15 SAFEST Florida Towns from Hurricanes

15 SAFEST Florida Towns from Hurricanes They’re called the safest towns in Florida. Inland, on high ground, far from the surge. So why are people in these towns paying for storms that never touched them? We count down 15 Florida towns sold as hurricane-safe: Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Starke, Macclenny, Palatka, Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Live Oak, Deltona, Kissimmee, Bartow, Wauchula and Arcadia. We start with the places that really are among the safest and finish with the inland towns that learned the hard way. Along the way: a state insurance system that can bill nearly every policy in Florida after a coastal disaster, a river that carries the Atlantic inland, lakes with nowhere to drain, three hurricanes in one Polk County summer, and the town at number one, hit by the core of one hurricane and flooded by another 18 years later. Inland Florida really is safer from storm surge. It isn’t safe from the wind, the rivers or the bill. 0:00 They’re called the safest towns in Florida 0:43 Why are people in these towns paying for storms that never touched them? 1:34 #15 Gainesville 4:22 #14 Ocala 6:34 #13 Lake City 8:46 #12 Starke 10:58 #11 Macclenny 12:51 #10 Palatka 14:57 #9 Fernandina Beach 17:19 Halfway recap 17:48 #8 Jacksonville 20:05 #7 Tallahassee 22:31 #6 Live Oak 24:46 #5 Deltona 27:03 #4 Kissimmee 29:05 #3 Bartow 31:16 #2 Wauchula 33:19 #1 Arcadia 35:56 Outro Sources include NHC Tropical Cyclone Reports, National Weather Service storm summaries, USGS river gauges, U.S. Census data, Citizens Property Insurance and FIGA assessment records, and local reporting. Do you live in a place that was sold as safe? Tell me in the comments. I read every one. Subscribe for more of the Florida stories the brochures leave out. #Florida #Hurricanes #FloridaInsurance