A J1 visa is not applicable for most flight schools as this visa applies to non-vocational studies, and Flight training is actually considered vocational studies, like a certified mechanic, or electrician.
M1 visas however are visas issued by my flight school for flight training -
www.rainbowair.com - based in Long Beach California.
I've flown to Florida once and didn't like the thunderstorms, swamps, humidity, or serious lack of scenery and terrain.
Personally I think California has perfect weather - warm, not humid - lots of stunning scenery and at Long Beach (Los Angeles) we are pretty close to Ocean, Mountains, and Desert - Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sierra Nevada mountains, and San Francisco - are all one day trips away.