Former Iowan thinks it may be time to move from Florida

At least one former Iowan who moved to Florida for a warm-weather lifestyle is considering returning to the Hawkeye State. Bill Curtis left Davenport several years ago for a new job and says he never would have left Iowa if it hadn’t been for the winters. The 67-year-old found he loved the tropical climate, at least until four hurricanes hit Florida in six weeks. The area of Lake Wales where he now lives has been tattered by the wicked winds. Of the 70 big oak trees that surrounded his apartment complex, only five remain. Thanks to the storms, the roof leaks and he’s repeatedly dealt with no power, phone or water. As for the mess, he says there’s debris piled 30 feet high. Curtis says he’s having to rethink his cross-country move out of the Midwest. Curtis, a special ed teacher, says he’s considering retiring and returning to the land of wind chills and snow shovels — at least until hurricane season’s over. “I wanted to stay in the warm weather but to tell you the truth, right now, after three or four (storms with) hundred-mile-an-hour winds, I think I’d just as soon settle for a few inches of snow and some cold.”