Question
Hi,
I need a good refence source for native species & xeriscape design in Southwest Florida

Answer
Hey, SFH.

I think you get a fair amount of rain there in Southwest Florida, so you should have no problem with plants as far as water requirements go.

As far as native species, probably the best resource for you is to stop by either one of your large plant nurseries that also has a book section or to go to Borders Books and Music or Barnes & Noble (or any other large bookstore) and look at their gardening books. Each bookstore gets to carry local books or books with subjects specific to their area. For example, here in San Diego, there are a lot of xeriscape and native vegetation books that are relevant only to San Diego and a couple of other areas.

You might also find some good sources on the Internet if you search on "Florida xeriscape" or "Florida native vegetation."

Additionally, your local university/college quite often has good human resources, as well as a good library.

One other option is to check with the "master gardeners" in your area. They are definitely master gardeners and usually volunteer at lot of their time to help other gardeners.

I wish I could be more help to you with your specific situation, but my climate is just too different from Florida.

Please come back if I can help with anything else, though.