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Scott PowersDecember 19, 2017

With the scheduled end coming for a federal emergency housing voucher program being used by Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria, state Sen. Victor Torres and several other Democratic lawmakers are urging Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello to ask the federal government for an extension. The program provides temporary housing vouchers for people who’ve fled […]

Scott PowersNovember 8, 2017

The Florida Hospital Association is expressing strong support and “deep appreciation” for a bill by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy that would make Puerto Rican evacuees almost immediately eligible for full Medicaid coverage by the federal government if they have to evacuate to Florida. The hospital association praised Murphy’s “Disaster Displacement Act of 2017,” House Resolution […]

Scott PowersNovember 1, 2017

Confusion and concern are mounting as Central Florida governments working with Puerto Rican and Virgin Island evacuees await direction from state and federal officials, leaders of Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties warned Wednesday. In a letter Wednesday to Florida Division of Emergency Management Interim Director Wesley Maul and copied to FEMA Administrator William Long and […]

Scott PowersOctober 21, 2017

Rene Plasencia sees it in the faces of countless Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria refugees when he or someone else says, “we’re here to help you.” A mixture of anguish, relief, pain, joy, fear, confidence, hopelessness, hope — all the emotions of losing everything and traveling to a strange, new place with almost nothing, and then […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 19, 2017

With so much of Florida’s economy tied to tourism, Rick Scott believes it is essential the state get back to normal as soon as possible following Hurricane Irma, making the state inviting for visitors to return. “One out of every six jobs in the state are tied to tourism. So we gotta make sure that we’re […]

Scott PowersSeptember 15, 2017

The lower Florida Keys were hammered in special ways by Hurricane Irma and remain closed to residents, visitors and even more volunteer cleanup workers as authorities try to get them livable, officials said Friday. An estimated 65 percent of the housing was damaged to the point of being uninhabitable, according to authorities, but residents will […]

Michael MolineFebruary 21, 2017

Nothing emerged during a numbers-crunching exercise by state economists Tuesday to change the economic picture the Legislature will confront this year — growth in tourism and slack housing starts will offset each other as overall growth produces about $31 billion in general revenues. “Those are going to compensate for each other. So, overall, you end […]

Associated PressDecember 21, 2015

The military is having a tough time retaining civilian employees at Naval Air Station Key West because of a lack of affordable housing. Leaders at the Navy base say they lose well-qualified employees who simply cannot afford to live in the area known for high-end resorts and vacation homes, The Key West Citizen reported on […]

Marc YachtNovember 18, 2015

Being a strong imperial power offers no guarantee of continued existence. Ask any Mayan whose empire survived 3,500 years. They sit alongside the Roman, British, Spanish and Mongol empires. The French faced the revolution with Madame Defarge knitting while the People’s Court sentenced French nobility to death. One cannot ignore the Russian revolution and the […]

Associated PressMarch 2, 2015

As Florida’s housing market tanked seven years ago, construction worker David Rager saw jobs dry up. So he left construction, along with 2.3 million others nationwide during the economic downturn, and got a job installing traffic signals and street lights. “I couldn’t afford to sit at home for a month here and a month there,” […]

Tag: housing

With program set to end, Victor Torres, other Democrats seek extension to Puerto Rican housing

Florida Hospital Association lauds Stephanie Murphy’s ‘Disaster Displacement Act’

Orange, Osceola, Seminole leaders urge Florida, FEMA to plan better for Puerto Rican refugees

Anguish, relief, fear, hope: Relief efforts serving thousands of Puerto Rico storm refugees

One week after Irma, Rick Scott says ‘we’ve got to get tourists back’

Florida Keys still closed; ‘different kind of lifestyle for a while’

State economists see tourism growth canceling out lagging housing starts

Housing costs in Florida Keys prohibitive for base employees

Dr. Marc J. Yacht: The mighty always have fallen. Always.

Construction picks back up, but it’s a different gig now