Spike001 - No landing fees in the US. And yes the West Coast is a great place to fly. Can't comment on Florida although I do know that it's a lot flatter! However, if you're feeling adventurous I guess a trip to the Bahamas would be fantastic
For group flying check out the classifieds in:
Flyer
Pilot
Today's Pilot
There's also a forum on the Flyer web dedicated for group flying too.
Also check out
The Hangar .
I'm also interested in getting into a group around London/SE and so I've been checking out these sites fairly regularly.