I live in Sarasota (on the west coast, just south of tampa) and i LOVE it. I live about 4-5 minutes from Siesta Key beach, which is usually in the top 10 beaches in the nation/world for the best sand. The only downside to Sarasota is its nightlife and the amount of snowbirds in the winter. Due to the fact that close to 30-40% of the population of Sarasota is only here from September - March, Sarasota's general population is a little older than i would like it to be. The city prerry much dies around 9pm, with a few sporatic clubs open till 2am, but not many. Nevertheless, if you love the beach and want a beautiful beach town with a crapload of culture (art fairs, concerts, etc), check out Sarasota.
If nightlife is really your thing, check out some suburbs of Ft. Lauderdale (on the east coast). I grew up in Coral Springs (surburbia just west of Ft. Lauderdale) and i liked it over there too. Much more crowded though, like the post above said, anything south of Palm Beach on the east coast has a much higher population density... The strip at Ft. Lauderdale beach has some awesome nightlife though. Tons of clubs, bars, hotties.... Some places to hang out are Rush Street/Riverfront where there are no covers with like 10 clubs/bars in a row (also no enforcement of the open liquor law, so you can openly drink on the streets), beach place (which is a little more tame but still fun), and some of the other places on A1A. The whole area is right on the beach....
Anyway, good luck in your decision. I've been living in Florida now for close to 15 years (I'm only 23) and i really do love it down here. Sure people complain about the amt of old people and the traffic in some areas, but i dunno, ii like it here
