Welcome! Some advice for the boards. Read a ton, post very very little. there is a search function for the site. Learn to use that and try to find things for yourself so that when you do have a question it will be educated and informed.
This is the Belegarth wiki
http://www.geddon.org. Check it out and refer to it with questions too.
As far as people in Fl, I know there are some good peeps down there and a lot of different foam fighting groups. You'll have to wait for one of them to come by as I know jack all about anything back east.