Hi all, pretty new to the forum and wanted to reach out and say hi. I'm in the Tampa Bay area. Anyone else nearby?

I plan on reading through the florida posts but if anyone has any selected tidbits, that's welcome!

Welcome!  It always depends on your definition of "near" but there are certainly members in FL and the rest of us are jealous of them  :)

Have you already started growing figs?

I have a handful but looking to expand rapidly. I have grown tropical fruits for years but it wasn't until about 3 years ago I got to try fresh figs.  Its kind of crazy, I had tried things like chocolate sapote, durian, and canistel before I ever thought to seek out a fresh fig. Its a phenomenal fruit though. They produce quickly, prolifically and taste amazing.

I've started with an unknown black fig, a mission, a petite negra, and 3 letizia (i know very little about the variety and the details seem kind of thin on the forum as well). I plan on picking up more choice varieties in the next few months. I'm interested in tasting the spectrum of flavors available through the massive amount of varieties that are out there. Recommendations (and cuttings) are welcome.

I am across the State from you near Kennedy Space Center, but you have a couple forumers just down the road from you. They could sell you numerous varieties that work well in Florida. Aim for the LSU cultivars and any which have closed ostioles (eyes). This helps protect the fruit from spoilage due to rain or insects.

That's great, could you tip them off that I'm interested?