Florida Real Estate Market Sounds Climate Alarms

New research suggests that real estate values were declining before prices started falling, but a climate-driven housing crisis could already be here in coastal Florida.

1 minute read

October 13, 2020, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Atlanta Ocean

EQRoy / Shutterstock

Christopher Flavelle reports on the plight of the real estate market in Florida, which is slowly starting to show signs of awareness about the effects of climate change and sea-level rise.

Central to Flavelle's reporting is a report published yesterday by the National Bureau of Economic Research that finds a real estate market waking up to the risk of sea-level rise (SLR in the following passage). From the study's abstract: "From 2013-2018, home sales volumes in the most-SLR-exposed communities declined 16-20% relative to less-SLR-exposed areas, even as their sale prices grew in lockstep. Between 2018-2020, however, relative prices in these at-risk markets finally declined by roughly 5% from their peak."

Flavelle's summary of the report's findings read thusly: "The authors argue that not only is climate change eroding one of the most vibrant real estate markets in the country, it has quietly been doing so for nearly a decade."

According to the article and the study, the decline of Florida's coastal real estate market started in 2013, but no one noticed.

The focus on Florida's coastal real estate market follows shortly after a similar article detailed the effects of climate change-induced flood risk on the real estate markets of the coastal Carolinas.

Monday, October 12, 2020 in The New York Times

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

People walking by a brick school in Cambridge.

After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker

Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.

30 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the park, with green grass and a bass sculpture that looks like several tall arches in a row.

40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park

The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.

1 hour ago - Block Club Chicago

the New Mexico State capital building, made of orange clay

‘Hoodwinked:’ New Mexico bill aimed at microgrids paves way for data center development

In an interview with High Country News, Padilla said the legislation “ignited” New Mexico's economy.

2 hours ago - High Country News