Florida Gets Real
All the Florida fit to print for residents and future ones.
FLORIDA ABLAZE
My umbrella has been used as many times recently as the number of times you do NOT immediately exit a newspaper web page that bombards you with spammy ads, pop-ups and other annoyances when all you want is to read about the game, check the weather or see the extent that local national politicians have lately disappointed you…
In other words, it is dry in Florida.
The Sunshine State is not the Emerald Isles, and it is in a period drought unequaled in the rest of the country. This has wrought all kinds of problems that we explore today.
If you live in Florida or are thinking of relocating here, we will look at the reasons wildfires have swept the state due to drought conditions and what Florida officials are doing about them.
Read this and you can decide whether you can take the annual trek to Disneyland without the joint burning up.
THIS WEEK’S FLORIDA STORY
Presently, due to the lack of hurricanes and tropical storms last hurricane season, Florida is arid. Eighteen thousand plus acres have burned in a tinderbox.
More than 8500 acres have burned in central Okeechobee County, north of the largest lake in the state and 90 miles south of Orlando.
There are burn bans in more than half of Florida’s 67 counties (in red below). Authorities asking residents to reduce water usage.
Is this a Florida Man thing? Is the rest of the country dry as well and Florida Man is asked to asked to visit the mud park in his monster truck sans mud?
As you can see below, this problem is largely unique to Florida Man who occupies the most drought-plagued state in the country.
The extent of the carnage:
Burn Baby Burn: 134 wildfires were burning more than 18,640 acres across the state, as reported by the Florida Forest Service on February 16th.
Farmland in Ash: One of the largest wildfires was near West Boundary Road in agricultural Hendry County near the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, where 2624 acres were ablaze.
Highway to Hell: I-95 was shut down in both directions in Port Orange on February 15 due to four brush fires.
So Governor DeSantis is going to change the name of the state to Hades, right?
If you live in Florida or plan to relocate here, you'd better make sure you build next to a fire station or are married to someone who wears a red helmet to work, right?
WHAT THIS MEANS…
If you’re a resident in the driest state in the Union, you have to help out your local water manager.
If You Currently Live in Florida
Get lazy on the outdoor cleaning and skip hosing off your driveway or sidewalk.
If you must wash your car, hose it off on a water-permeable surface where water can seep through to the groundwater.
Live with brown grass and water your lawn once a week instead of multiple days
Install high-efficiency showerheads, faucets and toilets in your home.
Trim “fire fuel” tree branches and vegetation in a 30’ buffer away from your house.
If You’re Thinking About Moving to Florida
Pricey homes with fire-resistant features will be even more in demand and expensive.
Do your homework and check whether fires have affected the areas you would like to relocate, even more so if you have a child, grandparent, or relative with respiratory conditions like asthma whose conditions are aggravated by excess smoke.
In high burn areas in the Sunshine State, expect higher water bills and insurance premiums.
WHAT EVERYONE GETS WRONG
Florida is not in a permanent state of incineration.
One Thing People Get Wrong
Conditions will improve in May when La Niña, or cooler waters near the equator in the Pacific, subsides.
El Niño (warmer Pacific waters) will wax as his sister wanes, causing fewer fire hazards this summer and blunting the effect of storms turning into hurricanes later this year.
Practical Tip
Pay attention to La Niña, which led to the Mother’s Day infernos in 2008 in Brevard County’s Palm Bay where 13,500 acres burned and 36 homes were damaged.
What We’re Watching
Watch This Agency: La Niña is primarily monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a regulatory agency within the Commerce Department.
Watch This Agency Website: Pay attention to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center to gauge whether La Niña is going or staying and the consequent drought effects on the Florida climate.
FIREMEN GETTING SWIPED RIGHT ON FLORIDA TINDER
The world is interconnected, particularly the climate. Who would have thought that cold water in the Pacific means you have to marry a fireman and not wash your car?
Seriously, La Niña has led to drought conditions in Florida and accompanying wildfires.
This is not a permanent condition, but do take steps to protect your home if you live here and reduce your water usage.
If you’re thinking of moving here, time to find out if the plot of land where you want to build your house is colored red on some bureaucratic map.
Who Are We?
Team John Garuti is one of the leading Florida real estate teams and has sold hundreds of homes in the state.
As Team Leader, I read and act on every reply.
— John
