Yes, throw out that TV and start reading--we did that over 10 years ago and are much happier for it.
Wow, okay, if you like Florida fiction, there are some great ones, but Randy Wayne White is definitely the most similar. Others are Tim Dorsey (who writes a lot like Carl Hiassen, same zany characters), SV Date, and James W. Hall.
Ted Bell really is fantastic, his newest, Warlord, comes out next week. I re-read my John D. MacDonald's every now and again, especially the Travis' series. One of my faves to re-read this time of year is Condominium, which has one of the best descriptions of a hurricane ever. An older one of his about a hurricane is Murder in the Wind. Great stuff!
I have every single one of JDMs books and a handful of scholarly work written about his life. Have you read his pamphlet Reading for Survival? It is awesome and I have a slim first edition of it. Here is a reprint that, if you like the Travis McGee series, you will appreciate.
http://education.gsu.edu/sdecker/Class/Assessment/Achievement/Reading/Reading%20For%20Survival.pdf