I think the big difference between Florida and Seattle, or BC, where I live, is that Florida has hurricanes in its face on a regular basis. We don't see earthquakes here often enough to get ourselves scared enough to make it politically worthwhile to spend on preparedness. Politicians like to spend on projects that get them re-elected. A once in 10 or 20 years event is way outside their window of opportunity. If you're a politician, your whole focus is short term, that's one of the unfortunate weaknesses of our democratic system.