morning pattyann ,, i am a bostonian who lived in fla for 7 yrs . i have been to arcadia many times , lived in sarasota . the ants ,,well they are there . red ants actually . and you cant miss them . they make piles . step in one and immediately rip all your clothes off and get in the shower . like immediately . they can go from your feet to your neck in seconds . you will never even know they are on you until they start biting . the powder does kill them ,, what an awful smell to that powder . thats not what i would be worried about . as far as food goes ,,,not a problem at all . just keep it all in containers after opening . its humid there but not as much in the winter . what we call cockroaches , they call palmetto bugs . they are there ,,,and i use to have my house sprayed quarterly . everyone did . fla is buggy ,,,snakes , alligators , also . i mention snakes and alligators because they are in every fresh water lake,pond river . dont let the dogs go in the fresh water . okay so none of what i have mentioned should stop you from going . however ,,,,ARCADIA,,,,dont do it . its a pretty long drive to the ocean , one way, there is nothing but orange groves there . its farmland . the joke was , the best looking woman in town was the one who had at least 3 teeth . very backwards . very behind the times . alot of poverty . my concern is that there isnt anything to do other than hunt or fish . they did have an excellent rib place there ,,,forget the name ,,,and the rodeo comes every year . but honestly i wouldnt go there . i must be cheap rates or at least i hope so . if you want to be near a beach and activities , check out Sun and Fun in sarasota . it might be a little pricey now but it has everything . and its close to everything . and still off the beaten path . its on fruitville st. my mom stayed there for yrs. also there are some nice places that i understand arent too pricey in punta gorda i think ,,, stay along the coast . Arcadia is to central ,,,nothing there . you can always drive out there to see , well, nothing . PM ,me if i can be of any help . i know the area well .
rickybobby
