint between St. Armands and downtown, Bird Key also offers convenient proximity to recreational, dining and entertainment venues.

Other Florida places preceding Bird Key in the MarketBeat survey were Ponte Vedra Beach at No. 19, Golden Beach between Fort Lauderdale and Miami at No. 23, Palm Beach at No. 26, and Bay Hill near Orlando at No. 27.

Following Bird Key were Key Biscayne near Miami at No. 47, Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island at No. 48 and Windermere near Orlando at No. 55.

The online survey of 3,000 adults were chosen to form a geographically representative panel of double opt-in members. Throughout the survey, questions were designed to screen and authenticate respondents, improving the alignment of the survey with the appropriate participants.

To view the entire report, visit MarketBeat.com.