It’s hotter than ever in Florida
It’s hotter than it used to be. That isn’t a political statement; it’s just the way it is. The only thing that makes it political is when I’m accused of being “woke” when I say it.
I grew up in South Florida in the 50s and 60s. Summer was a miraculous time. Kids played outside all summer. We always had an outdoor neighborhood feast on July 4. It very rarely hit 90 degrees in the middle of summer.
This summer, however, it was well over 100 degrees more than a dozen times at my house this summer. Nobody is outside anymore during the middle of the day. It’s roasting at the beach, and the water feels like a hot tub. Fish are dying, manatees are starving, crops and plants that used to flourish can barely survive. Florida summers aren’t fun anymore.
Hurricanes are worse than they used to be. That’s not a political statement either. I remember Donna in 1960 and Betsy five years later in 1965. Ten years later there was Eloise in 1975. Damage counted in the millions, not the billions. And the hurricanes were spaced far apart: During the first 30 years of my life, Florida was hit by three major hurricanes causing a total of about $1 billion.
Now we have major hurricanes every year, and they hit Florida regularly. In the past six years Florida has been hit by four major hurricanes causing a total of about $89 billion in damage. We worry every year about hurricanes – all the way into November.
This is a bigger financial issue than a political one; insurance companies, for example, wouldn’t leave Florida if they could make good money here. But they can’t take a $20 billion hit every year or two. So they raise premiums – or they leave the state. My insurance for the coming year went up 350%, from about $2,200 to about $7,500. My house has never had a claim. That’s not sustainable. People will stop wanting to move here.
Gov. Ron DeSantis could do something about it. Even if he doesn’t want to encourage pollution-reducing and heat-saving measures, DeSantis could just stop putting roadblocks in front of the people who are trying to save his state.
For example, DeSantis loves to brag about the state’s budget surplus – so why won’t he use some of it to pay a portion of hurricane claims in Florida instead of spending money to fly people from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard? Why won’t he tell insurance companies that Florida will pay for 20% of all hurricane claims? Maybe that would keep more of them here, and it would also lower costs so Florida remains a livable state.
It’s also time for people to stop saying we shouldn’t rebuild on the barrier islands. The main reason we don’t have a state income tax is that millions of tourists come down and pay a ton of tourism taxes. No offense, but people from Montreal aren’t flocking to Apopka and Sebring. They do the Disney thing, or they go to the beach. Our beaches are what makes Florida unique.
So we should really try to make things better. We have to.
Because it’s hotter than it used to be. Just step outside.
Judy Stewart is a small business owner and a former radio news anchor. She resides in Parrish.