How much More can Florida Take? Milton expected to come with $175B Price Tag

Hurricane Milton is projected to cause at least $175 billion in damage when it hits Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night, adding to the state’s recent history of costly storms like September’s Helene and 2022’s Ian. Major cities, central Florida’s agriculture and Orlando’s theme parks are expected to suffer significant damage. And with storm surges potentially pushing water a mile inland in Tampa and destruction anticipated as far away as southern Georgia, the increasing damage costs are fueled by progressively more destructive hurricanes as well as inflation.