Professional associations and LinkedIn are great suggestions for networking. I'm recently retired after spending 30+ years in Global HR/Compensation. Some points to consider:
1. Companies do not set pay rates based on cost of living; pay rates are set based on cost of labor, which is different. If a company has to recruit nationally to fill a position(skilled professionals), the company will more likely pay national rates. If a company can fill a position locally (like admins) then local (usually lower) rates will be paid in FL. Also, when there is a rich local recruiting pool (translation, many retirees with great skills willing to work for less or just part time) the cost of labor in an area will be depressed.
2. If you really want to get into the pay differences, go to
Welcome to Salary.com! - Salary.com and search for your desired job title and location. You can also compare pay for the same job in various locations. Several companies I worked for used this tool. It is run by a very reputable company and generally has pretty good.
Good luck in your search.