I think too much shade is a bigger problem for most tropicalesque plants (and most plants in general) than not enough. Even "shade plants" will handle more sun as long as watering (along with drainage) is kept proportional to the amount of available light. I grow many of my hellebores, for instance, in full sun, and they bloom more profusely than the ones in deep shade by far.

Bananas would be a quick solution to providing shade for plants that truly need it, like white caladiums, etc., and lots of varieties would be hardy for you. Sabal palms in several species are slower growing, but provide year-round interest (mine look great right now covered in snow!); the Trachycarpus sp. might not handle your heat and humidity so well. Michelias (semi-tropical magnolias) are evergreen, as is Gordonia lasianthus, and both are more reliably hardy for you than for me, although they do okay here most years. Camellia sasanqua handles full sun much better than the japonicas, and will form a small tree in your climate if you choose the right cultivars.

Best advice would be a visit to Bellingrath Gardens to see how they manage shade/sun, what trees they use, etc. It's a spectacular place.

Thanks, Bubba! I love Bellingrath, and it is about time for another visit, this time focussed on the use of trees, and the amount of shade. I will take a compass to keep track of the orientation--easy to get turned around. It will be easy to load up my camera with good long vistas of plants, trees, and the presence or no of shade and sun.

I have a couple of bananas already and ordered another yesterday, a musa siamensis 'Thai Gold' which I hope arrives soon. And the sasanquas in my neighbor's yard are tree size, the ones which make a lovely woodland garden alongour back property line but inside her yard. Several fallen tree limbs need to be removed and we will do that more easily than she can. But having this buffer zone between the two homes, what a nice naturalistic and SHADY place it is, even with the removal of the huge trees.

I will plant the crape myrtles out front, although it is the wax myrtle, a near relative, which is the native. It is all over the wetlands around here, but much too undisciplined for a small polite lawn. I need the crape myrtle, which can grow tall and leave the area beneath its shade for me to garden, something the wax myrtle doesn't do.

The sabal palm sounds great, and I will look into using it.
Appreciate your comments.

Live Oaks will do the job.
You need about 30% filtration for tropicals...at least down here.