Hi, Andrew. Welcome to the forum.

By ficus do you mean Ficus benjamina? That's really not something you want to plant in FL unless you have a huge property with much acreage. Besides being notoriously poor performers in high winds, in FL they grow immense root systems that will lift up your driveway, your sidewalk, your house walls, if they get close enough. People just don't plant those much anymore.

Fruit can stain cars and sidewalks so the tree should not be planted close to streets, walks or parking lots. It also makes quite a mess around the tree as the fruit fall to the ground. The tree is much too large for residential planting unless it is used as a hedge or clipped screen, but can be seen growing into massive trees in parks and other large-scale areas. Aerial roots descend from the branches, touch the ground and take root, eventually forming numerous sturdy trunks which can clog a landscape. Trees can grow to be quite large and spreading in this fashion. Roots grow rapidly invading gardens, growing under and lifting sidewalks, patios, and driveways.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st251

There are other ficus varieties which are native to FL and are easier to keep under control.

For wind resistance, you will generally get the best results by planting FL native trees. Gumbo Limbo, for instance, is noted for its ability to withstand high winds.

Eucalyptus is also a poor wind performer. In my area (Stuart) there was a house with a lovely grove of rainbow eucalyptus but they did very badly in Matthew. I've not heard anything bad about Guiana Chestnut and wind, but it wants to be in areas that flood periodically.

Here's an article about wind resistance for various trees in Palm Beach county, but it should apply on the west coast as well:

http://pamela-crawford.com/wind-tolerance-trees-palm-beach-landscape/

Thank you for the reply.

I’m aware of the problems people have with ficus, but I LOVE the buttress roots! Of course, I plan to keep all taller trees well away from the house, save for palms, or maybe something I have yet to become aware of the folks that install landscapes in FL recommend.

I really want to encourage you in your gardening, it sounds as if you want to do something interesting and out of the ordinary.

Fast growing trees typically have low wind resistance, and that is not what you want in hurricane country. Trees in Florida will grow faster than up north, so even though a tree is listed as medium growth pace, it may still impress you with the amount of growth you'll see. Also, many trees get pretty tall, even shrubs down here look like trees to me! There are a couple of native ficus - citrifolia being a good candidate (check on that though). Avoid the non natives, because not only as writer's block said about benjamina, they look horrible after a few years. Also probably avoid the very large banyan as they really need acre(s) of land. The strangler fig may be a good choice, but they will send out seedlings that root in palm trees and eventually kill them. Definitely check out the sites writer's block mentioned as well as the South Florida Water Management website. There is good info on trees there. Pamela Crawford has written a book "Easy Plants for South Florida" If you research a bit it will probably save you much trouble.

I visited those sites and bookmarked them!

One thing I’m dealing with, specifically, is that I keep chameleons and the species I have doesn’t tolerate temperatures above 85F. 95F is not uncommon, in Punta Gorda. What I will need to do, is to use shade and misting, as well as shade cloth on their enclosures, to drop the temps. I want to avoid trees that take years to grow and provide shade, but I also want to avoid trees that will uproot or need taken down after hurricanes. I realize no tree is immune, but I see no point in planting ones that doesn’t stand chance. I am also the canopy provides some protection when cold snaps come calling, because why can’t we have tropical weather without all of the other risks that come with living in tropical zones, in the US? Lol

I want to create a layered canopy of taller trees, with shorter trees underneath and shorter and shorter plants and shrubs, down to the lawn, so that it remains a lush oasis. I want the plants to look “wet”, not have succulent or silvery foliage, have more texture foliage and less coarse, like tree ferns, colocasias, Aralias, and more typical things, like crotons, Fatsia, and the like.

Perhaps you could get one large tree ( 35 ga. +) from the nursery. They cost more, but it may give you a bit of the instant shade you need.

The one option is surround the back yard with taller, wind resistant plants and have schefflera, other ficus species ( I am not attached to using Benjamina outside the enclosures, but I have some indoors here, already ), around the enclosures themselves, where they will provide the shade I need, the look I want, but have some buffering from the taller trees. I’m not opposed to things like Areca palms and such. I love rhapsis palms, other clumping palms, and Fatsia, as well as some crotons, cinnamon trees, and things I know people grow in those areas.

I will certainly have to invest in some larger trees or very fast growers for the outer perimeter of the garden and how large they can be will depend on how far away from the the house things will be. I won’t be planting anything tall enough to fall on the house or drop branches on the house, near the house, save for palms that don’t get too heavy.

How big is this lot your are going to be getting in punta gorda? Just remember if you are planting a tree with invasive roots you don't want to be giving your neighbors issues from your trees. Will your house be on septic or sewer? My septic tank is in the backyard and limits the kinds of trees i can grow and their placement as there is the tank and drain field i need to keep free of roots.

Nothing beats an oak for giving shade. My understory is bromeliads and other low light tropicals. Not many trees will grow in the shade of an oak.

Oaks take too long to provide the the shade I will need. We are looking for as much private land as possible. We have 5 acres at our current location, in MD, but we are not considering any property less than 1/2 acre, in FL, though ideally 1-2 acres and no super close neighbors. We are very social, we just like to have the privacy of using our pool without a suite, if we desire, and like to garden, without HOAs telling us what we can and can’t plant.

how about Royal Poinciana? or Hong Kong Orchid Tree? I see them planted around Miami area - very old trees, so they should be doing good in hurricanes.

i looked at the wind-resistant list (great link!) and see that Crepe Myrtles do well as well Magnolia virginiana.

Podocarpus is everywhere too - mostly as hedge.

Lignum vitae is a lovely small tree - but it grows superslow and is expensive because of that. Coccoloba (Sea Grape) is a small wide tree too.

And Japanese Fern Tree is a very beautiful smallish tree (Filicium decipiens).

Date Palms, Foxtail and Fishtail Palms are everywhere.

here's a good guide for South FL

When looking at trees and deciding remember some of those trees do lose all or part of their foliage in the winter and you will be left with little shade. So if you are needing year round shade some mentioned might be a problem.

I have looked at some of those and coco lobo might be a good fit. I like the Royal Ponciana, a lot, but I think I’d rely on them as accents, rather than a perimeter of shade trees.

here's a short article on trees, it has a list of reference links - so you can check those out too for more info.

and here is an extensive list of shade/flowering trees from UofFl (alpha list 1st part, see more on right side bar)