Hurricane Irma did tremendous damage to many parts of Florida, but Boca Raton was largely spared flooding or property damage. The main issue here was downed trees, which caused electrical outages for many business and residents. Schools were actually closed for over a week!

Early on after Hurricane Irma hit, a number of roads across the city, particularly in residential neighborhoods were impassable. That said, other parts of the state from The Keys to Coral Gables (southeast Miami) to Jacksonville experienced a much more extensive and costly storm. It will be many more months before life returns to normal in some of these communities.

Compared to past storms, the time that it took to restore power to most businesses, particularly in downtown Boca Raton was less. Any time the lights aren’t on it’s a costly situation. Additionally, the storm caused most visitors to the area that week to make other plans.

Significant growth is occurring in Boca Raton with new construction of homes, condos and businesses underway. It’s vital that the city be able to accommodate it while maintaining a firm grasp on city services and responsibilities. While restoring power is not a local issue per say, it’s  still mission critical to Boca’s quality of life.