I don't think Florida is good place at all for a person with respiratory disease. Mold is universal, and the pollen in the spring (beginning late in February) is heavy beyond anything you can imagine north of Virginia.

Cape Coral is cheap, but that is about all I can say good about it. Even before the real estate collapse in 2008, there were abandoned houses and lots all over the place.

The good news for older people in Florida is that medical care is generally excellent, since doctors see a lot of seniors.

I think you need to look somewhere in the southwest, preferably somewhere that has not planted a lot of trees and grass to make it look like "home" back east.

But I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. I am, however, married to a Florida native and have lived there on and off from 1953 through 2007. There are lots of things about Florida to like, but not for people with asthma.

We have had a home in Northern Virginia for many years and started coming to Fort Lauderdale for the winter several years ago. We have decided to move here permanently and will do so later this year.

I can tell you for a fact that the medical care here is abundant (at least it is here in southEAST Florida) and there is little problem with finding practitioners who accept Medicare (although not all of them are necessarily accepting new Medicare patients).

As to the COPD etc., I also would recommend you look at somewhere like Arizona which is much drier and would also provide milder winters. Economically some of the areas had a real estate collapse similar to Florida's. However, the cost of living is somewhat different in Arizona.

SpringFlower, welcome!
<We are thinking of spending the winter months in Fl. Anyone know if there is a nice place that rents for the time frame we are interested in? >
Florida is a very large state. There are winter rentals all over, even in the chillier areas in the north of the state. This may sound flippant, but I suggest you simply pick a place after doing some research and then spend your first winter here driving around as much as you can to see other areas of the state. No one can tell you which one will suit you best, although if you tell us a bit more about your like, interests and approximate budget, we can help narrow it down more.

I agree with the posters saying that Florida is NOT the best place for someone with COPD. Yes...the temps are warmer than up north, but there is a lot of pollin and mold in Florida. The Southwest would be a better option.