Will people leave Florida after devastating hurricanes? History suggests not

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast, residents are deciding whether to stay or go following two recent hurricanes. And people who might move to Florida are contemplating whether it’s worth the risk to come to a hurricane-prone state. Such questions about Florida’s appeal are raised regularly after the state experiences a busy hurricane season, such as in 2004, when four hurricanes crossed the Sunshine State. If moves into the state offer any answer, then hurricanes have served little as deterrents. Florida’s population has grown by a third to 23 million residents in the two decades since Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan ravaged the state.