I know this is a bass forum, but if you fishing off the florida coast in the ocean,not deep sea fishing (just right off the shore or out in a small boat a little bit farther out), but what kind of bait would you use and is there any way to tell where the good spots are?

Are you fishing in the Gulf or the Atlantic? I fish in the Gulf and I mainly use squid and shrimp, they produce some nice fish like pompano and mackerel.

Most places I fish produce pretty well, but check in with some bait shops and ask them where some good spots are. If you're not in a boat, piers are usually good places to start.  

I fish the Atlantic weekly and we catch tons of diff. species on cut shrimp.