Well, I'm not an expert. Have you ever been to Orlando? You must drive at least 1 hour (probably more like 2) to get to either the east or west coast of FL. Many people go to the Tampa area, I think.
I know that we went to Vero Beach (southeast of WDW) for a couple of nights after our honeymoon at WDW. It took ~ 2 1/2 hours driving.
Also, as someone who is from the gulf area, I can recommend that the gulf (west coast) has prettier beaches than the Atlantic (east coast).