Agree with David. The media overhypes hurricanes. Look at it this way - at least our 'natural disaster' announces itself!
Re places in Fla, I don't know why you limited yourself to just Tampa & Ft Walton Beach. For example, Palm Beach County (Jupiter, Palm Bch Gardens, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boca Raton) boasts over 160 golf courses & the ocean, and Miami's only an hour's drive away. TourSpoon can back me up on Palm Beach since he lives there.
Southwest Fla is great for golf but laid-back, quiet. They roll up the sidewalks in Naples after dark. Ft. Myers is a little bigger, but similar vibe, as Sarasota.
Miami is crazy. Too crowded, the traffic's a nightmare. Ft. Lauderdale not much better. Jax is a great town, chilly winters.
Ft Walton Beach is on the 'Redneck Riviera' - beautiful beach with white powdery sand, but it's a pretty ho-hum place. Not much to do. Tampa is big city with lots of urban amenities & some good golf, but I've always consideredf Tampa 'under-repesented' in terms of number of courses. some good ones like TPC Tampa Bay & Innisbrook, but imo there are many other areas of the state that give you a better golf value...like Orlando, where I live. Problem with Orlando is it's in the center of the state & it gets ungodly hot here in the summer - the closest beach is 60 miles away.