A recent analysis of national data places **several Florida counties among the most hurricane-vulnerable areas** in the United States. While the top spots went to places like Lee County, South Florida’s major population centers like Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade also rank high enough to demand attention from homeowners and businesses.

A report recently released by Lawn Starter drew on FEMA’s National Risk Index along with supporting information from NOAA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The counties were scored on a 1–100 scale using weighted factors that included overall hurricane risk, storm history over the past decade, financial losses, and the scale of post-storm cleanup. Only areas rated by FEMA as having relatively moderate to very high hurricane risk were included.

Lee County led the national list with a score of 67.74, reflecting the heavy impacts of Hurricane Ian in 2022 and later effects from Helene. Other Florida counties cracked the top 10: Bay (3rd), Charlotte (5th), Collier (7th), Polk (8th), and Sarasota (10th). Farther down but still notable, **Miami-Dade placed 20th**, **Palm Beach 25th**, and **Broward 27th**. These rankings put the three South Florida counties well above the majority of the nation and underscore ongoing exposure for the densely populated southeast coast.

Learn about it here: [South Florida's Hurricane Risk Spotlight](https://moldonly.com/south-floridas-hurricane-risk-spotlight/)

South Florida’s Hurricane Risk Spotlight: What Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Residents Need to Know