I want to start on my cake dummies about a month before the competition I have entered and I was wondering if I would have any issues with storing them. I live in Florida so it is almost always humid and I am worried that the fondant might start to go soft or possibly melt. I plan on storing them in a closet once they are covered. I am also worried about dust settling on them. Does any one have any tips or am I just worrying too much?

You're worrying too much.

They will NEVER melt....in fact they get harder and more "set". All you need to worry about is dust and discoloration. Take a large garbage bag and drape it over it lightly (give it room to breath). Keep it away from direct sunlight if it has color to it .That's it. These cakes will out live you and I together....nothing ever bothers them.

I kept my MMF covered ones in an unairconditioned room last summer. They would get damp as the humidity rose, dry as the humidity went down, and on and on and on. They also developed bumps, which I assume was a growth of some sort.

I had repaired them with drywall mud before putting on the fondant. The mud was the kind that starts out pink/purple and dries white. When they were damp, I could see that the pink/purple color had returned. It would go away as it dried at first but eventually it became a permanent gray stain on the fondant. They were loosely covered with white trash bags.

I just washed them all 2 weeks ago. I don't know whether to try again with a commercial fondant or decide that making them and keeping them doesn't work for me.