JC,
I'm going to answer you here, even though your question comes from the other Fla thread.
If you look at the ranking lists from the top 3 mags you'll see (I think) 7 or 8 different Fla courses on them. That may seem a small number in comparison to the 1,200+ places to play in the state, but 2/3 of those places weren't built to make the magazines in the first place. Of course, neither were most of the golf courses built in any state of the union.
Additionally, Pat Mucci makes a good point about the terrain in Fla. where many of the golf courses were built. It is close to the oceans and it's fairly flat, while all the rolling, hilly sections of the state are smack dab in the center, where no one was visiting until Disney showed up in Orlando some 40 + years ago.
Interesting terrain has its merits, but contrary to what Matt Ward believes, one of the reasons the new batch of western courses are so 'good' is because they all are trying to be on some list or another. There are 100s of mediocre courses for every one potentially 'great' venue in any western state you can name, and those courses fall into the same category as what's strewn about Fl, with better views.