I've been in the Ft. Lauderdale area for 16 years and started looking for a place to finish raising my kids. I agree on Sarasota - in addition to the traffic near the beach, it's not cheap (unless you're 5+ miles inland) and I didn't find it kid-friendly.
I settled on Northwest Florida (AKA - Gulf Coast/Panhandle/Redneck Riviera), specifically the area between Panama City Beach and Destin.
Great salt water fishing, plenty to catch in the huge bays just inland and many fresh water lakes within 100 miles. Housing prices and styles range from stupidly expensive on the beach to very affordable as you move inland just a few miles.
Shopping and services including health care are adequate, but don't have the range of choices I've been accustomed to.
Once you're 5-10 miles north of the beach, you're in the rural South, and that won't be to everyone's liking. Fine for me, though.
The major downside I found is the summers are crazy with tourists. Traffic moves slowly on the weekends and beach parking can be difficult. Both are manageable if you plan ahead though.
Plus - no state income tax
My SIL's parents have a condo in Fort Walton Beach and my wife and I made the trek from Jacksonville to see visit them last year while they vacationed there with their kids during spring break. NEVER AGAIN........we couldn't even get into a restaurant to have dinner. I felt horrible for the people that lived there. (although, I'm sure it's different when the spring breakers finally go back up north). The Palm Coast area of Florida has been gaining a very positive reputation for retirement living. About 80 miles south of Jacksonville on east cost. Close to the ocean and not too far south that the summers are horribly hot. 
Which is why despite the weather we will most likely end up in southern PA. Having just read "Thinking, Fast and Slow" again I noticed there is a section on how location affects one's overall happiness. Turns out that it doesn't.
According to the book, while people in southern CA believe they are happier than people in Michigan, and vice versa, the fact is that both are the same. While people from Michigan believe that they will be happier in CA, the fact is that after the initial elation at the weather wears off they adapt, and their happiness level returns to the same as it was. The reverse is also true. Yes the northerners hate the harsh winters but it doesn't affect their overall happiness.
But I still think I'd be happier in NC....
The thing in these discussions about moving to California is that the only people that recommend it are those that have been there for 15-20+ years. Anyone who lived there and left will tell you to avoid it. I bailed in 1998 and declined several opportunities to move back in the early 2000's.
It's an incredibly expensive place to move to - gasoline, state income taxes, car registration, housing, car insurance (unless you're moving from Florida) all come to mind. I'll skip over the state's fiscal mess and long term implications for taxes on anyone who isn't on the dole.
The only thing I found that was cheaper there was fresh food, and it's the best in the U.S. Can't beat the climate, though - you can find what you like in that state, but you may not be able to afford it
Oh, and forget about good fresh water fishing in CA - it's all reservoirs and stocked
