Paul, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. The biggest problem is that there are too many people crowding onto an isthmus that seems to be a magnet for hurricanes. And unfortunately, land developers and building contractors are willing to build and sell houses in areas where none should be built, and built to inadequate standards for the storms they face. The bad news is that Florida is not alone in that regard. The entire Gulf Coast is being lined with houses and resort properties catering to northerners who have no idea of the power of a cat 4 storm. Florida’s other problem is that, being al long narrow isthmus, there are very few roadways, and they are totally inadequate to handle a mass evacuation. A storm the size of Ian is large enough to envelop the entire state, so there are few safe havens to ride out a big storm by staying put. In a perfect world, government officials and developers/contractors would work out coherent rules about where and what to build. Unfortunately, we don’t live in anything approaching a perfect world. Keep that evacuation plan sharp and ready to go.