You really need to reconsider a road bike, or at least road handle bars.

Flat bars
-- one position for hands: from the mid point of the ride on you can start having stiffness and numbness in the hands/arms

Road bars
-- top position, identical to flat bars.
-- hood position, slightly lower, maybe one inch. Just enough to give sore musles a break.
[hood position is riding with hands on top of brake levers]
-- drop position; seldom used as it hurts too many people too much. [this is normal low position people normally think they have to be in when using road bars]

Just make sure you get the extra brake levers for the road bike, they are just like mtn bike brakes.
I have both and use the front brake levers 99% of the time.

Fit is best decided at LBS. The industry is slowly moving towards 10 speeds. You are in florida so you might be able to find bargains on 9speed bikes.

While you're check out the bike, just for fun, ask how hard it would be to add fenders. There's nothing as envigorating as a morning ride in nice warm rain.