This comment sounds somewhat strange to me. If you don't mind me asking, where are/were you living in Florida where this is the case? I have lived in South Florida for 25 years, residing in areas around Martin County, Port St Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Tallahassee. Most of my vacations were spent at friends houses in Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and even Marathon Key.

Most houses I have lived in, and the houses my peers owned, were all one story houses. Those who lived in what insurances labels as "known flood zone" areas still had carpet, and the houses are decorated no differently than the houses I have seen in California when I lived there, as well as Michigan where I currently live.

We also were able to enroll in flood insurance without any issues. Granted, it's extra insurance on top of typical home owners insurance, but Allstate had no issues providing us with flood insurance for over two decades of living there.

Is this perhaps how the more wealthy people live, or is this maybe how a specific area lives? I have legitimately never heard of people purposely furnishing their first floor as if it were a basement. I have seen the trend of moving away from carpet, but that is a more general trend that I am observing here in MI, as well, so I am not entirely sure it is can be directly linked to home owners worrying about potential flooding.