Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
In a final campaign across the “Free State,” Gov. Ron DeSantis will embark on a “Don’t Tread on Florida” Tour this weekend.
Beginning Friday, the Republican Governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis will kick off the tour in Clay County, making three or four stops a day before reaching Miami-Dade County on Monday.
Joining the First Couple are special guests including running mate and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Senate President and Agriculture Commissioner candidate Wilton Simpson. Also joining them will be last year’s Academy of Country Music Awards “New Artist of the Year” and current Country Music Awards “New Artist of the Year” nominee Parker McCollum.
The full list of stops is below.
— Friday: Clay, Brevard, Broward counties
— Saturday: Volusia, St. Lucie, Seminole, Pinellas counties
— Sunday: Hillsborough, Sarasota, Lee counties
— Monday: Palm Beach, Orange, Miami-Dade counties
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Tuesday (today) marks the last day for residents of five Southwest Florida counties to apply for a “Blue Roof.”
As part of the recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is providing homeowners in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Lee and Sarasota counties with a free temporary solution to remaining in their homes. The program, called Operation Blue Roof,
Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the Army Corps of Engineers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The goal of the Blue Roof program is to provide homeowners in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced, industrial-strength sheeting to protect storm-damaged roofs until homeowners can make permanent repairs.
The roof must be standard roof shingles or a similar material that will allow contractors to nail the tarp in place. Contractors will consider repairs to metal roofs and mobile homes on a case-by-case basis and will install the cover if possible. Contractors cannot cover roofs made of materials such as slate, asbestos or clay tile, or other material which would be exceptionally difficult to repair or would likely be damaged during tarp installation.
As of Monday, the Army Corps of Engineers has installed more than 15,800 Blue Roofs.
Nov. 1 is the last day for people to apply for assistance. Homeowners can sign up at Blueroof.us or by calling toll-free at 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258).
Evening Reads
—“‘He’s a man of his word’: Joe Biden rallies for Florida Democrats despite signs of red wave” via Gary Fineout of POLITICO
—“Biden arrives in South Florida. He’s going after Republicans as threat to Medicare and Social Security.” via Anthony Man, Amber Bonefont and Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—“Biden’s Miami Gardens rally won’t fix the mess Democrats have made in Florida” via the Miami Herald Editorial Board
—“DeSantis appeals ruling demanding phone logs on Martha’s Vineyard flights” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“A diverse Supreme Court questions the value of diversity” via Adam Liptak of The New York Times
—“Rick Scott says he has no ‘plan’ to challenge Leader Mitch McConnell” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“Rebekah Jones misrepresents findings of state investigation in Instagram post” via Sara Swann of PolitiFact
—“The cold dose of reality awaiting Elon Musk” via Evelyn Douek of The Atlantic
—“They quit their jobs. Here’s what they are doing now.” via Hamza Shaban of The Washington Post
—“Citizens Property Insurance rate hikes for homeowners take effect” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics
—“UF trustees approve Ben Sasse as next president” via Curt Anderson of The Associated Press
—“Families’ hope for Parkland killer: ‘A name on a tombstone no one visits’” via Rafael Olmeda and Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—“Federal prosecutors want Andrew Gillum, Sharon Lettman-Hicks tried together on corruption charges” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat
—“Jacksonville City Council narrows choices on ‘remedy’ redistricting maps” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“Grady Judd encourages Floridians to shoot intruders ‘like grated cheese.’ The next week, two shot at an innocent woman” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“I think we all should thank him for coming to Florida. He’s reminding every voter in Florida just how poor his policies have been. He’s reminding every voter that these Democrats are with Joe Biden 100%.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis on Biden stumping in Florida.
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