you are in stucco country most southern states of the u.s california arizona etc. all use stucco a lot im not a big fan i really like hardie it holds it paint well and can be painted plenty of times stucco can also be painted. Because i am in state that has a lot of rain stucco and dryvit fail a lot around here.

@ sabrina what exactly happened to your hardie?

Yes what Happened ? we are half way through replacing wood fascia boards with HardiePlank. I was planning to use their Stucco look sheets to build a studio shed. your input could change my mind.
Architect hubby (who has designed commercial buildings in Miami) says home builders often don't get the expansion joints right. This causes cracks in stucco which is really bad in high humidity. So check your contractors' references on stucco projects. in booth cases it could be how it's applied more than the actual product failing.
Good luck finding a better solution.

Hardy has had there problems but most have been fixed making sure you follow all the specs on the hardy you shouldn't have any problems making sure all flashings caulk joints are done right.

Stan - What did you end up doing? I also live in Orlando and am trying to make the same decision.