TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It was once argued that the trees would help save Florida’s Panhandle from a hurricane, as the acres of forests in the region would provide a natural barrier to savage winds that accompany the deadly storms.
It’s part of the reason that tighter building codes — mandatory in places such as South Florida — were not put in place for most of this region until just 11 years ago.
And it may be a painful lesson for residents now that Hurricane Michael has ravaged the region, leaving sustained damage from the coast inland all the way to the Georgia border.
“We’re learning painfully that we shouldn’t be doing those kinds of exemptions,” said Don Brown, a former legislator from the Panhandle who now sits on the Florida Building Commission. “We are vulnerable as any other part of the state. There was this whole notion that the trees were going to help us, take the wind out of the storm. Those trees become projectiles and flying objects.”
