Hey Accur8shot,
Welcome to Florida.
First, Jax, thanks for the kind words...and when are you coming back to dive with us again?.
Second, I too disagree about WPB area. I taught up there for a year, and certified many OW and AOW students in those waters. The reefs are about 60 ft deep. It is all drift diving so you don't really have to work, just stay near your guide and watch your buoyancy. I recommend you practice inflating a safety sausage in the pool, before going as you will be required to have one in case you come up early. When booking your dives with an operator be frank about your experience level. Operators in WPB put guides in the water with their divers. When they know upfront experience levels, they put more guides on (better DM to diver ratios) to ensure new divers have a fun safe dive. For WPB & surrounds, I recommend: Abernathy's Scuba Adventures, Little Deeper Charters, and Ocean Quest (Sandy's Sunday). There are also other fine operators in this area, so I recommend searching SB for others' opinions.
A bit further south in Boynton Beach, is Underwater Explorers (ScubaKevDM) here on SB who does an outstanding job with personalized service for divers of all levels.
All of these operators will be more than happy to listen to and counsel you on any concerns you may have.
Also in WPB, is the Blue Heron Bridge (Phil Foster Park) which is a local shore dive full of surprising diversity of critters in about 18ft deep. It is also a haunt for many local SBers who might be willing and available to show you around. There is a long ongoing thread here on SB about the site where locals keep adding pics, local conditions, and schedule meet ups. I recommend reading from the last page back a bit.
Third, Key Largo is a great place for new divers as most of the reef structure is about 30 ft, full of life. There are more dive ops here than gas stations, so there is something for everyone. Here is a thread,
FL Keys Guide, listing the dive ops, each has it's own personalities and strengths from large boats (best if you tend to get seasick), to small boats (if you prefer smaller dive groups), some offer hunting, others, tech diving. FL Keys is an often discussed topic here on SB. I recommend you search the ones that interest you here on SB where you will find many oft praised dive ops as well as info on accommodations, dive sites, conditions, training, eateries, etc. Then call those shops and chat with the folks to get a feel for a good match to what you expect.
Fourth: On the topic of additional training, I recommend doing some fun diving first to get the feel for salt water diving. Most folks straight out of OW classes have issues with buoyancy, trim, and propulsion so a class or instructor coaching in these areas is time & money well spent toward improving your technique and comfort level while diving. As you get a bit more time in the water, are more relaxed and have improved your air consumption rate (which only comes with experience), then you are ready for extended bottom times using Nitrox which does require a certification course. Although you could start your Advanced open water right away after Open Water, most folks get more out of the class once they have a handful or two of dive experience on which to build their new skills upon an established foundation.
Feel free at ANY point in your dive career to hire a DM/guide to show you the way and ensure your comfort level. All of these dive ops mentioned can arrange those services for you. (FYI, I may have been diving for decades and teaching a while now and know the local waters well where I have lived, but there are times when I hire a local expert and rely on their local knowledge and skills for my own safety and piece of mind).
Whether you dive in SoFL, or you come dive with me in the Key Largo or one of the other local shops (I have friends who work at many and we all want you to have a safe memorable dive vacation), please stop by to say hi :wavey:.