My vote goes for the UK every time, I have an equal spread of hours across both the UK and Florida and the reasons I would choose the UK are -
* The US has "different" standards of RT. IMO it is far worse and you will develop bad habits. Can't remember the exact document but think its CAP413 which gives guidelines to good RT, you will really see how poor RT is in Florida after a read of this.
* The airspace rules are different, they are fairly logical and straightforward in Florida, you will have a shock when you first try to navigate around the UK with its multiple MATZ's and its complex layered airspace system.
* Alot of procedures are different, for eg. there are no overhead joins in Florida and you don't call to change frequencies in many situations in Florida.
* From experience the aircraft are maintained to a far higher standard in the UK and are in better condition, however I've only seen 3 US flight schools and approx 6 UK flying clubs so this is hardly conclusive.
* Florida is hardly the most exiting place to fly around, it is virtually totally flat and featureless and the only terrain you need to consider is the odd tall aerial. I found it extremely unchallenging.
* As mentioned there are alot of costs not considered when choosing a US school such as Visa's, flights, car hire etc.
* Very importantly consider your legal rights. It is not uncommon for a customer to be unhappy with a flight school. As a UK citizen you have very few avenues to object to any poor treatment you receive from a US registered flight school.
Any financial saving you perceive that you have gained would probably be a false economy in the long run and IMO a poor background to gain further licences and ratings in the UK. I purely built hours in Florida, whereas a fair few friends of mine obtained their PPL's in the US, and every one of them bar none are a nightmare to fly with in South East England, they find it very daunting and confusing.
Please don't think that I am against UK pilots flying/training in the US, there are also pro's to choosing the US for training or hour building, however IMO most of them are geared around saving money.
Hope this helps
