By Emma Haydocy, Surfrider Foundation
Hundreds of storms have made landfall or impacted the Florida peninsula since the 1850s, but few have matched the threat that supercharged Category 5 Hurricane Milton posed. The storm rapidly intensified at a historically unprecedented rate, from Category 1 to Category 5 in less than 24 hours, fueled by record-high ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. Those same record ocean temperatures transformed Hurricane Helene from a disorganized tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in less than 48 hours. These back-to-back major hurricanes exemplify the effects of human-induced climate change apparent in the record ocean and air temperatures driving these storms.
Florida made waves earlier this year when it passed legislation removing mention of “climate change” from most state laws, signaling flagrant disregard for the single most influential driver of disaster and risk in Florida. While this legislation was troubling, to say the least, it follows a procession of harmful policies for the state’s coasts and beaches. To protect Floridians and our treasured coasts from the worst impacts of climate change, the state must drastically overhaul the policies that keep us in a growing state of vulnerability.
What few legal tools exist for local governments to curb redevelopment in hazardous places after major storm events were gutted by the Legislature after Hurricane Ian in 2022. Under the hurricane “recovery” bill, counties and municipalities impacted by the storm were prohibited from imposing building moratoriums or restricting development for several years. After the Category 4 storm, communities could have redeveloped and recovered out of harm’s way. Instead, their autonomy to make those decisions was removed, assuring communities would have to build back as densely and as vulnerable as before the storm.
So-called “storm relief” legislation has also served as a vehicle to publicly fund coastal armoring that makes Florida’s beaches less resilient in the wake of stronger storms — increasing flooding as sea levels rise. Following Hurricane Ian, the state enacted a $50 million program for private property owners to repair or build new seawalls in counties impacted by the storm. To be clear, hard armoring only protects upland property while accelerating erosion and sand loss seaward and adjacent to the structure. Through this program, the state is effectively (and likely unconstitutionally) subsidizing the loss of Florida’s public beaches using taxpayer dollars and speeding up the process of losing even more of the state’s treasured coastal resources.
Many states require that buildings be constructed far away from hazardous or sensitive coastal areas, including wetlands and beaches. Coastal building setbacks are sensible policy measures that, in some states, codify protective buffers from rising seas. Florida has coastal building setback laws on the books that require structures be built at least 50 feet away from the mean high water line, but waivers to this requirement are granted in nearly all cases. Furthermore, the state’s coastal construction control line has not been updated in decades, let alone updated to reflect the best science and projections on sea level rise.
As storms like Hurricane Milton become more common and other climate-related impacts grow, there is no end to the exorbitant costs of damages and losses to the state of Florida. Damages from Hurricane Ian in 2022 led to losses totaling more than $60 billion. Hurricane Idalia in 2023, $3.6 billion in losses. While the jury is still out on Hurricane Milton, the growing costs of climate change call into question whether it might be better to facilitate inland migration than continue rebuilding on vulnerable coastlines. With no funding or framework to facilitate the process, Floridians may never get out of harm’s way for the next storm.
Another major hurricane is all but certain to make landfall along Florida’s shores. In the meantime, Florida’s coastlines and communities languish from recent storm impacts and the current state of our coastal policies. Perhaps state lawmakers will pass another hurricane relief package in the next legislative session, but history tells us that proposed recovery measures may do more harm than good. While state law may not acknowledge that the impacts of climate change have arrived along Florida’s coasts, the lived experience of residents speaks to the gravity of our state’s climate reality.
Florida must address the vulnerability it creates from within. It’s high time that our legislators take stock of how Florida’s current coastal policies undermine the Sunshine State’s livability.
Emma Haydocy is senior manager for coasts and climate at Surfrider Foundation, where she works with decision makers to devise and implement innovative policy solutions to protect our beaches and coastal communities from the impacts of climate change. She resides in Tavernier.
This opinion piece was originally published by the Sun Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. Banner photo: Belongings are piled outside of flooded homes in St. Pete Beach following Hurricane Milton (iStock image).
If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
