I live in Palm Springs and so I’m probably prejudiced. Yes I’ve been to Fort Lauderdale and really enjoyed myself. But for me the heat/humidity is a killer. I’ve lived all my life in California and I’ve not really had to deal with heat/humidity too much in my life. If I go to Florida from late May to September I get miserable and all sorts of allergies. But living in the desert in the summer is no piece of cake either. it gets very hot with highs exceeding 100+ degrees for three months but it’s mostly a dry heat, except during the occasional monsoon. You often spend most of your day indoors and go out at night because that’s the fun time anyway.
Palm Springs is the western most City in the greater Coachella Valley; the Valley has a population of about 450,000 people. (See coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals). Actually Palm Springs is surrounded on the south and west by tall mountains; we have open desert to the north and the rest of the Coachella valley extending about 30 miles to the east. So it depends upon the direction you are heading when you meet the desert.
Yes, Ft Lauderdale has the Atlantic Ocean Beaches in its eastern edge and that’s a deciding point for many people. In Palm Springs your backyard ocean is your backyard pool, hopefully stocked with cool margaritas served by naked hunky pool boys. And the classic Pacific Ocean Beaches of Southern California are about two hours away.
Palm Springs does have the advantage of being relatively close to the Los Angeles metropolitan area with all the city things to do there as well as San Diego. Both are about two hours away I can’t really compare the culture of the two places since I’ve not been in Ft Lauderdale or Wilton manors enough (but I do know that a former mayor or city manager?? of Wilton Manors lives in Palm Springs).
California has one big advantage over Florida: A third dimension. While Florida is a flat flat flatland. California has the highest and geologically youngest mountains in the 48 contiguous states creating some spectacular scenery. On a 75 degree Palm Springs winter morning, you can look up and see the snow covered peaks; and maybe go skiing in the afternoon.
Now California is a blue state while Florida is a red state. Therefore, Californians are big into fucking while Floridians prefer fisting. Just kidding!
But seriously the political differences between the two states is symbolized by the following contrast. The State of Florida is today pushing to eliminate any State Medicaid funding for gender affirming care for transgendered persons, while also today, the Mayor of Palm Springs is transgendered, and a highly respected member of the community.