Florida Bound: The Essential Guide for Canadian Snowbirds

Graham Adams, Jr., is a professor of American history at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

Each winter thousands of Canadian snowbirds migrate to Florida. Most
guidebooks emphasize the many pleasures of the sunshine state, but
attorney Andrew Cumming deals chiefly with practical matters, which
tourists sometimes overlook.

Health insurance, the author asserts, represents one of the most
important concerns of Canadian visitors. Medical prices in Florida and
throughout the United States are far higher than in Canada. Intensive
care in a Florida hospital, for example, costs more than $2000 per day.
Bills for a 10-day stay of a patient who has experienced a heart attack
can amount to over $20,000; some emergencies may run beyond $100,000.
Canada’s provincial health plans, however, pay only a small portion of
these charges, making supplemental health insurance essential. Since
health schemes vary greatly, Cumming devotes considerable attention to
the criteria tourists should employ to select the proper one.

Snowbirds are always concerned about currency exchange rates and
Cumming notes that rates quoted in daily newspapers are available only
to traders. Retailers demand significantly higher rates and will usually
tack on commission and service charges. Investments generating U.S.
income will help avoid currency fluctuations, as will credit cards
payable in U.S. funds. Cumming warns against patronizing kiosks in
airports and hotels; he maintains that Canadians will receive the best
value by changing their money before entering the United States.

Cumming also provides detailed advice on complicated taxation issues,
especially as they apply to renting, owning, and selling real estate
(those who own condominiums, for example, must be prepared to pay
maintenance fees and capital improvement assessments as well as property
taxes), discusses the differences in taxation formulas and definitions
as they affect resident and non-resident aliens, and devotes a chapter
to estate planning.

All snowbirds can benefit from a careful reading of this highly
informative book.