Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Florida's west coast back-to-back in the span of weeks, with families barely able to rebuild in the time between them. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) discussed the impact of the hurricanes in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Cavuto Coast to Coast, describing how "people on the coastline just got hammered" and offered insight into the prevailing homeowners' insurance crisis in the Sunshine State.
Rep. Steube noted that Helene brought a 5—to 7-foot storm surge, a record high, while Milton's eye passed over his congressional district, so the people on the coastline just got hammered."
"You had a lot of homes and businesses that were flooded by Helene that were then flooded by Milton: St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Punta Gorda in Charlotte County, and it is just heartbreaking. I mean, you see these business owners and these homeowners who started to rebuild, who started to cut out drywall; I actually helped a family cut drywall out of their house, and then they were flooded again... So that has been a real challenge of people getting back up on their feet," said Rep. Steube.
Host Neil Cavuto asked the Florida Congressman how the devastation caused by the storms and the skyrocketing rates of homeowners' insurance and property taxes could affect people's willingness to move to the Sunshine State.
Steube suggested there was a "dichotomy in Florida" in which newer homes can better withstand hurricanes thanks to updated building codes that older residences lack, which in turn drives insurance rates higher.
"If you are able to find insurance, it is ridiculously high. The statistic you just put up a 90% increase over the last four years is absolutely accurate. Everyone in Florida has been seeing that, and I have had constituents in my district say, 'I cannot afford to live in my home anymore' because property insurance rates are so high," Steube continued.
Moreover, the Florida Congressman emphasized that "people are just going to have to make a cost-benefit analysis on whether they can afford to live on the coastline."
