Well, Florida is an awful place to ride on the road, seeing as the biggest hill there is Mt. Trashmore. Hills are the best part!
Unlike mountain bikes that come in S, M, L, XL sizes, road usually come in 2cm increments and there are a ton of adjustments other than frame size (as you probably already know from working in a shop). Being in pretty much one position for a long period of time, it really helps if the size adjustments are really dialed in. And a racing fit is going to be completely different than a touring fit, or commuting fit. If you were ever interested, I am sure you could find a road bike that you were comfortable on.
And most of my local shops have groups rides every week in the summer where you get to ride with a bunch of nice people.