Florida’s Horseshoe Beach hopes to maintain its charm after Idalia wallops it

Monday, September 4, 2023

This remote seaside enclave known as “Florida’s Last Frontier” took much of the pounding from Hurricane Idalia when it struck the state’s west coast as a Category 3 storm last week.

The damage left behind in the fishing village of Horseshoe Beach is exposing a gulf between haves and have-nots as cash-strapped residents could be forced to leave the quaint, remote community rivaled by few others along the Florida shoreline.

With emergency crews still working to restore electricity and provide temporary housing, locals worry that those unable to afford insurance will struggle to reconstruct homes that must comply with modern, more expensive building codes.

Longtime residents share varying degrees of bullishness that the charm and business will return to the quiet town of less than 200 people.

Horseshoe Beach largely escaped the worst of previous storms that battered the state, but Idalia roared ashore with winds of 125 mph (200 kph) and a storm surge that flattened some houses and knocked others off their foundations and into canals.

When asked at a news conference Sunday whether climate change was to blame for Idalia’s fierceness, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said other more powerful hurricanes had hit the state decades earlier.

Climate scientists have said that Gulf waters warmed by climate change helped Idalia intensify rapidly.

Most residents of Horseshoe Beach cannot afford insurance, according to Jimmy Butler, a realtor who has been doing business in the town since 2000.

He predicted that the debris may be cleared in a couple of months but a return to normal will take years.

Idalia is “the worst thing” Horseshoe Beach has ever had to handle, Butler said.

Modern building codes require that houses be elevated to certain heights to protect against storms, and lifting a house can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Tourism in Horseshoe Beach is fueled by the more adventurous type of visitors, drawn by its natural beauty rather than the massive, commercial developments found in many other tropical destinations.

Fishing charters and shrimpers are an economic engine, and many residents are working-class people living in modest trailers or retirees in tranquil homes.

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