NAMES IN THE NEWS : Michener to Winter in Florida

Author James Michener said good weather and a stimulating educational atmosphere are among the reasons he and his wife have decided to make St. Petersburg their winter retirement home.

“I think that the climate of Florida is very attractive to older people. Believe me, it gets more so every year,” the 83-year-old author said Tuesday.

Michener, who bought a summer residence in Brunswick, Me., last fall, said he will spend May through early October there and February through mid-May at the University of Texas assisting with classes, as he has done in recent years. He will live in St. Petersburg from mid-October to early February and assist with classes at Eckerd College.

Michener, whose works include “Hawaii,” “Chesapeake,” “Centennial,” “Texas” and his most recent, “Caribbean,” said he plans to write every day but will concentrate on articles and shorter books.