Hurricane Milton is currently on track to impact one of Florida's most densely populated metropolitan areas, which has experienced consistent growth over the past few years. The Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater metro area secured the 5th spot in the top 10 US metro areas for annual population growth from 2022 to 2023, as per the US Census data. During this period, the population in this region surged by over 51,600 individuals within a year and by more than 167,000 people from 2020 to 2023.
Hillsborough County, where Tampa is situated, stands as the third-most populous county in the state and has witnessed the second-highest growth among Florida counties over the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to the US Census figures. The county is currently home to 1.4 million residents, with state estimates projecting a population exceeding 1.5 million this year. The city of Tampa itself boasts a population of nearly 385,000 residents.
Other areas in Florida, such as the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area, have also experienced significant population growth, partly due to being an affordable location for homebuyers. However, the relaxation of state building regulations has played a role in this growth as well. In 2011, Florida's Republican-controlled state legislature eased longstanding regulations aimed at controlling development in high-risk zones or discouraging construction in low-lying wetlands, as highlighted by Jesse Keenan, a professor of sustainable real estate at Tulane University's School of Architecture in 2022.
Keenan noted that these regulatory changes opened the floodgates for unrestricted development, increasing the vulnerability of residents to various risks, particularly flooding. The impact of these policy shifts is evident in the rapid expansion of populations in areas like Southwest Florida, which faced devastation from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
