Although I certainly understand folks giving advise as to what someone should be buying I think that you all are doing so without the facts. Based on the information you have provided I could not recommend that you purchase north or south. I would need to know what your goals are, what your budget is, when you say future what does that mean (number of years), etc.
Saying north is best and then saying you have a budget of $50,000.00 USD means the only place you can buy beachfront is Palm Bay. That is a long way away with no road and limited boat access.
Actually Land on the south end of the island is a better value and is seeing more activity at this time. Having said that I could not tell you what to buy without more information.
Thanks for the post.
The timeline and budget are both not known.
My wife and I have a budget around $50,000ish and I time line of anywhere from 18 to 30 years.
However her parents are also looking and they have a timeline of 1 to 3 years and a budget of $200,000 to $400,000
We have also considering going in together.
Hope that info helps.