From Punta Gorda to Marco Island, every hurricane season starts the same way: a storm shows up in the forecast cone, the hardware stores run out of plywood, and neighbors trade advice over the fence. Some of that advice is solid. A lot of it isn’t.

Shutters are one of the most important ways to protect a home from wind and flying debris, so it pays to separate fact from folklore. Here are the hurricane shutter myths we hear most often in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Naples, and the truth behind each one.

Myth 1: “Taping my windows is good enough.”

This is the oldest myth in the book, and it refuses to die. The NOAA Hurricane Research Division puts it bluntly: taping windows is a waste of effort, time and tape. It adds little strength to the glass and gives no protection against flying debris. NOAA’s own safety guidance repeats the point and says the time is better spent putting up shutters or plywood.

There’s a bonus downside, too. If the glass survives, you’ll spend hot afternoons scraping baked-on tape off it after the storm. Skip the tape and cover the openings.

Myth 2: “The danger is the wind, not what it throws.”

Wind gets the headlines, but much of the damage to homes comes from what the wind picks up: roof tiles, patio furniture, branches, pieces of a neighbor’s lanai. A broken window or sliding door lets wind and rain into the house, and that’s when damage can spread fast.

That’s why Florida’s building code talks about “wind-borne debris.” In wind-borne debris regions, the Florida Building Code requires glazed openings, such as windows and glass doors, to be impact-resistant or covered by an approved impact-resistant system. Products are tested by firing a “missile” at them. For glass within 30 feet of the ground, that means the large-missile test. The point of a shutter isn’t only to stand up to the wind. It’s to stop what the wind is carrying.

Myth 3: “Plywood works just as well as real shutters.”

Plywood can work. The Florida Building Code allows wood structural panels as opening protection for certain homes, but only when they’re the right thickness, cut to overlap the opening, and fastened with anchors installed to specific rules. A sheet of plywood screwed loosely into stucco the night before landfall is not the same thing.

Plywood also has practical problems. It’s heavy and awkward on a ladder, it has to be stored somewhere all year, it often warps or rots in Florida humidity, and it’s usually going up at the last minute, when the wind is already picking up. Many homeowners who “planned to use plywood” end up not getting to every window.

Myth 4: “Shutters are a pain, so they’ll just stay in the garage.”

This is really a complaint about old-style panels, and it’s fair. Steel or aluminum storm panels can take hours to put up, and they’re easy to put off until it’s too late.

Today’s options are built for real life. Accordion shutters stay attached beside the window and fold closed across it. Roll-down shutters live in a box above the opening and come down when you need them, and some are motorized, so you don’t have to climb a ladder. The best shutter is the one you’ll actually close before every storm, so convenience isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the protection.

Myth 5: “My house is newer, so my windows can handle it.”

Maybe. But “newer” doesn’t automatically mean “impact-rated.” Depending on when and where a home was built and what’s been replaced since, some openings may have impact glass and others may rely on shutters, or on nothing at all. Sliding glass doors and lanai doors are common weak spots.

Don’t guess. Look for a label or etching on the glass, check your permit records, or ask a professional to walk the house with you. Once you know which openings are protected and which aren’t, you can plan the rest.

Myth 6: “Shutters make a house look like a fortress.”

Older shutters could look bulky, and nobody wants a home that feels boarded up all summer. Roll-down shutters tuck into a compact housing when they’re open, and accordion shutters fold back neatly to the side of the window. Many homeowners pick colors that match their trim, so on a sunny day you barely notice them.

Roll-down hurricane screens are another option worth knowing about. They’re a fabric screen that rolls down over an opening, and many homeowners like that they let some light through when they’re closed.

Myth 7: “I’ll deal with it when a storm is coming.”

Every season, people in Lee and Collier counties find out how fast the window closes. Once a hurricane watch goes up, contractors are booked solid, hardware stores are cleared out, and lines stretch around the block. A system ordered after the cone hits your house is not going to be on your house in time.

Protection takes planning: measuring, ordering, permitting where required, and installation. The quiet months are when that work gets done. When a storm is a week away, the only thing you should have to do is close what’s already there.

Protecting Your Home the Right Way

Hurricane protection works best as a plan, not a scramble. Start with the openings that matter most, especially large glass doors and windows facing open areas, and choose protection you’ll actually use every time. If you’re not sure where your home stands, a walk-through with someone who installs these systems every day can answer most of your questions in one visit.

Zip Flood Control installs roll-down hurricane shutters, roll-down hurricane screens and impact windows and doors across Southwest Florida, along with flood barriers for the water that comes with storm surge. We’re based in Cape Coral and work in homes from Punta Gorda to Marco Island.

Get Ready Before the Next Storm

Don’t wait for the next cone to point at your house. Call Zip Flood Control at (239) 237-0056 for a free in-home consultation, and we’ll help you figure out which openings need protection and which option fits your home.