Hey Alice,
I am in Florida and do the FPS series.
The women's races are a lot like doing interval training. You need to be ready to handle constant surges.
The speed varies, it depends if all of the women are together, or if they seperate them. Look at FloridaCycling.com and feel free to PM me with any questions about certain races.
I would suggest coming out and watching a race first, If you can't stay with the local group ride I would suggest perfecting that before attempting racing.

In the winter there is a training crit series in G'Ville. I would suggest doing those next year to learn handling and crit skills.