Florida
More than one-third of Florida properties face looming flood risk, but some residents are unaware
A combination of factors including stronger storms fueled by climate change, a strained insurance industry and ineffective state regulations has placed millions of low-income Florida residents at risk of a major insurance coverage gap.
The crisis in Florida’s insurance industry has escalated with the shutdown of seven companies since February last year, leaving countless individuals vulnerable to the devastating impacts of flooding.
The urgency to address this issue is underscored by the fact that more than one-third of Florida properties are at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years.
Many, however, are unaware of the risks their homes are facing.
Hurricane Ian, which struck last September as a catastrophic Category 4 storm, resulted in over 150 deaths and caused damage exceeding $100 billion, making it the costliest storm in the state’s history.
Many residents, like 56-year-old Diana Mercado from Fort Myers, are still struggling to rebuild. She claims she wasn’t informed by real estate or insurance agents that her property was in a FEMA flood zone. In those zones, residents are federally required to have flood insurance.
“If they told me you need to have it, I would have gotten it. But I didn’t know,” Mercado said.
When Hurricane Ian hit, Mercado evacuated and expected to return home to find just her front trees damaged. Instead, her home of 26 years was devastated, leaving it resembling a construction site. Waist-deep floodwaters destroyed everything in their path.
Despite having home insurance, Mercado didn’t have flood insurance and quickly realized she couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket costs of repairs, which were estimated between $50,000 and $70,000.
Dr. Rick Knabb, former director of the National Hurricane Center, emphasized that even a few inches of water can cause significant damage.
“It only takes a couple of inches of water in your home to cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Just think what it does to the carpet. If it gets up to the level of the electrical outlets, what that does to your electrical system,” Knabb said.
Florida is one of 21 states with no requirements to disclose flood risks to home buyers, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit organization. Sellers do not have to say whether the property is in a flood zone, if they are required to have flood insurance, or if the home has flooded before.
Lower-income residents, who are disproportionately affected by this lack of information, often find it challenging to afford flood insurance, especially as premiums continue to rise.
In Florida, the average cost of flood insurance is nearly $1,000 per year and is projected to increase due to recent changes in the way premiums are calculated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Rob Moore, a senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the impact of flooding is most felt among lower-income individuals.
“In many of the major cities in the U.S., those redlined areas are the most flood-prone areas of those cities. So, due to no fault of their own, we’ve kind of channeled Black people and lower-income people into areas that are fairly high-risk,” Moore said.
Florida lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s laws that would require sellers to disclose flooding, aiming to ensure that homebuyers have access to critical information about flood risks when making purchasing decisions.
Additionally, FEMA’s own flood maps, which play a vital role in determining flood zones, are outdated. The agency acknowledges that climate change has made the maps less accurate and is actively working on updating them.
For residents like Mercado, the journey to rebuild after Hurricane Ian has been long. The slow rebuilding process has relied heavily on do-it-yourself efforts and online tutorials. She stores salvageable belongings in her daughter’s garage, who she has relied on through this tough time.
“I cannot say that I’m homeless, but I think it feels like, ‘Okay, you’re homeless.’ I have her. She’s been great with me,” Mercado said.
TCU men’s basketball started their season off with a bang. The Frogs dominated the Florida A&M Rattlers 105-59 Monday.
It is tough to find many flaws about this win. Pretty much every aspect about the Frogs was a positive.
Here are some notable stat differentials from the win:
|
TCU |
Florida A&M |
|
|---|---|---|
|
FG Percentage |
55% |
33% |
|
3FG Percentage |
47% |
24% |
|
Total Rebounds |
47 |
29 |
|
Offensive Rebounds |
18 |
9 |
|
Blocks |
3 |
0 |
|
Steals |
8 |
3 |
|
Assists |
29 |
8 |
Understandably, they did play against subpar competition in Florida A&M, but this was a highly efficient win that will help TCU’s rankings long term.
There should rightfully be optimism for this team.
One of the biggest stories surrounding this year’s TCU team is the amount of youth on the roster.
TCU’s bench rotation includes four freshman and one true sophomore, and they all played well against the Rattlers.
Here are the five young guys’ statlines:
Vasean Allette: 20 points, 9-13 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Jace Posey: 11 points, 3-4 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Isaiah Manning: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Micah Robinson: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists
David Punch: 7 points, 3-4 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
This youth is one of the biggest question marks for TCU this season and how they will step into these roles.
