Weather & Flooding
Global climate change is real. Asked about increasing atmospheric heat causing more powerful storms, Bob Bunting, CEO and Chairman of the Climate Adaptation Center in Sarasota, said “The short answer is around 2020 we had a shift in the climate. Since then we’ve had more Category 5 and 4 hurricanes than we did the previous 100 years – that’s pretty amazing.”*
It’s also pretty scary. 2023 was the Earth’s hottest year since we started keeping records in 1880. And, the ten past years are the hottest 10 on record – this trend isn’t an anomaly and is here to stay.
Worsening Storm Severity and Frequency
To date, five hurricanes have hit Sarasota County: Irma in 2017; Ian, 2022; Idalia, 2023; and Debby, Helene and Milton in 2024. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Keys and then hit Marco Island in 09/2017, yet it caused damage throughout Sarasota county. This marked a “new normal” for Florida.
Dr. Bunting also notes that the sea level around Sarasota has risen nine inches since 1950. In mid-December of 2024 this writer was present when a un-named rain storm stalled over Sarasota causing a once in a 500-year flood event with 11+ inches of rain falling in five hours, the street flooded coming within inches of his first floor condo. He doubts it will be 500 years till the next time this happens. Luckily we have full structure insurance through the condo association, and home owner’s insurance on the interior is low cost as we are rated above the flood plain.
In 2024 we sweated through five named storms coming up the Gulf of Mexico threatening Sarasota. Even though Hurricane Helene made landfall 200 miles north of Sarasota, its storm surge caused severe damage on 09/26/24 to the marina – our concrete finger dock flipped over the day after Alto was moved by its new owner. After we bought the condo, we replaced Alto with a smaller, trailerable boat of the same make that could be hauled out when a storm threatened. With home ownership came a different type of worry over storms:
Home Protection
Know that in many places in Florida if you replace a window, door or slider you must get a building permit you will be required to meet current code. So your old or broken $500 slider must be replaced with a Cat. 5 rated impact glass door costing $10,000 or more. Our 12 foot slider would cost $15 to $20k to replace! Just replacing an old single-glazed $100 window will run at least $1200 now for a required hurricane rated impact glass window. Sure, you will get better sound and weather insulation, but at what cost!
It’s also pretty scary. 2023 was the Earth’s hottest year since we started keeping records in 1880. And, the ten past years are the hottest 10 on record – this trend isn’t an anomaly and is here to stay.
Worsening Storm Severity and Frequency
To date, five hurricanes have hit Sarasota County: Irma in 2017; Ian, 2022; Idalia, 2023; and Debby, Helene and Milton in 2024. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Keys and then hit Marco Island in 09/2017, yet it caused damage throughout Sarasota county. This marked a “new normal” for Florida.
Dr. Bunting also notes that the sea level around Sarasota has risen nine inches since 1950. In mid-December of 2024 this writer was present when a un-named rain storm stalled over Sarasota causing a once in a 500-year flood event with 11+ inches of rain falling in five hours, the street flooded coming within inches of his first floor condo. He doubts it will be 500 years till the next time this happens. Luckily we have full structure insurance through the condo association, and home owner’s insurance on the interior is low cost as we are rated above the flood plain.
In 2024 we sweated through five named storms coming up the Gulf of Mexico threatening Sarasota. Even though Hurricane Helene made landfall 200 miles north of Sarasota, its storm surge caused severe damage on 09/26/24 to the marina – our concrete finger dock flipped over the day after Alto was moved by its new owner. After we bought the condo, we replaced Alto with a smaller, trailerable boat of the same make that could be hauled out when a storm threatened. With home ownership came a different type of worry over storms:
Home Protection
Know that in many places in Florida if you replace a window, door or slider you must get a building permit you will be required to meet current code. So your old or broken $500 slider must be replaced with a Cat. 5 rated impact glass door costing $10,000 or more. Our 12 foot slider would cost $15 to $20k to replace! Just replacing an old single-glazed $100 window will run at least $1200 now for a required hurricane rated impact glass window. Sure, you will get better sound and weather insulation, but at what cost!
At left, the This Old House video explains what impact glass is and compares it to other hurricane mitigation methods.
What we did: We left our old windows in place and installed inexpensive hurricane film on the inside that prevent wind-driven objects from penetrating into the condo. We had a 12’ by 8’ motorized roll-down Kevlar hurricane screen installed just inside our insect screening on both condos’ patios. When rolled up we still have access to the screen door leading to our yard for the first floor condo.
Rolled part-way down we gain 95% solar protection, cooling, wind and rain protection, and a privacy screen as we are at street level. While expensive at $6500, it was about one-third the cost of replacing our slider with impact glass. It might reduce our home owners’ insurance a little bit. The screen is almost water proof, and folks did not even have to remove their porch furniture cushions, which stayed in place and dry, when Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as shown in the video of their screened patio below.
Flood Zones
First, figure out what flood zone you are considering buying/renting in. FEMA identifies any place with a ≥1% annual chance of a ≤1 foot flood as a high-risk zone “A” in their mapped Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). If there is additional risk from storm waves (surge) then it jumps up to a “V” zone rating.
Both zones A and V will require flood insurance for any federally backed/guaranteed mortgage. The other zones X, B or C do not required flood insurance. If the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) shows an the flood risk areas as shaded.
Using this tool, click the Flood Area Map then click on your building. For example, clicking on 631 N. Orange Ave. (Mentone Court, the green building) yields the map below showing no 100-year flood risk, placing it in an X zone – a good thing. However, the street in front, Orange Avenue, is at risk for flooding. Luckily, Mentone Court has access to another driving exit path which has little-to-no risk of flooding.
*Dr. Bunting, quoted in the Herald-Tribune on 10/06/24.
Regular and flood insurance are discussed in the next section.
Regular and flood insurance are discussed in the next section.
