America's priciest home: $295m, all mod cons - and a very big flood risk
The Guardian|December 04, 2024
A sprawling Florida mansion set beside a beach of powdery white sand overlooking the azure Gulf of Mexico is the most expensive property listed for sale in the United States, yours for a mere $295m (£233m).
Oliver Milman
America's priciest home: $295m, all mod cons - and a very big flood risk

It is also in one of the places in the country that is most vulnerable to climate-driven disasters and faces an almost inevitable flooding event in the coming years.

The 3.6-hectare (9-acre) gated retreat in Naples is styled as "Florida's most exclusive compound" and comes complete with two vast guest houses, a dock, a yacht berth and water on three sides. It stands as an extravagant symbol of how the desire for a balmy Florida lifestyle is colliding with the climate crisis.

"It's almost a certainty this property will experience a flood," said Jeremy Porter, climate risk researcher at the First Street Foundation, a non-profit flood analysis group.

According to its modelling, the Gordon Pointe property has a 68% risk of flooding in the next 15 years and a 95% chance over the next three decades. Its flood exposure is "severe" and its risk from winds is "extreme", according to climate threat ratings that now appear on the Zillow property listings site.

This story is from the December 04, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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This story is from the December 04, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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