I had someone who called me recently asking if we would publish a story warning Canadians about coming to Florida because of the problems they could face in Florida if their property had been damaged and the insurance company did not want to pay for the damages immediately.

Par Louis S. St-Laurent II

The person argued with me that this action by insurance companies was directed towards Canadians, which I disagreed. I explained him that Florida had a high volume of insurance fraud and that insurance companies had to be very careful before paying off any claims.

The individual was a Canadian winter resident staying in an RV park in North Florida where often it freezes during the winter time. I wonder if his negative attitude towards Florida would have been the same if he had spent his time in the warmer climate of Southeast Florida.

When I think about the Florida Southeast with its first class facilities and attractions, from public parks to public beaches to every known sporting activities. We have hockey with teams in the greater Fort Lauderdale area and Tampa.

We have basketball in the winter with teams in Miami and Orlando. We have baseball in Miami and St.Petersburg and spring training in various cities on the east coast. We have football on the county line and in Tampa. We also have national car racing (NASCAR) in Homestead (south Miami-Dade County) where you can stop to view the races for two days and then visit the beautiful Florida Keys.

We also have various events such as horse shows and riding competition and jumping as well as international soccer matches between visiting countries. There isn’t a week without an international star performing in the area, such as the Hard Rock Casinos in Hollywood or Coconut Creek. The first time I saw Tony Bennett perform was at a nightclub located between Montreal and Ottawa in the mid fifties and now he’s performing at the Hard Rock Casino.

I have lived in most parts of Florida from the west coast of Florida to Tallahassee. When I had to choose where I wanted to live permanently, I chose Southeast Florida because of the climate and the activities or attractions located in this area.

This past week, I took my family and friends to Cavalia Odysseo at Bicentennial Park in Miami where we spent an enjoyable evening viewing 70 horses performing like humans. You can visit Seminole Indian village and then take a boat or an airplane ride in the Everglades. You can visit Lion Country Safari in Palm Beach or Metro Zoo in Miami. Southeast Florida is a paradise for tourist and winter residents.

No one has to tell you that the stars and celebrities have made South Beach in Miami Beach their headquarters for the winter. They also have discovered the most exciting place to vacation and own a second home among the celebrities.

In other words Southeast Florida has everything for everyone from any age. The restaurants, clubs and hotels are first class. The shopping centers, from high end to wholesale are located throughout the three counties of Southeast Florida. Such an example is Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, the second largest wholesale shopping center in the US. Or the shops at Gulfstream Village, beside the most famous horse track in Florida.

Whether you live in unny Isles, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Boynton Beach ou Delray, Canadians have something new to do or visit anytime they get bored of the beach and sunshine. The newspaper had expended its portion devoted to list the various events happening in Florida, especially Southeast Florida.