Hi, Abbi, I'm Kim Rupert. While I live in the desert, I work two blocks from the beach and have five years experience with roses in this climate. What city do you live in? That can make a difference as some are hotter while others are colder. The two most common problems you'll experience in Coastal areas are Sawfly Larvae and mildew. If your micro climate gets sufficiently hot, you'll likely have rust and blackspot, too.
The Sawfly Larvae are the little green worms which skeletonize the rose (and other plants) foliage. They make the leaves look like Swiss Cheese. Mildew, you know. There ARE ways to successfully grow roses at the beach, though if you're used to more heat and less humidity, you have quite a bit to get used to.
You'll see MANY Iceberg roses all over. They are the most common, and one of the best roses ever created. Double Delight will grow there, and both it and Iceberg are best protected against the mildew you'll experience. Depending upon heat, both air temperature as well as reflected heat from walls, hardscape, etc., you may be able to control the mildew and most insects with horticultural oil. For hotter areas and times of the year, use Serenade. It's a bacterial, organic fungicide which has no ill effects with heat, and can be used on literally everything in your garden. For the Sawfly Larvae, Spinosad, or Monterey Garden Insect Spray is an organic, bacterial control. The chewing insects eat the bacteria, the bacteria eat the chewing insects. This is NOT the old BT, or Bacillus thurengenisis you may be used to. BT won't work on the Sawfly. Spinosad WILL.
As for other varieties which should perform well there, try to stay away from very fragrant red roses of any class. In general, they tend to require more heat and are less tolerant of higher humidity than many other types. Also, try to stay away from heavily petaled roses. The higher the petal count, the more heat required to form the bloom and make it open. Larger petals will tend to trap more of the water from the air (fog, humidity, sprinklers, etc.) and seal over, causing the blooms to rot, called "balling".
Do you have a preference as to what type of roses you grow? If you want Old Garden Roses, you'll probably have better luck with China, Tea, Noisette and Hybrd Musk types. In modern roses, Iceberg is tops, followed closely by several of the newer Hybrid Teas bred by Tom Carruth and introduced by Week's Roses. The lavender Neptune; pink Memorial Day; russet Hot Cocoa; violet Midnight Blue; and quite a few of his other roses are average to intensely fragrant and have very good health records over most of Southern California. I hope these pointers help you go in the right direction.
