Be ye forewarned. Try to get a place at least 20 feet above sea level, unless of course you want the ocean to consume your house during a hurricane. It almost doesn't matter what sort of construction that you get, if you're 300 yards and 2 vertical feet from the ocean, then you'll be losing big-time. You can get elevations from such sites as
http://www.topozone.com
Florida, especially the Panhandle, does have inland flooding as well as coastal flooding. Flash flooding is common in the flatter peninsula. Unlike in the Northeast, rain frequently pours in Florida--3 inches or more from a thunderstorm, and more than an inch in an hour, is not uncommon.
My professional opinion is that FEMA does a particularly poor job of mapping flood hazards, typically underestimating floodplains.
Florida is also home to real alligators. Do not keep these animals as pets; they can kill you. South of Tampa, various exotic species live in a tropical climate.
Thanks for the advice. We get our fair share of rain and thunderstorms in this neck of the woods. In fact, it rained most of the summer here. Our power went out for about 8 hours because the rain was so bad. If it isn't snowing here, it's usually raining. I want to move some place where the sun is out for more than two days in a row.