OMG. That's where I'm from.
I grew up in Ft Lauderdale, I hung around Wilton Manors and Sawgrass Mills, I live in Lee County, I go to St Petersburg all the time, and I hate Orlando!
We should meet up some time!
Edit: Wilton Manors is the gay capital of Ft Lauderdale, and is a very nice place in general. There are gay shops, gay clubs, and clothing stores pretty much lining the well kept streets there, and it's not far from Ft Lauderdale's beaches and the Galt Mile. You should probably rent a house instead of a hotel room: it is not built for tourism. Ft Lauderdale in general is the Gay Capital of Florida, and probably the nicest city in the state in general. If you're looking for somewhere to move to in Florida, it's one of the two cities I'd recommend.
Tampa is the other one. Tampa is just north of St Petersburg. It's very nice, very liberal, and I might even move there next year.