Definitely check out NYKite, John is the starting point for so many people's kite journeys on long island, and gives you access to the bay.
After that, there's the NYC Kiteboarding whats app group, and then the facebook groups I see mentioned above.
Gear recommendations probably require a bit more understanding of what you're trying to do, but generally you need bigger kites for the summer ( 13m to 17m) and smaller kites for the fall (7 to 12m).
I'm 215lbs, and I started with 17m and 19m kites to be able to get out the most amount possible, I also rode a directional surfboard because bigger boards help a lot in lighter wind.
Welcome to the club, long island has some incredible kiting, it just takes a bit more exploring to figure it out