When I landed in Ft. Lauderdale on a random weekend in October, it quickly dawned on me that something unusual was happening. There were no cars left at the airport rental counter, despite the fact that I’d made a reservation weeks earlier. Flights had been double their usual price. And the hotel I stayed at was flooded with tween girls in sparkly costumes.

That last part finally clicked everything into place for me. The scarcity, the prices, and the crowds weren’t the result of a pending hurrica...