I never expected to end up in a town like this.
From the outside perspective, it seemed like an “old person” town, but I guess most of Florida feels that was sometimes.
When I first moved down here I was actually on my way to Miami, and then through to Key West. My job was to just show up down there and find some kind of HVAC job to tide me over while I got my music career started. I have no dreams of being rich or famous, but I thought if I could play music in a bar on the beach then life would be pretty good. My van broke down just outside of Tampa Bay, so I was forced to stay here for a few weeks to get some money together. That was eleven years ago, and I still live in Tampa Bay. The heavy metal music scene is alive and thriving in Tampa, much to my surprise. Another surprise was how much I like professional hockey, something I had never cared about before I discovered the Tampa Bay Lightning. There is a lot to do in Tampa, but what really keeps me here is the high demand for skilled HVAC professionals. As an HVAC tech I make twice as much money in Tampa Bay as did at my last job. Something that makes me laugh is the thought of retirement. Because so many people move to Tampa Bay to retire, where does a local HVAC tech go when he retires? Am I supposed to move back up north?