Butler Beach, FL
How exposed is Butler Beach to wildfire?
Butler Beach sits at the 86th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 3,043 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Butler Beach at the 80th percentile, close to its 86th-percentile risk score.
Butler Beach's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Butler Beach (87.8% of 3,043 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 3.9% sit in the Direct zone.
Butler Beach against the rest of the country
Butler Beach's 86th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 69th ranking inside Florida does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 17 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Butler Beach ranks 4,313 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,364 by building count (1 is largest). Within Florida alone, it ranks 298 of 955 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Florida on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 86th percentile nationally, Butler Beach carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Butler Beach (87.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Butler Beach's figures come from
Butler Beach's 86th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Butler Beach's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.