I would take out the remaining palm and the hedges under the windows and the plants in the curved piece too then go to a garden center with pictures and ask for help.

I agree with Patricia. The remaining palm is too near the house. For this summer, try flowering annuals with a lot of compost in the beds, apply a good organic fertilizer to the lawn to green it up before your family arrives. In the long run, consult an arborist about how to care for the oak trees. A new professional landscape design will enhance the house.

Take out the Palm. Remove the dreadful bed to the left of the door. Do people really have to walk through that bed to reach the door?

Take out the rock beds and remove all greenery. Go to a local nursery with pix and plan a big planting makeover. Replace the faux stick-on shutters with Bermuda shutters (see right side of after below,) pressure wash your brick and consider painting it. If the two windows weren't off balance with the extended gable for covering the porch, I'd suggest reworking the gable with new siding and trim to achieve the look of the open gable porch below. It might work any way. Details of this before and after can be seen at www.magnoliamarket.com (look under Our Shows, season 3) They wanted a beach look on their ranch. Should work well in FL.

Great ideas! Looks like it would be to my advantage to hire a landscaper to help.

No, they don't have to walk through that mess to get to the front door. :) There is a walkway in front of the house.

As for the exterior, we are having the roof replaced after hurricane season. Getting rid of the brown. Thinking black/dark gray, then painting the brick. Haven't landed on a color yet.

Can't wait to see what other ideas are offered! Thank you!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/trucks/a8195/toyota-tundra-pulls-shuttle-endeavour-through-la-13751760/

Well, I didn't even have the truck; just a little sedan! Great vehicles!

That's how I feel trying to get teenagers out of bed to go to school.