Is Florida worth the hurricanes?

Right now it’s calm here, but that wasn’t the case too long ago. I had just survived yet another Florida hurricane, and I got to thinking, as great as Florida is, is Florida worth it when considering the hurricanes?

As a Realtor® living in an Orlando suburb, out of staters often ask me if Florida is worth the hurricanes, and I usually tell them yes. But today I’ll be sharing the reality of Florida life in light of our hurricanes from a local’s perspective, to help you determine if Florida is worth the hurricanes to you.

First, it’s an important distinction as to WHERE in Florida you’re referring to. Homestead was ravaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Charley rode up I-4 from Tampa through Orlando in 2004, Hurricane Ian lambasted Fort Meyers in 2022 and Hurricane Milton took an ugly path just north of Ian’s in 2024. So, the answer is…it depends.

For years Florida has been one of the top states with net migration, and people are moving here for good reasons. Florida’s overall cost of living is right around the national average with low taxes, we’ve got a strong economy, and we’ve got sunshine and great weather like nobody else. We don’t own snow shovels here in the sunshine state. We don’t have blizzards or ice storms, mudslides, or earthquakes.

BUT…Florida has hurricanes. Now, hurricanes don’t visit us every year. Most years we don’t have any meaningful hurricanes at all, but if a storm does come to Florida, it usually doesn’t impact the entire state. For instance, although Florida had a busy year in 2024, most of Florida had like zero hurricane activity.

Those of us in Florida that did have hurricanes have had a wide range of outcomes. The very worst places, mostly on the beaches, had it bad. Real bad. Hurricane Milton left many dead, with ruined lives and homes.

I don’t want to sugar coat it. Many were devastated. Even here in the Orlando area, there was a lot of flooding and downed trees all over the place. I’m still cleaning up debris at my house. However, MOST of us inland had relatively little, if any damage. And most Floridians don’t live on the beaches.

I prayed and prayed that the damage would be minimal, and it was for me and my family. Neither of my children that live in town even lost power. Yes, there are many here in Central Florida with flooded homes and much more, and some of their lives will never be the same. At my house, we lost power, and the generator ran for 3 days without stoppage. I couldn’t get out of my home until I got my chainsaw out and cut myself free, and then I had downed power lines to contend with. But I was grateful.

When there’s a hurricane forming out in the Atlantic, where the storms usually develop, we usually know it’s coming several days, maybe a week in advance. Everyone’s watching and waiting to see IF it materializes and then, IF it’s coming our way. So, nobody’s surprised. It’s not like a tornado that just pops up on you.

When a hurricane is expected to come our way, we’re outside preparing, cleaning up debris that could fly in high winds. We’re getting groceries and meal prepping. We’re readying our generators and extension cords in case we lose power.

If they’re predicting a bad hurricane, some are putting up boards over their windows. Those in low-lying areas are gathering sandbags and many are preparing for hurricane parties, which have always been a big deal at my house.

Many just take these precautions and they take a vacation for a few days somewhere else. For instance, if it’s coming down around Miami or anywhere in South Florida, they may take a few days at Disney or another Orlando area attraction. If it’s coming to Orlando, some head up to Savannah or down to one of the beaches in South Florida. They just leave the path of the hurricane and make lemonade out of a bad situation.

Hurricanes can be scary, but, to many, like me, they really aren’t that big of a deal. I didn’t buy a home in a low-lying area, I don’t live on the beach and I DO have homeowner’s insurance. If I lived in one of these areas, I would plan accordingly and have an understanding of the risks of them when I purchased there.

However, most of the people in my area: my friends and my church family, my customers and co-workers had very little impact. Most didn’t even lose power. Yes, it was worrisome when the uncertainty of the storm was fanning my fears, but the reality is that it didn’t impact the daily life of most Floridians.

To me, Florida IS worth the hurricanes. I’m not Pollyanna or anything like that, I just tend to avoid the media and form my own opinion about things. I’m one of the majority of Florida residents that has had very minor issues with the hurricanes that I’ve dealt with since the 80’s.

The media makes a huge deal about hurricanes. I was in Europe one time, and I heard about a pending Florida hurricane from Scotland television. I was shocked. Here in the Orlando area, when a hurricane is coming through, it’s non-stop hurricane coverage 24 hours a day. It’s insane!

Again, I don’t want to downplay the impacts of Florida’s hurricanes. If my family or loved ones had been devastated by a hurricane perhaps my stance would be different, but hurricanes just don’t play a major role in most Floridian’s lives here.

Up north, they’re shoveling snow and driving on icy roads. Out west, they’re dealing with wildfires, drought, and mudslides. I lived in Michigan for years. I didn’t like icy roads or shoveling snow, but it didn’t control my life, just like hurricanes here. However, there are some other issues that many Floridians DO have, so check out this video.

Published on January 13. 2025 / no comments.