Because Florida? Unless there is some island of sanity lurking in central Florida that I don't know about (and yes, I have been to St. Pete a number of times due to having family there), it's difficult to look past the massive increase in Dealing with Crazy People that would follow a move from SF to there. I actually like Florida (probably a lot more than your average Bay Area denizen) but the lifestyle tradeoff is a lot more complex than you are making it out to be.

I've been contemplating a move to FL for some time now except that I don't know much about the place other then a few times I've visited. What counties would you recommend for IT folks?

I'm in Central Florida (Tampa/St Pete area). I never look at the local job market, as its not the type of work I do (either finance or healthcare mostly).

IT is taking off in the Tampa/Orlando area, and Miami has a bit of a startup scene that's coming up to speed.

I suggest spending a couple weeks in the area, drive around, see what you like and what you need to live near (I don't have kids, but when I do, I'm home schooling. I work remote, so a commute does't matter. My housing selection was based solely on recreation, or rather, where I could park my sailboat).