The elevation of piling houses on some of the Keys is the highest I’ve ever seen. I thought 16 ft was high on the Outer Banks, but those have got to be at least 20. But then you have some of the towns with residences not elevated at all. I know a few of the marinas are regarded as hurricane holes but is the town of Key West itself that elevated? I mean, it would have to be at least 20 ft above sea level for no pilings to make the least amount of sense given the size of those islands.
As far as building codes ours are the toughest around. Very few ground level floor homes any more all are built on stilts with two or three stories max height 32 feet.first floor has to be 11 feet.