Matt, I think it was probably Ivan that hit Pensacola.
We stayed for Charley as it was not supposed to hit us.
However, I evacuated the state for Frances, Jeanne and Ivan. Sucked, but was the smart thing to do.
I'm down in the Fort Myers / Naples area. Some of the most beautiful spots down here are on Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, Cabbage Key, Usepa, etc. All of which are islands, but the eye of huricane Charley passed right over a good portion of Captiva, as well as it literally split North Captiva into two separate islands.
Our place is about 30 miles south of where the eye hit land fall. It was scary enough, but we were lucky. If it had come inland about 10 miles south given the angle it travelled, we would have been creamed at my place.
My biggest problem with the seasonal population is the traffic. My commute goes from 20 minutes each way to about 45 minutes in the morning and about 2.5 hours in the evening during season. Plus, you can all but forget about eating out without a multi hour wait unless you leave early and fight the early bird special crowd.
However, it is definately nice to be able to go boating in shorts and a tee-shirt in December and January.
Greg
