Pinellas emergency management turns focus to residents who live on boats this hurricane season [Video]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Pinellas County Emergency Management is focusing some extra attention on the boating community this hurricane season, especially people who live on boats.

Boaters and Pinellas officials are seeing more people moving off land and onto the water to live, and that comes with a different kind of storm prep.

Last August, George Cavanaugh rode out Hurricane Idalia in Tampa Bay on his sailboat.

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“When the wind howls, it howls, and that first feeling you have it’s like ‘oh I should have evacuated,’” said Cavanaugh, who has lived part-time on his catamaran in Gulfport for the last two and a half years. “You have no rent and the worst you have is your insurance. And it’s super cheap to live out here.”

It makes him part of the community Pinellas County is handing out brochures to this hurricane season.

“We …