Building on the Gulf Coast

[Watson Smith]

Long time no post..  I need to change my profile pic cause I'm not that young anymore...

I'm looking at building a vacation home in Cape San Blas on the Florida Coast. I'm comfortable building them in Atlanta but don't know much about building them on the coast.  Not sure if it would be in the X or AE flood zone - I'm still looking for a good lot.

If I went with the AE flood zone the elevation of the home wold have to be around 9'-11' and I'd want cement pillars.  I've done some research and seen where they can be around $1k each installed - So for a smaller house with 30 of them would be $30k.  Does that sound right?  The only other differences I'd see are hurricane windows/door, metal roof, the house designed for the coastal elements, ect.  Is that it?  What am I missing - I can build in Atlanta for $130/sft safely and wanted to ballpark $200-$210/sft on the coast.  Anyone have experience building down there?  What were the headaches and unexpected costs that came up? Any advice?