Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Danny McAuliffeNovember 13, 2018

Hurricane Michael probably won’t change the trajectory of the Florida’s population, according to state economists. The Florida Demographic Estimating Conference, an arm of the Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research, recently adopted a revised population growth projection: About 14,000 more people are expected to set up residency in the Sunshine State by April 2019 than […]

Jacob OglesNovember 12, 2018

Elections officials in Bay County, a Republican stronghold recently battered by Hurricane Michael, accepted votes via email. The catch: That’s counter to state law. NBC-7 WJHG interviewed Bay County Supervisor of Elections Mark Andersen about how he dealt with voters displaced by Hurricane Michael. Andersen said he worked with 147 voters who returned ballots by […]

Staff ReportsNovember 9, 2018

Hurricane Michael inflicted nearly $1.5 billion in losses to Florida agriculture, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putman announced Friday. By far, the timber industry bore the worst of it, losing $1.3 billion. “Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, and many of Florida’s rural communities, which rely heavily on agriculture, took the worst hit,” Putnam said in a […]

Staff ReportsNovember 8, 2018

Search and recovery teams have completed their survey of the Hurricane Michael disaster zone, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Thursday. Meanwhile, the number of Michael-related insurance claims reached 117,259, worth nearly $2.75 billion — and “this number will grow,” Patronis’ office said in an update on its storm response. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the amazing strides […]

Michael MolineNovember 5, 2018

The Public Service Commission on Monday said OK to Florida Public Utilities’ plan to front restoration costs to the 1,100 Panhandle customers whose homes are too damaged to reconnect to the company’s grid. However, the commission took a pass on the utility’s proposal to pass along the costs to other ratepayers if customers renege on […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

Early voting will continue up to the day before Election Day in six counties still recovering from Hurricane Michael. Polling locations remain open in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, and Jackson counties, all of which sustained major damage. The state extended the early-voting deadline in those counties. Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Florida’s chief elections […]

Peter SchorschNovember 3, 2018

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Financially, Florida is equipped to weather the financial losses incurred by Hurricane Michael. That’s according to Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who this week cited a recent analysis of the state’s financial resiliency from credit reporting agency Moody’s Investment Service. “The news from Moody’s Investors Service that Florida will not only weather Hurricane Michael, but […]

Ryan NicolNovember 2, 2018

Republican Gov. Rick Scott is ahead by 5 percentage points in his bid to oust Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, according to a new poll from Vox Populi. The results show Scott earning 48 percent support, with Nelson nabbing just 43 percent. Of the 9 percent of voters who are undecided, most are leaning toward […]

Danny McAuliffeNovember 1, 2018

Communities affected by Hurricane Michael will in part rely on the goodwill of others to bounce back to normalcy. And that’s why a coalition of influential names and organizations is making sure that the current and impending issues facing the Big Bend and Panhandle counties affected most by the powerful Category 4 storm remain in […]

Drew WilsonOctober 28, 2018

Panhandle utility company Gulf Power hit its goal of restoring electric service to 95 percent of its customers who can safely receive power by Oct. 24, but the company said there’s plenty of work to be done to get the few remaining ratepayers back on the grid. “We still have many customers who are working […]

Tag: Hurricane Michael
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Hurricane Michael unlikely to affect population growth

Bay County accepted ballots through email—which state law doesn’t allow: report

Hurricane Michael dealt $1.3 billion wallop to timber producers

Post-Michael search efforts end as insurance claims mount

PSC approves utility loans to repair customer-owned equipment in the Panhandle

Six storm-struck counties extend early voting to Monday

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Planning pays off

Latest survey gives Rick Scott 5-point lead over Bill Nelson

‘REBUILD 850’: Former Speakers Will Weatherford, Allan Bense spearhead North Florida recovery project

Most Gulf Power customers back on the grid, but work continues