I'm in a similar position as you, central FL, new house and big garden dreams! I grew up in the area, and one huge thing you really need to do from the start is look at your soil. Where I am, its pure sugar sand. My mother had a garden off and on as I was growing up, similar sand, and after about 5 years of adding compost, manure, etc. it was still mainly just....sand. The only thing it would really support with any vigor was sweet potatoes.
I'm probably going to have to go raised beds, or maybe something like hügelkultur. In any case, I'm going to start amassing compost first before I try anything in ground, because its really going to need it.
The second thing I would say is to have a chat with the neighbors. When I was in the process of purchasing this house, the yard was absolutely infested with lubber grasshoppers. I mean, thousands of them. More than my real estate agent had ever seen on a property in over 10 years working in the area. More than the home inspector had ever seen, etc. By the time I moved in about a month ish later, they were already dying off, and there were way way way less around. I would not have believed the amount that were here initially based on what I saw by move in time. Speaking with the neighbors, it is apparently a common issue for this neighborhood. Maybe your neighbors are in the know about other seasonal pests.
Good luck with your garden!
