Americans should stop moving to Florida

Written By Cassandra Harris, Staff Writer

According to CBS, since 1992 Florida’s population has grown more than 60%. Yet less than 1 in 5 of the state’s 10 million homes have flood insurance according to the Insurance Information Institute. 

If you check the news you’ve seen the hundreds of broadcasts that have been coming out of Florida the past few weeks. Americans need to stop moving to Florida, the amount of damage that hurricane Ian caused is too costly for people to continue investing all of their money into homes that will eventually be destroyed. 

In its wake of destruction, the main problem that Florida faces is the road to recovery, rebuilding and clean up. For many their houses are not covered by flood insurance.

The current damage that Florida homes have withstood is something that many predicted when they moved to Florida. Yet when disaster does strike, it’s a cost that many cannot afford. 

The companies that make the insurance prices high are at fault for the desolation of these people. Yet it would be almost impossible for them to lower the prices to be affordable without these insurance companies going out of business. 

It’s important to invest in protecting a home, but if Americans cannot afford to protect their equity in any given location, they should avoid moving there. Especially if it’s a location that has frequent storms.

The consistent amount of natural disaster in Florida causes flood insurance and home insurance premiums to be worth hefty prices. So how are these Americans supposed to rebuild when the only help they have are tight budgets and charities who are already stretched thin. 

Some believe that moving to Florida is worth the risk, but what happens when they don’t invest in protecting their home? That’s when they turn to charities or federal aid. If they cannot afford to protect their homes, then they should move away. Specifically if the only thing tying them down in the state is leisure.

    If Americans don’t stop moving to Florida under the stigma that it’s a great place to own a home, they’re going to lose that money and equity. For it’s not a fault of their own, but the fault of the prices in the insurance industry. 

According to the Washington Post many families that were born and raised in Florida couldn’t afford to evacuate Ian. They decided to ride the storm both out of finances and stubbornness. The problem is not with people who already live in Florida, but people who can fully afford to move and then not afford to suffer the consequences.

Many of the Americans who have moved to Florida had been saving up for that dream their entire life. Yet they are blinded to the risk of a deadly storm such as Ian. The Washington post said two men in their 70s even took their own lives after viewing their losses after Ian. A person who wishes to continue a family or legacy in Florida should reconsider, for they would only be endangering it. Not with just their finances but their families too.

There are a plethora of reasons for a person to move to Florida; Family, politics, money. And yet, it shouldn’t matter. The number of people who consistently decide to go down there are not just endangering their safety, but their financial stability. One storm is all it takes to kill hundreds and displace thousands and this storm is not and will not be the first or last of its kind.