SpaceX deliberately decided not to use a flame diverter for that launch site, which is a few hundred feet from an endangered bird nesting area. It's clear they could have done more to avoid damage to nearby wildlife and property and it's a travesty that they were given a permit to launch without using standard practices.
The ecosystem there has had 200 million years, give or take, to adapt the seasonal storms. Hurricanes bring rain, which revitalizes wetlands and flushes out lagoons, removing waste and weeds. "Hurricane winds and waves move sediment from bays into marsh areas, revitalizing nutrient supplies. Fragile coral reefs can also receive benefit from hurricanes during the warm summer months, as the storms’ upwelling of cooler waters help to alleviate thermal stress. In addition, waves and tidal water movements scour some areas, removing macroalgae and exposing the solid limestone structure of the reef, which provides a firm foundation on which corals can settle and grow." <http://www.hurricanescience.org/society/impacts/environmenta...>
