Yes gardening is different here. I'm in the learning stage myself and this forum has been my best source of info. I'll be the first to post the link to U of FL Gardening guide as someone kindly did for me less than a year ago. It will answer a lot of your questions. Welcome to FL.
john

Here is a link that might be useful: U of FL Gardening Guide

The University of Florida site has lots of great information, and try your county's Cooperative Extension website, too! Couple things you'll probably find are quite different here than the Pacific Northwest:

FULL SUN: Anything that says it needs "full sun" does NOT mean Central-Florida-in-the-middle-of-July full sun. Almost nothing edible can really take that heat with no problems, except maybe okra. So if you could arrange your garden so there's some partial, dappled shade, that'd probably serve you well in the long run.

NEMATODES: We have sandy soil that root-knot nematodes just adore, so prepare to deal with the little devils. About the only organic thing I've heard of that might slow them down is cover-cropping with French dwarf marigolds, and that I've heard mixed reviews on. Lots of people here say it's best to grow tomatoes & peppers in pots to avoid the nematodes; and some people bury the pots in the ground to keep the roots cool (search pot-in-pot method, or "buried pots" in the forums, you'll see lots of advice there)

WATERING RESTRICTIONS: You probably don't see much of those in the rainy Pacific Northwest, but we tend to have a lot of them here, and your plants will be broiling in a few months. If you could set yourself up with some rain-collection barrels, you'd probably be glad you did. I've been told that some cities and counties will even give you one for FREE, but I'm not sure.

Good luck with it! Post us some pics when you get rolling, and meantime, welcome to the Sunshine State!