Ian refugees find home on other coast
For one, new life a mix of fiscal hardship, serenity
Five years after moving to Courtyards of Cape Coral South from Ohio, Jeannine Izolt had settled into a tranquil retirement lifestyle, enjoying club activities and being her neighborhood’s hurricane director.
She had paid $150,000 cash for her house on the Caloosahatchee River in 2018, but forewent the too-expensive flood insurance, even though she knew she lived in a flood zone and her homeowners insurance didn’t cover water damage.
She’d never heard the term “storm surge” – not until Category 4 Hurricane Ian barreled toward her, pushing 10-15 feet of water that destroyed her home and Kia minivan as she watched from her neighbor’s two-story condo.
“It was quite frightening,” the 76year-old said of that fateful day a year ago – Sept. 28, 2022.
Amid substantial financial losses – eased somewhat by family support and savings – Izolt became one of the incalculable number of west coast residents who moved to the Treasure Coast after the hurricane.
“They just had enough and they just felt like they couldn’t keep rebuilding,” said Treasure Coast Realtor JPaul Moore, who fielded many inquiries from west coast residents about local listings, especially in Martin County.
Floridians relocate after Ian
Izolt was one of the 3.4 million Americans displaced by extreme weather from 2016 to 2023, according to a President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report.
The report doesn’t say how many Floridians moved after Hurricane Ian, or where they moved to, and neither the Federal Emergency Management Agency nor local governments track those numbers. But U-Haul data from the past 52 weeks ending Sept. 18 may suggest migration trends.
Lee County residents who rented UHaul equipment primarily moved within Florida. Their top three destinations were Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Miami/Hialeah and Orlando/Altamonte Springs, in that order.
Among them were Cindy Morris, 69, and John Schlichenmaier, 76, real estate developers whose Sanibel Island home was flooded in Hurricane Ian. Their insurance payouts – less than $200,000 from flood and about $10,000 from homeowners for contents – were not enough, as contractors were charging triple to quadruple that to rebuild.
“It just wasn’t worth it for us,” said Morris, who sold their lot for about $650,000 and moved to Martin County in March.
After the floodwaters receded from Izolt’s home, which is bordered by water on three sides, she had to painstakingly clear debris and sludge before being able to go inside.
Amid the damage and creeping mold, she tearfully salvaged cherished photos and eventually donated all her furniture.
With no electricity or air conditioning and a dire mold infestation, she decided to leave. She stayed with her daughter in Ohio until February, then her sister in Port St. Lucie until July.
In June, she pulled $150,000 from her IRA to buy a three-bedroom manufactured home in Countryside at Vero Beach, near State Road 60 and Interstate 95 in western Indian River County. She also had $3,000 in property taxes Lee County refunded her and a few thousand dollars from FEMA and a small business disaster loan.
Izolt visited her Cape Coral home in April and found repair work was still being done. She hasn’t been able to sell it and she does not want to go back.
Mired in financial insecurity
Izolt feels welcomed in her new home, a pristine and quiet 55+ community lined with ponds and palm trees. Every morning, she and her girlfriends go to the swimming pool to exercise.
Her house has gray walls and modern interiors, and was almost fully furnished when she moved in. But she had to buy all new tableware and clothes, and a grill is still on her wish list. On her bedside vanity are two portraits of granddaughter Isabella, flanking a photo of daughter Jennifer.
To protect her new home and belongings, Izolt opted for both flood and homeowners insurance this time, charging roughly $8,000 annual premiums to her credit card.
With no savings left, her $2,170 monthly Social Security pay is barely enough to cover her monthly expenses, which include a $395 HOA fee for her Cape Coral home, a $913 land lease for her Vero Beach home and over $300 for health insurance.
“If I should get hurt or something, I don’t have anything to fall back on at all,” she said.
Izolt was disappointed in Cape Coral’s slow recovery, for which she largely blamed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“He built the Sanibel bridge, ensured we had Wi-Fi right after, but what has he done lately?” she said. “Maybe he could help with the insurance.”
Florida insurance premiums have increased over 200% to an average $4,200 annually – triple the national average of $1,700 – since DeSantis took office in 2018, according to the Insurance Information Institute. In 2022, six insurers went out of business and over a dozen abandoned Florida, the institute said.
Still, Izolt feels fortunate compared to others ravaged by the hurricane, and said her inner strength helped her cope.
“My burden is so light,” she said. “I miss my friends. But I’m making new friends.”