It is a great sport but learning on your own is a bad idea, for your new gear easily damaged or destroyed, for you should you end up in the ER and for our access should others be involved in the misadventure. I wouldn't worry about buying a kite or board until you have taken a reasonable quantity of the best pro lessons you can find. After you've used their gear for a while at the instructors risk, you'll have a better idea about kite and board size and types. If you buy right now there is a good chance you may not like what you end up with. Access is threatened in Ft. Lauderdale, that means depending on how things go we may or may not be allowed to continue to kite off the beaches there. We don't want to do anything that might prompt officials to pull our plug, right?
More about the smart, easier way to get into kiting at:
http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45
Good luck and let us know how your instruction goes!