I found going to Oaks Mall in Gainesville is about the same about of time as Florida Mall in Orlando. Oaks has Macys, Belks, Penny's, Sears and Dillards, it's only lacking a really good food court like the Florida Mall. However, except for December, going there on a weekday there is almost nobody there. To reach Oaks Mall just head north on I-75 and get off at the third Gainesville exit, Newbury Rd. Since I often have to go to the VA Hospital, I just tie the mall in with my VA trips.
Florida Mall on the otherhand, is almost always packed anyday or month of the year and I feel almost like a foreigner since a large portion of the shoppers and employees speak in Spanish. It's usually a strange mix of Orlando tourist, retired seniors and Spanish Americans. Oaks Mall in Gainesville is almost all locals in comparison, very few tourist. If you're a Gator fan you'll feel even more at home in Gainesville.
Seminole Mall in Sanford is good size, in fact it is two story and on a weekday there is almost no one there. The only problem is traveling through Leesburg, Tavares, Mt. Dora and then the 2 lane route 46 twenty miles through the middle of nowhere before you reach Sanford. If you're coming or going on the Autotrain, the mall is about 5 miles before the train station.
Another option is Mall of Millenia near Universal Studios in Orlando. However, there you will find mostly high priced stores that are geared toward the young professionals and not retirees. Also, if you get lost leaving that mall, it's not too far from some very bad areas east of the mall.
If you're down in Tampa, especially the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, take I-75 four miles south of I-4 to the next exit and go east toward Brandon. The Brandon Mall looks to be no more than a couple of years old, and unlike most newer malls, it's still a one story mall but has many stores. I found Tampa to be a much more hospitable town than Orlando. It's probably at least a 90 minute drive, especially since I-75 has a lot of construction north and east of Tampa.
Not a mall, but close by is Clermont. Almost everything there is new within the last 3 to 5 years. They have a Penny's in a shopping center, a Belks, a Target with a very large grocery section, and two Walmarts. In front of Penny's is a World of Beer, a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Red Lobster. Also six miles before Clermont on US 27 is the Lakeridge Winery, you can take a tour just like Miles and Jack in 'Sideways'. It is rather small, but they have wine tasting of their 10 or 12 wines and you get a discount in the store. If you like the wine, they sell it in TV at Publix and Sweetbay.
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