Are You Buying a Home Near a Nuclear Plant?

The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on the beach. Author: D Ramey Logan. St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant photo D Ramey Logan.jpg from Wikimedia Commons License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike

If you Knew the Florida Home You’re Looking at, is Within the Evacuation Zone of a Nuclear Plant, Would You Still Buy it?

Question: Why do so many people move to Florida and buy a home in the backyard of a nuclear power plant?

Answer: Because they weren’t aware of it, until after they moved in.

If that would bother you, this article will help prevent sinking money into a home in such an area.

Moving to Florida For a Better Life or Retirement?

Then why spend lots of money to sell your home, buy a home in Florida and move a 1000 miles just to live or retire in the backyard of a nuclear power plant?

Learn why residents may be at higher risk from Florida’s nuclear power plants, than people living near plants elsewhere.

Nuclear Power Plants in Florida Q & A

Q. How many nuclear power plants are in Florida?

A. There are 3 nuclear power plants in Florida. The are 2 nuclear power plants right on Florida’s east coast and one on the west coast of the state.

Q. Are there nuclear power plants in Jacksonville Florida?

A. No, there are no nuclear power plants in the Jacksonville Florida area. Furthermore, the Jacksonville area is not within a 10 mile Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) evacuation zone and is not within a 50 mile contamination zone or possible future 50 mile evacuation zone (as explained below).

Q. Are there nuclear power plants in Miami Florida?

A. No, there are no nuclear power plants in Miami, but all of Miami (and everything below Boca Raton) would be with a future 50 mile evacuation zone, as some experts are now suggesting is more appropriate. Currently, Miami is not within the current 10 mile evacuation zone, but it is within the 50 mile contamination zone.

Q. Are there any nuclear power plants in Orlando?

A. No, there are no nuclear power plants in the Orlando area. Furthermore, the Orlando area is not within a 10 mile evacuation zone, or within a 50 mile contamination zone or possible future 50 mile evacuation zone.

Q. Are there nuclear power plants in Tampa or St Petersburg?

A. No, there are no plants in the Tampa/St Pete Area and the area is not affected by any current or future NRC zones.

Why I wouldn’t Live Near Any of Florida’s 3 Nuclear Power Plants

I wouldn’t move near, nor would I suggest to any of my friends or relatives that it would be OK to move within 50 miles of a nuke plant. Especially one of Florida’s nuke plants that sit right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Why? Because

• Florida’s coasts are at risk of direct hits from hurricanes.
• Much of Florida’s coast is at risk from storm surge (a wall of water) hurricanes can bring inland.
• Florida has a six month “hurricane season” every year.
• Homeowners insurance does not cover damages caused by nuclear incidents. You would have to seek money from the Federal Government to cover nuclear damages.

Q. But what if a salesperson says they have lived near a nuclear plant all there life and never had a problem?

A. I’ll bet the people who lived near the nuke plant in Japan probably felt the same way. That is, up until the very day a wall of water came ashore in Fukushima in 2011 and destroyed a nuclear power plant and made the nearby towns too dangerous to live in.

Nuclear Power Plants in Florida and Property Values.

The NRC or Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently has emergency planning in place to evacuate people within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant in case of a disaster. They currently say people within 50 miles should take steps to protect their food and water supply. However, the US government has warned US citizens living near that Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster, to stay 50 miles away, not just 10 miles. Many experts  now think the NRC should officially expand the 10 mile evacuation zone in the US to 50 miles from nuclear  plant disasters. I wouldn’t move to within 50 miles of a nuke plant for safety reasons, but also because of the possible negative affect on property values in the new zone if it is expanded to 50 miles. There are other places to move to in Florida that don’t have these issues. So why spend lots of money to move a 1000 miles to Florida, just to live in the backyard of a nuke plant? Are you Homer?

Real estate salesperson: “Oh by the way, this house is in a nuclear plant evacuation zone.” Buyers: What? I didn’t even know there was one around here. 

There have been reports of problems and safety issues at every one of the nuclear plants. Below you’ll find a map of their locations and a link to one negative safety news report.

#1  The Turkey Point Power Plant Nuclear Generating Station in Homestead Florida near Miami.

• It’s located about 20 miles south of the center of Miami.
• Many safety issues have been reported about this nuke plant. Here’s just one report.
• The 10 mile evacuation zone extends north to a point somewhere between Cutler Bay and Kendall below Coral Gables, and to the west covering the roads people from the Florida Keys use to get to the mainland.
• An expansion to a 50 mile evacuation zone would affect all of southeast Florida from Homestead where the plant is located, to just south of Boca Raton.

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#2 The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant

• The St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is located on Florida’s east coast about half way between Daytona Beach and Miami.
• There are numerous reports of safety problems at this nuke plant also, like this news report.
• The 10 mile evacuation zone extends south to about Stuart Florida heading south, and to St Lucie going north. All or part of Jensen Beach, Port St Lucie and Fort Pierce are in this zone.
• A 50 mile evacuation zone would extend south to about West Palm Beach and north to almost Melbourne Florida.

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#3 The Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant

• The Crystal River Nuclear Plant is located on Florida’s west (Gulf) coast about 35 miles west of Ocala.
• This plant had to be shut down in 2010 because of severe problems. The plant will still be radioactive until about 2074.
• The 10 mile evacuation zone extends to about town of Crystal River and other sparsely populated areas.
• A 50 Mile evacuation zone would extend to about New Port Richey to the south and include Ocala to the east.

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Ron Stack

• Want to be certain if moving to Florida is right for you or your family? You’ll know after reading the Florida Move Guide.

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