I am also in SW Florida and on Pine Island close to Fruitscapes. I have a lot of avocado trees and am selling and sampling several varieties this season. I usually sell to Fruitscapes and other retailers but am happy to sell on the farm to the public and especially connect with members. Currently I'm selling retail for $2/pound.
Picking has gone as follows:
June-July- Mexicola
July-August- Brogdon
August-Sept- Brogdon, Russel, Golden, Hall
Sept- Brogdon, Golden, Hall, Marcus Pumpkin, Donnie
October- Hall, Marcus Pumpkin
I have several unknown and seedling varieties which I am still evaluating. Identified are Choquette, Nishikawa, Oro Negro, Day and others.
In my judgement almost all avocados we can grow are good if well ripened. Storebought fruit
from larger commecial orchards are often picked too young since holding them on the tree represents a possible loss.
Fruit get's defects from disease & rubbing, winds knock them down, squirrels chew on them. Some get too ripe and drop, and pickers aren't always selective. So they pick them and collect their money but the customer gets a fruit which hasn't reached it's potential. If you have the space plant a range of trees to ripen over time. You can pretty easily control size by pruning, much easier than Mango for comparison, but faster than Sapodilla. Definitely plant on a mound, definitely mulch heavy, ground covers are good, grass is bad. Medium to rich fertilization, plenty of water but maintain drainage. I am speaking only of SW Florida conditions other areas will have their own set of conditions.