Dave Fouchey wrote:
If he is far enough south they can be a tender perennial. I had
various chilies that grew year after year in a protected spot in
Jacksonville, Florida. Stems got over an Inch in diameter and produced
prolifically. Piquins in particular.

Dave

Ditto on that. Here in PR the piquins grow into nice little permanent
shrubs.
I had a habanero plant that kept growing and got quite large. However,
the habanero peppers (not the piquins) lost all of their fire and the
plant looked really scraggly anyway so I reclaimed its space. Its rare
here to find 'hot' habaneros because most of the locals selling to the
supermarket are harvesting off of such plants.
-Bill