This Couple Had One Loose End to Tie Up Before Retirement: Where to Park Their RV

With retirement set for Dec. 31, Rick and Susan Turner gave themselves just three weeks to find the perfect spot for their winter getaway—a parking spot, that is.

In their massive 45-foot Class A motorcoach, the couple visited three RV resorts in Florida in hopes of buying a lot where they could escape the winter chill of Birmingham, Ala. With a budget of $200,000 to $250,000, the Turners sought much more than a standard concrete pad with hookups for electricity and water. They envisioned an RV lot with plenty of entertaining space with a tiki hut or casita, as well as resort amenities like a golf course, lake, swimming pool and spa.

“A lot of places are just trailer parks. We’re not looking to move into a trailer park,” says Mr. Turner, 67, a senior vice president at Greenbrier Rail Services, a company that makes freight railcars and equipment.

The Turners were among the…