I read this plants leaves burn to too much light exposure, but i do like the look of the plants. I really do not have a shady area to put these in. So what are everyones experience with growing astilbe in a not so shady area?

They need a good deal of shade, perhaps a little morning sunshine will be okay.
You have a greater barrier then suitable shade. Astilbes are not going to tolerate your HEAT.

I have several of them in my front bed. Some in total shade, some in part shade, and 2 in full sun. In spring they all start out fine, but by the end of June the ones in the sun get crispy fried leaves. I expect that sooner or later they will die off. Even the partial shade ones start to dry up.

When the leaves crisp up do the flowers remain attractive? Bill do you think these plants could make it as a fall winter plant down here?

BigBill is right. They fry up here in zone 7 so they'll fry more quickly for you.
This is how they look after two days of 85 degrees:

In desperation I spray painted some...

No. No part of the plant will stay beautiful while rest dries up. For sure, the plant will die off above ground but the ambient temperature in the soil will fry the root system.

It is in astilbe genes to sprout in the spring, flower, die back, rest during the cold winter and start all over. It is NOT in their genes to hide out in the soil waiting for it to go below 70 degrees so they might spring up out of the ground and flower. The HEAT is the HEAT, is the HEAT. You can't change it. You have to grow things that love the heat.

When the leaves dry up, the actual flower still looks OK - like a dried flower. But the fried up leaves ruin it. They rather look like like a brown mess.

Unfortunately I agree.

What about salvia or lavender? They have a similar growth habit, vertical flower spikes, small foliage?

Great suggestion turbo.
The Salvias and Lavenders will add a great amount of color and texture to any garden! Plus, their bloom season will be much longer. With proper watering they may be great in the garden!!

What about Delphinium or larkspur? they like to bloom in cooler temps but have pretty fernlike foliage (similar to astilbe) and I think they both tolerate full sun. I don't know if they will tolerate the heat, but if they can it would be a nice way to extend flowering into your winter or start early in the spring while having a similar growth pattern?

I would love to have your conditions to grow amazing lavender, that's what I would do.

Just as an aside for readers, if watered regularly Astilbe will grow beautifully in Full sun in NY. My neighbor has them lining the south west path to their front door and they are gorgeous.. but their sprinklers come on every dawn. And it's NY.

And Lavendar would attract pollenators also.

I have salvias. I just liked the look and colors of blooming astilbe.

I like them too. They tend to stay way more upright and uniformly lush, an Astilbe never gets woody so the bush doesnt crack and fall over leaving gaps like lavender can.
Take a minute to think what it is about them you like.. is it the way they maintain their shape, Astilbe is very organized, vertical and predictable. Is it the flower shape, is it the color, is it the time of year it blooms?

Here's another question. How do you pronounce it?
ASTibile, ah-STIB-Lee or other?

Ah still bee is the way I pronounce it.

I'm with Bill.

Miamiu said:So what are everyones experience with growing astilbe in a not so shady area?

The ONLY place I've ever seen astilbe growing where they looked like anything that I would even want?

The wild Astilbe biternata growing in the smoky Mountains.

I really doubt that you'd have any chance of meeting their very demanding specifications in Florida without a green house that had a cooling system and plenty of shade and mist in the air.

I've planted those nursery grown astilbes in clay soils with irrigation systems, in the shade and seen them not die... but as far as anything to write home about? I think not.

Mine look fairly showy - at least the ones growing in the shade under a tree. I live in Ohio.

In your area I would look for dwarf pampas grass. Similar look and you can make a non-aerosol "spray paint" using non toxic food color gel and water that will do until you get hard rain. There's your color.
But to put Astilbe through your heat would be a garden no-no.

Astilbes grown in full sun look great at first, but then burn and shrivel—not pretty. There are so many perennials that thrive in full sun and humidity, though. If you posted a wish list of attributes (height, color, type of foliage, etc.), you'd probably get dozens of great suggestions...