UNABLE TO OBTAIN IFR AT MTH; BE20 FLC DEP VFR. WX AND TFC VOLUME DELAYS OBTAINING IFR ENRTE CLRNC FROM ZMA. CAPT PERCEIVES CTLR STAFFING BEING THE PROB.

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WE WERE ON FILE PART 91; IFR; MTH TO CHS SCHEDULED DEP AT XA30Z. NO RCO WAS PUBLISHED FOR MTH IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AN IFR CLRNC. WE DECIDED TO DEPART VFR AT XA40Z AND DECIDED TO OBTAIN OUR IFR CLRNC AIRBORNE. OUR INITIAL ATTEMPT TO CONTACT ZMA WAS MET WITH A 'STAND BY' RESPONSE. WE WERE PATIENT; WAITED AND CONTINUED VFR CLB TO 17500 FT MSL. SUBSEQUENT CALLS WERE MET WITH THE SAME RESPONSE. THE CTLR WAS BUSY WORKING MULTIPLE FREQS. WE ATTEMPTED OTHER ZMA FREQS AS WE COVERED THE GND; GETTING THE SAME 'STAND BY' RESPONSES. FINALLY; AFTER 50 MINS OF FLYING TIME; WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN AN IFR CLRNC FROM A ZMA CTLR NEAR ORLANDO; FL. IT APPEARS SOUTHERN FLORIDA WAS NOT ADEQUATELY STAFFED WITH CTLRS ON A PREDICTABLY BUSY FRIDAY IN THE SUMMERTIME. THERE WERE SOME LARGE AIR MASS TSTMS OVER THE SW EVERGLADES STRETCHING NE THROUGH THE DAYTONA BEACH AREA INCREASING THE CTLR'S WORKLOAD; BUT SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUSED THIS MUCH PROB IF ZMA HAD BEEN PROPERLY STAFFED. NO TFC CONFLICTS OCCURRED (ACFT EQUIPPED WITH TCASII); ONLY INCONVENIENCE. WE BURNED MORE FUEL THAN FLT PLANNED DUE TO REMAINING VFR AT 17500 FT MSL.