From the cold and snow of Calgary to the sunshine here in St. Petersburg, Melissa and Ben Tobber have truly embraced the Florida lifestyle—and they wouldn’t have it any other way. “We’re implants from Canada in St. Petersburg,” shares Ben. “We picked this area after Googling which place has the most sun days.” As self-described “sun people,” the choice was obvious – the Sunshine State. 

The couple met in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in a way that sounds almost scripted for a romance film. Ben recalls, “There was a get-together for an old-fashioned skeet shoot. I asked a friend’s partner at the time, ‘Do you have any friends I can meet?’ Melissa came out and the rest is history.” Melissa adds with a smile, “That was seven years ago.” The two have now been married for five years, and their life together has been one of adventure, family, and fresh beginnings.

Before making the move to the Sunshine State, the Tobbers lived on Vancouver Island—where, contrary to popular belief, the winters weren’t so harsh. “It only snows once a year, and some years not at all,” Melissa explains. “People don’t realize it isn’t that cold there.” But to get their snow fix, the couple would make regular trips to Alberta to go skiing and cross-country skiing. Their love of the outdoors hasn’t changed—just the scenery.

Now, weekends often consist of soccer games with their daughter Lana, bike rides to get ice cream at The Barn, or paddleboarding trips out on the water. “We go to the beach every Sunday now,” says Melissa. “That’s definitely one of our goals on the weekend.” Ben adds, “There’s always something going on—birthday parties with a four-year-old, beach days, boat trips with friends to the Keys.”

Lana, their vivacious four-year-old daughter, is the heartbeat of their home. “She’s very outgoing and very happy—brilliant, really. She’s a girly girl—she has her own vanity, princess dresses—and she already wants ten kids!” Ben laughs, remembering a recent drop-off: “We dropped her off at school a few days ago. For 12 minutes, she laid out her plan to have kids.” Whatever she does in life, one thing is clear: “She is the joy of our lives for sure,” they both agree.

Since moving to Florida 2½ years ago, the Tobbers have truly settled in. They even built their new home three months ago with Canopy Builders after renting initially to explore the different communities. “One of the things we didn’t understand when we moved here was hurricanes,” says Ben. “We were in a condo on the 20th floor, and people were amazing during that transition. That experience played a role in the type of house we chose—hurricane safe.” Coming from Alberta, where forest fires and winter storms are the concern, they now appreciate Florida’s more predictable weather threats. “You can plan for hurricanes—better than forest fires or earthquakes,” Ben notes.

Their appreciation for the area runs deep. “We lived in a similar neighborhood back in Calgary,” says Ben. “That’s why this felt familiar. It had the same family feel for raising our daughter.” Melissa agrees. “I love our community so much. All the community events each holiday we get to do... there’s a really good sense of community. We enjoy all of that.”

Ben, a seasoned professional in the propane industry, oversees their Florida-based corporate headquarters at Borealis Fuels. “We started a propane business in Florida. Most of our work is in North Dakota, Montana, Alaska, Nevada, Minnesota… a lot of colder regions. We focus on commercial ski resorts, residential, and a lot of retail propane.”

Melissa, currently a stay-at-home mom, wears many hats. “I’m a makeup artist—I got into it in 2010 after selling new homes for six years. I wanted to do something I enjoyed.” Her passion eventually led her into film, where she worked on projects like Frost with Matt Damon. “I unionized and did it for three years before working in the medical field.” Today, she owns Posh Makeup Artistry, which she recently renamed Posh Makeup International after the move. “I get calls off Google now. In the future, I’d like to do more—maybe even work at Disney.”

On top of that, she’s also a travel agent in her spare time and a devoted Disney mom. “I take Lana to Disneyland once a month—we have an annual membership. She’s tall enough to go on the big rollercoasters now. She got off one and immediately said, ‘Let’s do it again!’ She has no fear.”

When they’re not parenting, working, or chasing the Florida sun, Ben and Melissa make time for each other. “We go out for date nights, concerts, hockey games, baseball games in the springtime,” says Ben. “Personally, I like to golf and go fishing. Melissa likes to paddleboard. We do family bike rides once or twice a week.”

They also make time to travel back to Canada, usually in September for a week to celebrate Melissa’s dad’s birthday and attend a family reunion at the lake. “There’s a direct flight—it’s four hours one way, five the other—and we’re happy about that,” Melissa notes.

When asked how they feel about life in St. Pete, their answer is simple and enthusiastic: “We love America and we love Florida in general. The people here are great. They are so friendly and we’re very happy here.” And from the sound of it, they’re just getting started.

When you see the Tobbers out and about, be sure to say hello! They are eager to meet more friendly folks here in the neighborhood (and that means you!).