I like how the OP describes himself as "corporate," yet posters keep suggesting cities like Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
Surely, you jest.
I think those three cities deserve the award (Orlando-1, Tampa-2 and Jacksonville-3) for being the LEAST corporate major cities in the entire country. The economies of those cities are largely driven by the hospitality and tourism industry, which offers low, non-competitive salaries and wages, limited non-wage benefits and abysmal opportunity for career advancement and upward economic mobility.
Because the service sector dominates the economic landscape of Florida, the professional services sector, especially "knowledge industry," is very limited relative to other highly populous regions of the country (e.g., California, the BosWash corridor, Texas Triangle, etc.). Florida also has one of the lowest rates of F1000 per capita, so it's hardly a "corporate" place.
So, you must be wondering what college-educated employees in Florida do for work.
Well, aside from those in healthcare, education and human services, most college-educated people in Florida end up working in one of the FIRE industries (i.e.,
Finance,
Insurance and
Real
Estate), averaging $35-$45k/year. Pretty abysmal, IMO.
And if you work in private enterprise in Florida, be prepared to deal with some pretty shady stuff. Lots of "back-office" businesses and glorified call centers in Florida with tremendous turnover and employers who feel as though they're doing you a favor by hiring you at $12-15/hour with a bachelor's degree, years of relevant work experience and stellar references.
Corporations know that Florida is a "no-man's land" because of its service-driven economy and largely uneducated workforce in addition to a few other things such as its lower workforce participation rates due to its elderly population, limited rights and protections for workers, etc.
Florida is also a RTW state, too, so in addition to limited rights and protections for line-level employees, salaries and wages are inherently low in all professions and fields due to the diminished collective bargaining power of laborers' unions. This affects corporate employees as well.
Problem is, Florida's COL is completely disproportionate to salaries/wages, especially in the southern part of the state (i.e., Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach). For example, some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the entire country, highest utility bills, highest food prices. But there's no state income tax.
IMO, all of these factors have created a "perfect storm," so to speak, for lazy employees. And you can ask anyone who has lived and/or worked in Florida about this--employee morale and productivity is among the worst in the entire country. A worker who would be described as "lazy" in Connecticut would probably be among one of the hardest workers in an equivalent work environment in Florida. Very low standards for work ethic and worker productivity.
That, plus if the OP describes himself as "corporate" and--I'm sure--"educated," then he's going to have a lot of difficulty meeting quality people and cultivating meaningful, long-lasting friendships in Florida, whose population is generally unsophisticated, apathetic, complacent and anti-intellectual. Not to mention that it's difficult making and, more importantly, *KEEPING* friends in Florida, regardless of your interests or how you describe yourself, since it's so transient and all.
And if the OP is trying to escape the "cold, distant" vibe of Connecticut, then I would really hate to see him move to Florida and experience a very similar vibe coupled with the transience factor, which only exacerbates that issue. Not to mention the "tough" factor. LOL, "tough" (AKA shady, argumentative, combative, aggressive, shrewd, rude, ghetto, etc.).
Oh, yeah--no good waves in Florida, either.
Honestly, OP, I really think you ought to look into somewhere out West. Based on how you describe yourself and your preferences/interests, it sounds like the LA area is calling you--some of the most gorgeous weather on the planet, great surf, plenty of corporate jobs/professionals, generally laid-back, friendly and approachable locals (depending on where in the metro you are, definitely not the Westside), a general orientation towards health and fitness, endless outdoor recreational opportunities, no hardcore "sports nuts" like in New England, lots of single females, a generally attractive culture and no one in a rush to the alter.
FWIW, I grew up in nearby Providence, RI, lived in Florida for 12 years (including my late 20's), and now living in the LA area (Long Beach, to be exact). In other words, I ain't whistlin' Dixie.
But please, whatever you do, just don't move to Florida.