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The Panhandle: Not Immune to Hurricane Damage

Don't worry, the trees will save you. In essence, that is what the Florida Building Commission and some in the building industry have tentatively decided. Despite the incredible devastation and loss

By Guy Marvin | Updated on August 31, 2006

Don’t worry, the trees will save you. In essence, that is what the Florida Building Commission and some in the building industry have tentatively decided. Despite the incredible devastation and loss of life the Gulf Coast region has endured in this current 30-year cycle of increased hurricane activity, there remains a myopic attitude of “It can’t happen here” in the minds of some in the Florida Panhandle. That attitude is showing up in decision-making at the Florida Building Commission as it considers changes to strengthen the building code.

In 2000, the Florida Legislature established the Florida Uniform Statewide Building Code and, among other important standards, required shutters or impact-resistant glass on all new residential construction in “windborne debris regions.” The regions were defined as areas where winds were projected to be 120 mile an hour or greater during a major hurricane. This is five miles from the coast, on average, and considerably farther inland in some places.

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