I suggest dwarf indian hawthorne for shrubs...they wont get to big as long as they are dwarf. They also can tolerate the sun. I luv mine! i also just planted cuphia for color and its holding real well. Make sure any grasses you plant are small and wont get too big as many of them grow to be enormous! ...always read the max size of plants before you buy them...biggest mistake you will see is homes taken over by enormous bushes that should never have been planted there....becomes a waste of time and money to rip it all back out...happy planting:)

We are going through the same thing. We just dug up half our lawn to make a large bed and eliminate as much grass as possible.

Because we don't know Florida plants either (moved from NY), I drove around and took pictures of landscaping with my phone. I went to nurseries and would show the photos and ask for the bushes. I found landscaping around hotels impressive and well balanced and used ideas from there.

I also posted on the Landscape Design Forum here on Garden web for advice. They are good for helping design a bed which fits your house and property.

Good luck,
Jane

Work in Progress:
Before

Still working!
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Planted a lot of grass as fillers. Shrubs are expensive and we got about 30 grasses in H. Depot cheap. These are medium size.
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This groundcover is a nighmare. We can't get rid of it.
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That Mimosa is really coming along, Jane! It kind of gives the impression that the heron/egret is wading through it as it looks for food. I can even see some of the pink pom-poms have come up. I'm still waiting on mine to start flowering.

Kelsey:
Be careful of the red/purple fountain grass. If you use it, set it back some and don't use it as a border. The little plants that they sell at big box stores can be a little deceiving as they can get upwards to about 4-5' tall and form rather dense clumps.

Also, I might suggest doing a bit more homework before going to the Landscape Design forum for advice. I don't know about Jane's advice (as in the advice she was given, not the advice she is giving), but during my lurking amongst that forum, doing more reading than posting, I have noticed a lot of the folk over there are kind of big on people asking 'informed' questions. Quite a few people posting there are professionals who normally get paid for providing landscaping advice (and work). I have seen people on that forum say, "This is my house, give me a Landscape plan!" only to get railed and rudely told off. (I'm not saying your post does that, you actually have dimensions and some ideas on what you want unlike the kind I'm describing.) Just be ready to provide information if they ask.

Take my advice for what you paid for it, but... I would probably plant a hibiscus in the small bed closest to the driveway. Don't just get the cheap ones, there are some nice varieties out there if you go to a real garden center. Also, spend the money to get one that's been trained into a tree shape rather than just a big bush. This will allow you to plant flowers around the base. Might I suggest new guinea impatien (not the regular impatiens). I have a variegated variety of oyster plant that works pretty good as a border too.

Over on the right, your options are basically limitless as long as you've got sun, preferably morning sun. I think you want to stagger it and out some taller plants in the back and short ones up front. I would plant annuals up front and replace as they age off and die (every 4-6 months.). If you just want something easy, then look at what they plant in the road medians around you. Plumbago, firecracker bush, bougainvillea, dwarf oleander, Mexican petunia, crown of thorns, etc.

But most of all, you've to to get your irrigation system up and running because that yard is looking kinda brown. I know a lot of water conscious people will disagree with me, but I think it's impossible to have a good looking yard with brown and dead grass, regardless of what pretty plants are in the yard.

Get some quality border material too for the bed on the right. It'll look better and make it way easier to weed eat.

Irrigation system works and new sod has been laid since this photo was taken :)

Hi,
I'm in Seminole County, too. Here is one mistake I made with my flower bed. I planted plants that hardy to my zone, but tropical. That means from late December until mid February most things look dead, until they come back. Along with the Hibiscus, Jatropha, and Alamanda, I have planted things that overwinter a little more attractively now: Knockout Roses, Lorapetulum, St. Francis Lilac Vine, Coral Honeysuckle, Cape Honeysuckle, Mona Lavendar, Gazanias, Bromeliads and Clivia. Lorapetulum makes a great hedge, keeps it's beauty during the average winter and gets small fringe-like flowers. Liriope and Flax Lily also hold up pretty well, they look great as borders and fillers. Caladiums are great for color and are tidy plants and come back during spring. Crotons, while tempting, have not faired well for the past few winters, unless you put them in a pool planter. So my advice is to mix the more tender plants with things that overwinter a little more reliably.

Leekle, you are right. You have to be careful on that forum. I didn't ask for plant advice but rather a design plan for the front of the house. I come here for plant advice.

The mimosa has taken over and its roots are like underground tree branches. I spent hours yesterday trying to put some Cuban Gold seedlings in. This Mimosa is not a good thing if you plan to make a bed. I hacked and hacked, had to use tree loppers to cut the underground roots.

I would advise anyone to stay away from the Mimosa. It is too aggressive and difficult to deal with. Would be fine as a ground cover if not planting in it.

I also bought two more white Plumbagos to put in the background. I'm impressed with how they flower. The one by the front entry has never stopped flowering.

Kessley, white Plumbago would look good and is easy to control They also come in blue, but I like the white better. They never stop flowering.

Jane

I found white plumbagos at the Butterfly Rainforest in Gainesville and simply had to get them. It was interesting to see a variety that wasn't baby blue! Since then I have paid extra attention to my local Big Box stores and a nursery I go to from time to time and I have yet to see these white ones anywhere else.

Leekle, you are right about the white Plumbagos! I've been almost everywhere looking for them!! I drove to a nursery, Troys Tropics, and found them. They only had small ones, quarts. I love that the white Plumbago has been in flower since we bought the house, Sept.. There's a blue in the back yard which just started flowering. It had a few flowers in Sept. but hasn't done much until this week. These seem easy.to trim and need little water or fertilizer...my kind of bush!

Regarding hibiscus: If you want more color than the regular green-leafed varieties, try a combo of Snow Queen (green and white leaves) and Red Hot (deep red-purple leaves) hibiscus. The flowers are the usual red, and they don't even stand out much for the Red Hots, but the leaves themselves add plenty of color.