I know dreamweaver, but I also have no reason to avoid CSS.
Unfortunately I don't know where in the preferences/options it is.
If you have a standard knowledge of HTML already, then study CSS using DW as an aid. There is no reason to locally use <font color="#999999"> when you can use <p style="color: #999999;">.
If you're struggling with the HTML, I don't suggest jumping right into Dreamweaver - do some simple projects in notepad until you're comfortable enough. Dreamweaver is not a generator, it's a tool to utilize the understanding of the code that you already have.
That being said, I still don't know the answer to you question. I know there's an area in preferences to opt for <p> over <span> and the like... If anything it should be around there.