You are lucky that you are in Florida because there are a lot of studios there. Some of them might try to steer you into Pro/Am competition. This is a nice way to get started, but in the long run it is extremely expensive and isn't the same as having your own partner who is your peer. In Pro/Am you pay for your teacher to compete with you, sharing him with other students. The entry fees and fees to your teacher can get very very large. You'll learn faster at first, but if you want to eventually become a pro you will be better served by learning about partnership through having to work with a peer. Dance partnerships are a weird combination of business and personal issues, and require a huge degree of cooperation and communication. When you're in a student/teacher relationship, which is also an employee/employer relationship, it's different and won't necessarily prepare you for the transition into the pro world. Plus, if you find an amateur partner, you two can turn pro together.

Try not to get sucked into a studio that will take you knowing nothing and teach you how to be a teacher. You can do this, of course, but make sure you research everything about it first -- how you will be trained, what it will cost, what you will owe the studio if you leave to teach elsewhere, what you will be paid if you stay and teach, even if they will guarantee a you a job afterwards. New teachers with no reputation don't make much money at all -- but people who have significant amateur or pro results under their belt command higher hourly rates.

I don't know how old you are, but most of the people who are pros today started dancing in their childhood -- or at least by the time they were in their mid-20's. It can take years of full-time work to get yourself up to the level of the competing pros. It's a huge committment, both in time and money. Also, professional competitors don't make much money from competitions -- usually barely enough to cover the cost of competing. The real money comes from teaching.

Keep asking questions! And good luck and enjoy yourself!