It is safe to say this is a stellar start for this group as they hope to keep these performances going.
Ernest Udeh Jr. has taken a massive step this season from last, and the additions of guards Frankie Collins and Noah Reynolds have helped this jump drastically.
Udeh Jr. tied his career-high with 13 points along with 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.
Collins and Reynolds have done a stellar job getting him the ball and running the offense a lot better than last season.
Jamie Dixon touched on this postgame, saying how it is nice for the offense to have “pass first” guards.
Jamie Dixon said Noah Reynolds and Frankie Collins are more “pass first” guards than last year.
Noted that Avery Anderson III and Jameer Nelson Jr. were more “score first” last year
— Nick Girimonte (@GirimonteNicky) November 5, 2024
These three players are probably the most important guys for the Frogs to have success this season, so establishing this connection early is extremely valuable as TCU goes deeper into their schedule.
Jamie Dixon
Jace Posey, Vasean Allette, and Frankie Collins
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When the Florida Gators and Texas Longhorns faced off in 1940, the Longhorns shut out the Gators 26-0. Since then, the programs have combined for a total of 1,285 wins, 34 conference titles, and seven national championships.
A lot has happened as you can tell, but finally, both teams will face off again, this time, as members of the same conference.
The Florida Gators (4-4 overall, 2-3 SEC) looked dangerous last week against the Georgia Bulldogs with backup quarterback D.J. Lagway before his untimely injury in the second quarter. The Gators were forced to turn to freshman Aidan Warner who failed to keep the Gators in the lead. Florida eventually lost 34-20.
Lagway hasn’t been ruled out for the Texas game, but if he can’t make it back in time, Warner will once again be out there for Florida which shouldn’t be particularly a tough task for the Longhorns’ defense who should have Andrew Mukuba come back after losing the defensive back to injury in the Georgia game.
But the Texas offense will have a taller task. Don’t let the score confuse you against Georgia. The Gators defense stomped on Georgia before mistakes from the offense and special teams started haunting the team. The Gators in their last two games against Kentucky and Georgia have had six interceptions, a concerning development for Texas QB Quinn Ewers who has thrown an interception in every game this year he has played in (except for Michigan) including two against Vanderbilt last game.
Texas will need running backs Jaydon Blue and Tre Wisner to have big games. The Gators’ defense has allowed more than 140 rushing yards in each of their last three games this season and ranks second to last in rushing yards allowed in the SEC at 165 yards a game.
With Texas favored to win by -21.5 points and ESPN giving Texas a 90.9% chance, it could be easy for Texas fans to write off Florida as another victory for the 7-1 Longhorns. But Florida, who hasn’t had a winning season in over three seasons, will have a chip on their shoulder and aren’t a stranger to playing top-ten opponents to their level. If you remember, Florida took Tennessee to overtime in Knoxville just a couple of weeks ago. And if Florida plays Texas like they played Georgia, with Lagway or not, then Texas could be in trouble.
But Texas is hungry to prove themselves as a top team in the nation again. A big statement win could be just that.
2024 record: 4-4, 2-3 in the SEC
Head Coach: Billy Napier
Passing: QB D.J. Lagway
2024 stats: 56 for 92 for 1,071. Six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Rushing: RB Montrell Johnson Jr.
2024 stats: 70 carries for 373 yards and four touchdowns
Receiving: WR Elijhah Badger
2024 stats: 24 catches for 560 yards and two touchdowns
Tackles: DB Trikweze Bridges
2024 stats: 41 (19 solo)
Sacks: EDGE Tyreak Sapp
2024 stats: 3.5 sacks
Interceptions: DB Devin Moore
2024 stats: two interceptions, two pass deflections
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ORLANDO, Fla. – On the eve of the November election, Floridians are seeing some of the lowest prices at the gas pump in 2024.
According to AAA, the state average for regular gas dropped 13 cents per gallon last week. On Monday, the state average reached $3.01 per gallon, nearly 20 cents below where the average price was this time of year in 2023.
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“Florida gas prices are at their lowest levels since January 2024,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA. “Over the weekend, more than 60% of Florida filling stations had gas prices below $3 a gallon. There’s a good chance the state average dips below $3 a gallon in the coming days.”
In Orlando, the current gas price average fell to $2.98 a gallon.
Florida’s current average is almost 10 cents lower than the national average of $3.10 per gallon.
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