A few months ago, Ben Johns packed his bags and moved to Boca Raton, Florida. 

The Sunshine State is a huge pickleball hotspot and there’s a ton of pros who live and train there.

Now that Johns is a little more settled, how’s the new home treating him?

“It’s great living in Florida. I’ve always liked training in the humidity because it loosens up the muscles and really makes me sweat and work hard,” he said. “I’ve been liking the Florida humidity.”

It certainly helps Johns' cause to have many of his fellow pickleball peers nearby.

That kind of access makes a world of difference.

“Practice has been great. There’s a lot of good facilities around for indoor and outdoor courts. We’ve got a Life Time nearby, and I go with Andrei [Daescu] to his courts, too. There’s a lot of pros that I get to train with,” he revealed. “I’m drilling a lot with Gabe [Tardio], and then sometimes we’ll get a group and play against Federico [Staksrud] and Hayden [Patriquin]. I've played mixed against Jaume [Martinez Vich] and Tyra [Black]. It’s really who’s available, and it’s great getting to train and play together regularly.”

Johns also recently shared his obsession with boba tea, and it didn't take him long to locate a new favorite spot in Boca.

“I found a great bubble tea place called CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, which has fresh taro that is just to die for,” he mentioned. “We also have Eddie V’s nearby, which is my favorite steakhouse. If you go, you have to try the truffle mac and cheese. It's just out of this world. It’s my favorite dish anywhere.”

Relocating to Florida also marked Johns’ first time owning a home. 

“I feel like a true adult now that I’m a homeowner,” he said. “I have a backyard, a cold plunge, sauna, and pool, so that’s been pretty awesome.”

It’s been a welcome change from driving around Austin, Texas where he always went from place to place for different amenities.

Johns also mentioned that he’s trying to be handy around the house.

However, it’s proven to be a little bit tougher than expected.

“I have a fuse box now, and I learned how to reset a fuse a couple of times when it blew because of a vacuum. It’s kind of funny. You’d think because I studied engineering that I’d be better at fixing and putting stuff together, but it’s definitely not my strong suit,” he joked. “I’ll get better though. I do feel really accomplished whenever I can fix anything really simple.”

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