(Hollywood, Florida) At Hollywood Beach, small groups are set up on the edge of the ocean. With their eyes closed, two women let themselves be lulled by the sound of the waves. Friends chat under a parasol. A couple is playing a game of backgammon, a cart full of refreshments at their side.
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They are from Quebec and enjoy the Florida heat of November. In this area of the beach, Michel Tremblay’s accent is particularly common.
“But there are a lot fewer Quebecers than usual,” remarks Michel Martin, met on a terrace not far away. And we are still here at the beginning of November, so we see that this is not normal. »
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Michel Martin has been spending his winters in Florida for several years with his partner.
The 63-year-old man, originally from Montreal, never thought he would become one of these snowbirds taking refuge in the winter under the Florida sun. “I found it corny,” admits the retiree from a state company. But he got a taste for it after several trips. For several years, he has spent the winter months there with his partner, reading, eating and enjoying the good weather. Her 89-year-old mother-in-law is also on the trip.
“We’re a little embarrassed to be here, but we always rent the same condo, we have a good price and we didn’t want to lose the reservation,” Mr. Martin almost apologizes, adding that he wants to allow his mother-in-law to enjoy it while she is still in good shape.
An expected drop
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Some 1.1 million Canadians travel to the greater Fort Lauderdale area each year, which includes destinations typically popular with snowbirds Quebecers such as Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Pompano Beach, according to the Visit Lauderdale communications department.
But the trade war, the current administration’s policies, new residency requirements and the unfavorable exchange rate appear to have dampened snowbirds This year.
A 15% drop in Canadian winter visitors is anticipated in the United States compared to last year, according to a Snowbird Advisor survey.
Since April, the number of Canadian flights at Fort Lauderdale airport has also decreased compared to the same period in 2024. Air Canada reduced its capacity from Quebec to Florida this winter by approximately 5% compared to the previous year, in number of seats, to “adapt to variations in demand,” vice-president of communications Christophe Hennebelle said in an email.
“Canadian Beach”
“It’s still early in the season, but I was surprised to see more young Canadian families and fewer snowbirds Canadians, until now,” said Tina Giset, owner of the Aqua Shop and Ocean Blu souvenir and beach equipment shops, located on the Hollywood Beach promenade, at the end of November.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Quebecers seem to be fewer in number at Hollywood Beach than at a comparable period in the past, according to regulars met there.
The part where Quebecers meet is nicknamed the “Canadian beach” because of the large number of retirees in the country, notes Mme Giset, which has been established on the street for 13 years. During the passage of The Presson a Tuesday afternoon in November, there were dozens of people sitting on the sand.
We really hope that the Canadians will come back, put politics aside, because they bring a special atmosphere. They come in groups, they come back to see us every year. There are some who have become our friends.
Tina Giset, owner of the boutiques at Hollywood Beach
Political issues
Leave politics aside: that’s the motto of Ihsan Kaedbey and Lucie Mercier, met in Quebec before their departure for Florida.
“Personally, I have a rule: I don’t vote in the United States, so I don’t get involved in their politics,” explains Mr. Kaedbey, a 69-year-old retired industrialist. He believes that the snowbirds who boycott Florida “penalize themselves.”
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Ihsan Kaedbey and Lucie Mercier spend the winter in Florida, where they have a home in Port St. Lucie.
The South Shore couple owns a house in a private neighborhood in Port St. Lucie, where there are fewer Quebecers than in Hollywood. Their neighbors are mainly American, snowbirds like them fleeing the climate of the Northern States or Floridians.
The relationship with the Americans has not changed – there is still mutual help, we know that we can call neighbors to check that everything is fine with our house when we are not there. What has changed more is the relationship between them. We no longer feel the division.
Lucie Mercier, 70-year-old former real estate broker
Form I94
Mr. Kaedbey feeds an online information site, Quebec in Florida. This year, there were many questions about the new American requirements for Canadians staying in the United States for more than 30 days, in effect since last spring, he points out.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Since April, the number of Canadian flights at Fort Lauderdale Airport has decreased compared to the same period in 2024.
The directive causes even more confusion because registration is usually done automatically for Canadians crossing the border: an I94 form is generated virtually at each crossing, without the travelers realizing it. But Canadians staying on American soil for 30 days or more must now ensure that it has been produced, by checking on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website – it does not seem to be systematically issued for land entry.
The American Department of Homeland Security also recommends completing an I94 form less than seven days before crossing the border by road.
If there is no I94 in their name on the American site, travelers there must make sure to complete another document for stays of 30 days or more, the G-325R.
It is recommended to print these proofs of registration.
Crossing the border
As the directives are recent, the experience of the Quebecers met in Florida varied.
“We know people who went through customs only to be told “bon voyage” and others who found it insulting, because they had their photo taken and had to give their fingerprints,” says Céline Poissant, met with her partner Robert Gibeault and their dog Maya in their condo in Hypoluxo, south of West Palm Beach.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Céline Poissant, 75, and her partner Robert Gibeault, 85, have spent their winters in Florida since 2007.
Since they arrived by plane, they did not have to fill out any forms. But they make sure to always have their I94, retrieved from the website, with them.
“It is certain that there are elderly people who are not comfortable with the computer or English, and that can be scary,” adds the 75-year-old retired banking worker from the South Shore.
The election of Donald Trump, his comments on Canada and the new demands created a certain stir at the end of last winter, while snowbirds finished their season. “We left Florida at the end of April, and before leaving, I was uncomfortable being here, we didn’t feel in our place,” confides Mme Poissant, in the living room of their five and a half.
But the feeling has passed. “We meet Americans who apologize,” she notes. They are not all pro-Trump. »
The couple has spent their winters in Florida since 2007. “Our choice to come to the United States is mainly based on our advanced age and the few years we have left to fully enjoy life,” emphasizes M.me Poignant.
READ TOMORROW: “ Snowbirds : to boycott the United States or not? »
