Florida: The New British colony?

Looks like the British have finally figured it out. They never should have bothered with those annoying colonies in the northeast of what is now the United States. Cold and snowy in the winter, hot and muggy in the summer. Oh, and there was that little matter of the revolution, too!

But now, thanks to an excessive supply of properties in Florida, some broker blokes (I kinda like the sound of that) in the U.K. are pitching Florida real estate to their British clients.

The acquisitive Brits have already colonized idyllic spots like Provence in the south of France and Tuscany in central Italy (prompting the nickname Chiantishire for the latter). Is Miamishire next?

"Florida is set to be one of the bargain hot spots of 2010 ," says a Property Wire post quoting from a new report.

The burst housing bubble hit Florida really hard and home prices there have dropped severely. There are lots of foreclosed properties on the market as well.

But, says the director of the British firm Winkworth International, "Florida's loss can be a UK buyer's gain."

On its website, Winkworth points out that " there has never been a better time for UK buyers" to consider snatching up U.S. property...especially in Florida...what with the British pound strong against the dollar.

"Florida has been the most favored location for property-buying Brits," says Winkworth.

The British seem to love the Floridian climate and flights between Great Britain and several Florida cities are both frequent and relatively cheap.

One if by plane, two if by cruise ship: if you happen to be in Florida, the British are definitely coming!

Charles Feldman is a journalist, media consultant and co-author of the book, "No Time To Think-The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle.