Not being familiar with the wildlife in Florida, it sounds like damage from a Sapsucker (bird) that we have here in Illinois. It is a migratory bird and protected by law. As it travels it feeds on sap from a variety of trees and creates a series of holes as if a drill had been used in a horizontal pattern as you note. I am not aware of any control other than protecting that area mechanically. That will not stop them from feeding elsewhere on the tree.
