He's right about south Florida ( both coasts ) being almost intolerable if you don't like congestion. Florida has a lot of positives but it has it's share of negatives too. Right now the weather is hot and humid with more bugs and mosquitos than is sometimes tolerable. This is pretty short lived though, like winter in da Burgh. People tend to overlook the home insurance picture also, be aware it can be a problem so do yur homework.
I would stay clear of Miami, Orlando and the Clearwater-St pete areas myself but most towns in Florida have pleasant affordable areas to settle down in with a lot of of the amenities you would want. The west coast between Tampa and Tallahassee is pretty much the last frontier, just like the east coast from Melbourne to St Augustine a couple years ago even so, there are many nice places still open there also.
I'm just east of Gainesville in a blue collar area called Interlachen. I call it the woods cause it is basically woods and little ponds/lakes with very little industry. Centrally located between Jacksonville, Ocala, st Augustine and Gainesville. The nearest little town is Palatka, the only shopping close enough to travel to and get a decent meal ( 20 miles ). It too is exploding almost as fast as Ocala with new businesses opening every day.
Be careful and remember the old business adage... you can get cheap, fast and good but you can only pick two.