If this was a "blow out," i.e. a casing failure, the tire will need to be replaced. If it's a puncture you can learn to do it yourself (always a good idea) or send it to Tire Alert (the "guy in Florida" I assume you referred to).

How old was the tire? New tires seldom blow out unless they're defective, so if it was new you could try returning it to where you bought it to see if they would replace it.

Re: tires -- I've found Yellow Jersey's "pair and a spare" 3 tires for $50 to be a good deal. They're not high-zoot tires, but my experience is that they are quite decent for the price. You might also try to scrounge up some old rims, condition unimportant, on which to stretch new tires to make them easier to mount.