Ten Florida counties continue to top others in home sales, based on data compiled by the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors (GTAR). Over the period from March 2012, when GTAR started publishing homes sales by county on its website, to June 2012, the most recent data released, ten counties sustained their dominance in home sales over 57 other counties in Florida.
Here are the ten Florida counties which posted the biggest total home sales volume from March to June 2012:
No. of Homes
Sold
11,064 Broward County
10,446 Palm Beach County
9,752 Miami-Dade County
7,114 Lee County
6,270 Hillsborough County
6,234 Orange County
6,093 Pinellas County
4,592 Sarasota County
4,193 Collier County
3,548 Duval County
Three of these counties — Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade — were the perennial Top 3 while Hillsborough was the county that improved its ranking the most. It climbed from sixth place to fourth place in June, surpassing Lee County.
Broward County
Broward, whose county seat is Fort Lauderdale, is known for attractions such as Everglades parks, the Festival Flea Market Mall, Flamingo Gardens and Butterfly World. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Everglades National Park on the west. It is bounded by Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Collier and Hendry counties.
Palm Beach County
Palm Beach, whose county seat is West Palm Beach, is Florida’s wealthiest county. It is also the largest county in total area. It is known for its wealthy coastal cities such as Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter and Manalapan. Its attractions include the Wellington equestrian destinations, the golfing resort Palm Beach Gardens, and officially-designated natural areas that include beaches. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and bordered by Martin, Broward and Hendry counties in other directions.
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade is well known for its county seat and largest city, Miami, which is one of the country’s major centers of finance, culture, media, entertainment, international trade, arts and commerce. The Miami metro area is the fifth largest metro area in the U.S. and the only U.S. metropolis bordered by two national parks.
The Miami metro area is bordered by the Biscayne National Park in Biscayne Bay and the Everglades National Park. The Port of Miami is also the world’s biggest and busiest port for cruise ships.
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough, the largest county among the Tampa Bay counties, runs the eighth largest school district in the U.S., with 12 of its 25 high schools in Newsweek magazine’s list of the country’s Best High Schools. Its county seat and largest city, Tampa, will host the Republican National Convention from August 27 to 30, 2012.
Tampa is known for its waterfront homes, fishing piers, South Tampa neighborhoods, Hillsborough River, Tampa International Airport, Port of Tampa, American Victory Ship, Adventure Island, Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Busch Gardens, Big Cat Rescue wildlife area, Tampa’ Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa Theatre, Lettuce Lake Park, David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center, University of South Florida and nightlife.
Tampa is also among the country’s favorite destinations of veterans and retirees because of the MacDill Air Force Base, presence of veterans’ health facilities and popular 55-plus communities.
Pinellas County
Pinellas, which is a peninsula bounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the west and the Tampa Bay on the south and east, is known for its beaches, beach communities, historic towns, and a relatively big number of state and county parks. Its national park is the Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge and its state parks are the Honeymoon Island State Park, Caladesi Island State Park and the Anclote Key Preserve State Park. Its county seat is Clearwater and its largest city is St. Petersburg.
Pinellas’ attractions include the Museum of Fine Arts, Salvador Dali Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum, Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Clearwater Beach, Florida Botanical Gardens, Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Dunedin Brewery, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Pinewood Cultural Park, Sponge Factory, Great Explorations Hands-on Museum, The Pier.