Hurricane Shutters

[FoPAA]

I sent my aunt down in the Jupiter area a photo of our dog looking out our lanai windows at the rain, and her immediate response was "You didn't put your shutters up!" I remember this was a REQUIREMENT where my parents lived in Jupiter, and snowbirds had to pay for a service to put them up when they were out of town. I was just wondering if anyone knows why we aren't required to install and then put up hurricane shutters??

[Bogie Shooter]

A different question, why were you required to install in Jupiter?

[FoPAA]

My parents lived in a first in a condo there, then a house - it probably was a requirement of the condo association/homeowners' association.

[Bogie Shooter]

My parents lived in a first in a condo there, then a house - it probably was a requirement of the condo association/homeowners' association.

But not in the house?

[alancusa]

I sent my aunt down in the Jupiter area a photo of our dog looking out our lanai windows at the rain, and her immediate response was "You didn't put your shutters up!" I remember this was a REQUIREMENT where my parents lived in Jupiter, and snowbirds had to pay for a service to put them up when they were out of town. I was just wondering if anyone knows why we aren't required to install and then put up hurricane shutters??

If memory serves me right and policy hasen't changed , my recollection is that the Villages Architectural Committee does not allow them to be installed. I know this was the case a number of years ago.

[Carla B]

You could tell your aunt that life is just different here. Since we don't see hurricane shutters, there must not be a need for them, windstorm insurance premiums are lower, and exterior doors don't have to be hinged on the outside, as they are in South Florida.

[DangeloInspections]

Because we are not in the same HVHZ area. Here is a map to give you an idea.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/faithfulFrank/Florida_Wind_Borne_Debris_Regions_zpsdgu15ztp.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/faithfulFrank/media/Florida_Wind_Borne_Debris_Regions_zpsdgu15ztp.jpg. html)

The building code here is much different from the Miami-Dade area. Note that these codes are changing every few years and are getting stricter. Eventually you may see the whole state of Florida treated the same...but at this point it is not. Basically we are safer here in the middle of Florida than if you were on the coast statistically.

Frank

[JoMar]

Played Lopez on Wednesday, only a few homes had Hurrican Shutters installed. After Matthew, might be a good business to be in.....:)

[DangeloInspections]

Played Lopez on Wednesday, only a few homes had Hurricane Shutters installed. After Matthew, might be a good business to be in.....:)

Just be careful....years ago after the hurricanes hit TONS of folks bought every sort of protection device....many were not worth a dime. I've seen folks pay huge amounts for window protection that attached with VELCRO......REALLY ???

What do you think 100 mph winds do against Velcro?? There will always be scam artists everywhere when they can profit from people's fears.

They also need to be approved by your association, etc. Only use Licensed contractors and DO YOUR RESEARCH. Know that unless EVERY fenestration is protected NO wind mitigation credit can be given.

Life is all about risk tolerance. I see some folks spend crazy amounts on very low probability risks. It's a personal choice.

For me, I'd be more concerned about driving in roundabouts.

Frank

[Carl in Tampa]

A few years ago while looking at houses for sale, I saw one (and only one) house in The Villages with hurricane shutters. I can understand why the architectural committee would object to them because they do not allow attractive window treatments.

More to your point, they are not required because they are not needed. In deciding safety and security issues there must be a cost analysis basis. What is the cost of a measure, compared to the benefit and risk?

For example, at the Sheriff's Office where I worked in Tampa we had to wear a life vest when flying in the helicopter. There is so much water in the county, including lakes, rivers and Tampa Bay that there is a genuine risk that a helicopter might go down in water while flying a mission. In fact, the Tampa Police Department lost a man to this hazard, which was the origin of the requirement. My office had one helicopter go down in a marshy area, but lost no one.

On the other hand, it is unlikely that pilots in Flagstaff, Arizona, have to wear life vests. But it is more likely that they might carry forestry survival equipment since the are constantly flying over National Forests.

The point is, that historically The Villages has been quite safe from hurricanes, and to add the expense of hurricane shutters to the cost of all of the houses in The Villages would be impractical and unnecessary.

I guess what this excruciatingly long response is for is simply to say, "We don't need them."

[Kup Kake]

I sent my aunt down in the Jupiter area a photo of our dog looking out our lanai windows at the rain, and her immediate response was "You didn't put your shutters up!" I remember this was a REQUIREMENT where my parents lived in Jupiter, and snowbirds had to pay for a service to put them up when they were out of town. I was just wondering if anyone knows why we aren't required to install and then put up hurricane shutters??

To my knowledge, there has never been a truly threatening hurricane in this area. While the winds may be strong enough to blow over a tree here or there, I don't believe homes in TV have been damaged.

Even when I lived in Palm Beach and Broward counties, there was no "requirement" to have shutters and those areas are certainly more prone to actual hurricane damage than in Jupiter.

Frank D'Angelo is correct is saying there are many people who sell faulty shutters. Even if TV said no shutters and I felt I needed them, I would still have them, but they are ugly unless you had the Lexan clear ones. By the time they told you to take them down, the storm would be over and you already would have them off.

Shutters are a pain in the butt and you have to store them. I ended up installing Miami-Dade approved hurricane impact windows and that is the only way I would ever go again. They are expensive but worth every penny.

Of course if your roof blows off . . . :shrug: