Sarasota is a nice place to live. I remember staying at a hotel there and going to the beach near-by.
Don't be too worried about floods or hurricanes. I was in Orlando, FL when hurricane Katrina happened. Little to no damage was done to my home.
As for making friends, this is always a problem when moving cities, states, etc. It's easy to make friends, it just depends on how willing you are to put effort into that.
Florida is a great place to live IMO. I used to live in Orlando for about 7 years (moving back there this year) and I don't have too much to complain about.
Hope you find your place in Sarasota.