alexalex:
It's great to here another person wants to learn the sport. I can not stress enough that you need to get lessons. Kiteboarding (kitesurfing) is a great sport but can also be very dangerous and frustrating without lessons.
I'm not partial to any brand of trainer kite but it does help with learning kite skills. Just search the web for trainer kite reviews because some trainer kites are not made as well as others. Flying a trainer kite will help you understand kite dynamics and reduce the learning curve when you take lessons.
One thing to keep in mind is that kiteboarding is easy to learn as long as you make the best of your instructions. Research kiteboarding schools, because as with anything some are better than others. A lot of schools are in it for the money and really do an injustice to the student.
I have never surfed so I can not comment on how your transition will be. My recommendation would be to forget the skills you had with surfing and approach your kiteboard training with an open mind.
I live in Key West and I know of many people that make the drive to learn here because the local school (
www.thekitehouse.com) provides instruction on the flats. You do not have to worry about people on the beach and so forth.
Good luck.......