Wayne:

SW Florida is a most underrated and almost unknown cruising ground. In many
respects it is better than most of the Bahamas. We enjoyed a few weeks
cruising there down the coast from the Tampa area to Key West. There were
many delightful anchorages and very benign cruising conditions.

There is a nice small booklet: Cruising Guide to SW Florida (that is the
name of it - more or less) that gives very detailed descriptions of
anchorages and detailed harbor charts. Our favorite anchorage was a small
bayou on the backside of the barrier island that forms Charlotte Harbor.
Absolutely charming and totally secure and protected. You could hang out
there for weeks.

David