He was most likely in that run down neighborhood I mentioned above. It's definitely an anomaly in Dr. Phillips... if I had the money, I would love to buy up those houses and flip them!
It's very, very rare to see a gator in the springs. I never have. The water is 72 degrees year round and that's too cold for them, generally. Manatees and gators can definitely co-exist, though.
A big part of loving Dr. Phillips is that I grew up there, so it is very much home for me. But I do like that it has way more shopping, dining and grocery options (not only multiple Publix stores, but also Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market), it's closer to Universal and Disney and all the entertainment without being too negatively affected by it. That said there's nothing wrong with this part of Ocoee- it's safe, it's really convenient to the 408, 429 and the Turnpike, and it's close to Winter Garden which has a really cute downtown and some local businesses I like. The Winter Garden Village is huge and convenient too, although it can be really crazy busy. The downside is that the "wrong side of the tracks" is essentially directly on the other side of the Turnpike. $300k is going to get you a lot more house in Ocoee than it will in Dr. Phillips (which is why your husband ended up in the more run-down areas). This part of Ocoee is basically Windermere without the name- so you get the benefit of a safe, well manicured area without having to pay the property taxes for it. It's really not a bad option, it's just going to come down to which house/neighborhood/area you like the most.
In all honesty my favorite neighborhoods in Orlando are around downtown, and it's where I plan on moving in a few months!