Peter Schorsch
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Oh, that Bill Nelson. To paraphrase a classic late-night talk show bit: Letters, he loves letters, he loves stacks and stacks of letters.
Florida’s Democratic U.S. senator, who’s been on a letter-writing tear of late, now has penned a missive to IRS Commissioner John A. Koskinen, asking for a break for constituents.
“As you know, Florida is reeling from the effects of Hurricane Irma,” Nelson wrote to Koskinen on Tuesday. “This was no ordinary hurricane, with nearly the entire state feeling the effects of the storm—including widespread electricity loss.
“We must now begin the road to recovery,” Nelson added. “As we do, I ask that you use all means within your authority to provide appropriate administrative relief to taxpayers affected by the storm—including a delay in quarterly estimated payments, a delay in tax filing deadlines, and a moratorium on private debt collection proceedings.”
Nelson said “now is not the time to add unnecessary stress to Floridians trying to put their lives back together.”
“It’s important that all of us work together to provide needed relief to folks most in need,” he wrote. “I stand ready to work with you in whatever way I can if you need additional authority to provide this type of relief.”
Evening Reads
“Some Donald Trump lawyers wanted Jared Kushner out” via Peter Nicholas, Rebecca Ballhaus, Erica Orden and Anton Troianovski of the Wall Street Journal
“Donald, Melania Trump to visit Florida on Thursday” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald
“$150 billion misfire: How forecasters got Irma damage wrong” via Brian Sullivan of Bloomberg
“Irma, and the rise of extreme rain” via David Leonhardt of the New York Times
“Elegy for the Sunshine State” via Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker
“Florida’s overdevelopment has created a ticking time bomb” via Annie Sneed of Scientific America
“This is what it’s like to ride out a hurricane” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO
“An eighty-nine-year-old escape artist trapped by Hurricane Irma” via Daniel Gross of The New Yorker
“FEMA estimates 25 percent of Florida Keys homes are gone” via Jason Dearen and Martha Mendoza of The Associated Press
“Irma destroys much of Florida citrus crop” via Kevin Bouffard of the Lakeland Ledger
“MIT is using social media to map flooding from Hurricane Irma in real time” via Andrew Liptak of The Verge
“Swept away by TV coverage of Hurricane Irma” via Dahleen Glanton of the Chicago Tribune
“Tim Tebow plays cheerleader for Irma relief efforts” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida
“Yes, you can be fired for missing work while fleeing Hurricane Irma” via Danielle Paquette of The Washington Post
“Florida alligators may be on the loose after Hurricane Irma” via Julia Glum of Newsweek
Quote of the Day
“The devastation left by Hurricane Irma was far greater, at least in certain locations, than anyone thought—but amazing people working hard!” —President Donald Trump, in a Tuesday tweet.
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Editor’s Note — Events and meetings are still touch and go in the wake of Irma. Plan ahead and check with organizers before attending.
The Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees is scheduled to hold an abbreviated meeting, from 3 to 4 p.m. The meeting will be a teleconference only: Call 888-670-3525, then enter the participant code of 4872254143#.
The State Board of Education is set to hold a conference call that will include consideration of 2018-19 budget requests. The call begins at 9 a.m. The call-in number is 1-877-364-0940, with the participant code, 85296578#.
The Florida Commission on Offender Review is scheduled to meet and discuss numerous parole cases related to crimes committed in the 1970s and 1980s. That’s at 9 a.m., at the Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.
The Florida Veterans Foundation holds a conference call to discuss general business and administrative matters at 11 a.m. The call-in number is 1-302-202-1106 and the conference code is 471060.
The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council is scheduled to hold a conference call at 1:30 p.m. The call-in number is 1-888-670-3525 and the participant code is 7135858151.
