Some of the largest houses my cadre of friends & family own are in Florida — they are built with cinderblock. Timber & wood are just different, not necessarily cheaper.
When thinking about building a shed recently I noticed the cheapest option was concrete block. Concrete block prices have only gone up a little as opposed to the massive increases for wood.
It has more insulation value than wood too and termites don't eat it.
Downside is it can crack (especially on unstable ground) when settling.
And more complicated to install labor is more expensive than materials