My sister isn't too far from there. In her small subdivision they cleared enough to build and left the rest "native"...I assume it is nearly all native. You can grow anything you want in N. Florida but it actually depends on what lengths you are willing to go through when it gets cold. I know someone in Birmingham AL who is growing tropical palms. He has a major rig set up for heaters etc. It is a lot of work but worth it to him.
You might want to contact your extension office for more information.

Hi, Kate. I'm down the highway from you. You'd be surprised on how tropical you can let your garden get here, but be warned: a good frost can wipe everything out. I've found over the years that the biggest killer around here is the heat, though. It doesn't help that we get less rain here near the coast, and are gardening on pure sand. I'd recommend you have a well dug, and install a sprinkler system.

Figs do really well here, and I had more bananas than I could eat. You can also grow kumquats and loquats. There are oranges that do well here, but I'm not sure which ones (Satsumas, maybe?)

Do yourself a favor when you get here. Drive towards Gulf Breeze, and look for a place called The Garden Gate. It's across the street from the (Gulf Breeze) Winn Dixie. The woman who runs it is really into local plants, and really knows her stuff. I noticed in the past few years she's starting to carry fruit trees. She has butterflies too.

Stay away from chain stores until you have a better idea of what you can grow here. I can't believe the things I see them selling here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deborah's Garden

Thank you for the advice on garden supply sources. I will check out "The Garden Gate" in Gulf Breeze. I will also be checking in with the extension service. Some of the plants I wanted to put in are listed in the extension internet web site as invasive- eg. climbing hydrangea.
I already have a well and sprinkler system but may have to alter the layout to accomodate new garden layouts.
I don't want to go to extremes to protect in the ground tropicals from cold- no more than hay and bubblewrap. Will bananas and figs need special protection? New Zealand fern trees will grow well in the warm city micro climate of London. Will they grow outside in the panhandle? They look quite exotic.
I have never grown on sand before- just experience with hard pan clay, chalk and good loam. At least root vegetables should grow well.

definitely check out just fruits and tropicals if you're interested in growing fruit trees. it is, they say, quite difficult to grow figs on an espalier system -- too vigorous. but you CAN whack them down significantly every year. check out the fig forum here on GW. lots of good stuff there.

oh, and your figs shouldn't need protection but nanas will. you will find apples, pears and peaches that do very well in your zone at just fruits.

carrots grow well here. i've never had much luck with beets. some people have good luck with potatoes -- i'm trying them for the first time this year. the key to remember with the veg -- the seasons are quite different here. i highly recommend Florida Home Grown 2: The Edible Landscape by Tom MacCubbin. it's the only fruit and veg book i refer to.

A fig forum on this site! I learned to love figs while I lived in England. When they come in season the grocery stores are full of them and recipies are given every other day on the cooking shows. Fresh figs are hard to find in Germany and the season is so short so I have been really yearning for them the last three years. I arrive in mid June and will at least get to plan out the garden in the summer heat. When I lived in Tennessee I stopped gardening in June and only went out in the evenings to water and harvest. The heat was too intense to think about doing more. Figs will have to wait for planting in the fall/winter but I can set up the espalier and prepare the beds this summer.