Hi,
I did my PPL through EFT back in 2009 and loved it. One of the best things i've ever done. I'll answer your questions first:
1. Any recommendations of florida flight schools?
EFT. Heard horrible stories about what was then Ormond Beach Aviation (think its changed now) I had the luxury of visiting both before I signed up but EFT was the better choice.
2. Is 3 weeks actually feasible (I've seen people suggest i do the exams before i go which i can do).
Absolutely. I did mine after 20.5 days flying. Do as many exams as you can before you leave the UK as it will make life easier when you are there and give you some downtime to go to the touristy stuff as you will rarely fly on Saturday PM/Sunday. I left the UK having done 3 exams - I wish I had done more.
3. Does it work out much cheaper in the end? approx how much does it cost in total these days in florida? it seems to work out about £13k in south east england which is pretty steep
I paid a little over £6k and probably spent £7k all in including food, flight and Levi Jeans money! That will obviously have changed now.
4. finally, for those who have achieved their PPL for purely leisure purposes (not with a view to go commercial etc) was it worth the time and money? i really want to do it but keep talking myself out of it due to being realistic of what happens after i get it..(e.g fly a few times a year and thats it etc).
It is a drain on your finances but if you love it you find ways of maintaining your hours. Once you find a good airfield with great people you become addicted. As long as you don't spend your hours doing local area stuff, you can never become bored. I can only afford to do just over minimum hours but always make sure my hours count. When you split the cost with someone it makes it more fun and you can go much further.
Bad points about Florida - The R/T is shocking but you will be learning to an EASA standard and follow CAP413. Dont fall into their bad habits and you will be fine. Oh, and Ft Pierce is a bit of a hole but if you know where to go, like anywhere, there are nice parts.
Airspace is lacking over there. As long as you spend some time learning the UK airspace when you return then that's not an issue.
The weather is always a contentious point, especially for those who have not flown there. You get an appreciation of how quickly the weather can change so it teaches you to plan properly, especially for thunderstorm avoidance!
My advice is ignore those who have not had the pleasure of flying in FL. When I did my research back in 2009 I nearly gave up as people on these forums can be so negative and some seem to be scared of doing something "different." Flying in FL is amazing, fantastic facilities for GA, no landing fees, free use of a car at some airfields and the GA community over there are fantastic once you get chatting to them.
Ft Pierce is a good airport to learn at. Various runways, ground frequencies etc and its the right environment to learn in, especially if you want to fly into some larger fields when returning to Blighty, license in hand. I work at a South Coast airport and cringe when I see some G.A pilots land with us who learned at smaller airfields and have never had exposure to a large aerodrome. Ive seen all sorts, aircraft taxxiing down the airside road amongst other horrors. But that is partly down to poor preparation and pre flight briefings.
In summary, go for it. You make some good friends, you get sunshine 95% of the time and it's something you will never forget. PM me if you want more info.