A friend of mine who has been growing palms and tropical fruit trees in Florida for nearly forty years has a great analogy for dealing with RARE unprecidented events like this one. If you can see yourself spending $20.00 on cut flowers and you will enjoy them while they are pretty, knowing full well they will fade away in time, then go ahead and invest in these plants as they will give you that joy even if for a brief time. Buying a Coconut or feather palm for $15.00-$25.00 that may last one year or twenty years is a good investment to me if it brings you the slightest joy for the time you have it.
Having started growing palms right after the '89 freeze I've watched the Florida horticulture scene lulled into pushing the zone bounderies, since that event. I figure things will be reset for a couple of years. There will be a very conservative approach to landscape choices. If we have another series of mild winters it won't take long for everyone to forget the carnage and become hopeful again. This is exactly what has happened since '89.
So, if this is one of your first major setbacks form freezing weather, just get back on the saddle and keep planting with the newfound sage that comes from these events. My friend that has been growing for nearly forty years has had to start over several times. There are still a lot of plants that will withstand these extremes. Read the damage reports, I have a feeling there will be some new stars that come out of this having insured themselves against extraordinary conditions. I already have a list of some palms that weren't here in the early '90's and they have proved themselves year after year, Including; so far, the new years freeze of 2010.