Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressSeptember 19, 2017

During Hurricane Irma, Temple Shalom served as a sanctuary of a different kind. When the storm changed course at the last minute, the Naples synagogue suddenly became an emergency shelter. As power stayed off for days, the Reform temple, which had only minimal damage, was a place for neighbors to escape the heat and have […]

Phil AmmannSeptember 19, 2017

Prudence Duchene will never forget the day she moved to Key West. It was Aug. 30 — the day a storm brewing in the Atlantic got named Irma. Duchene, 22, was actually waiting to board her Florida-bound flight from Albany International Airport when she saw the news that the newly named tropical storm was headed […]

Scott PowersSeptember 19, 2017

State Sen. Jack Latvala called Tuesday for electric utilities in Florida to stop donating to political campaigns and instead spend the money on improving their power grid infrastructure. Latvala is a Republican gubernatorial candidate from Clearwater, has received electric company money in his political committee, Florida Leadership Committee, but not nearly as much as his […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 19, 2017

Northeast Florida avoided the Irma landfall impact, but wind damage and rampant flooding were — and in some places, are — major impacts. In Orange Park, flooding impacted residences by the river and — a bit south of town — along Black Creek. Tuesday saw Gov. Rick Scott in town to discuss the path forward. Apartment complexes […]

Michael MolineSeptember 19, 2017

Insurance claims from Hurricane Irma now have surpassed $2 billion, the Office of Insurance Regulation announced Tuesday. As of 4 p.m. Monday, 372,281 claims represented $2,168,674,31 in dollar losses. A little more than 6 percent of those claims have been closed already. Insurers rejected another 8,300. You can drill down into the data here. The […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 19, 2017

In the wake of Hurricane Irma, and with Hurricane Maria now churning the Atlantic, Florida lawmakers are forming or calling for blue-ribbon panels to improve the state’s readiness to deal with monster storms. House Speaker Richard Corcoran on Tuesday announced the creation of a “Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness” to “gather information, solicit ideas […]

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 […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 19, 2017

Almost 11 months ago to the day, the JEA Board gave the utility high marks for its performance during and after Hurricane Matthew. On Tuesday, it was time for an encore performance — as the JEA Board met, with Hurricane Irma on its mind. After a week in which the Mayor had “stern words” for […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 19, 2017

It is the height of a highly destructive hurricane season in the United States. The devastation of Harvey in Texas and Louisiana caused nearly 300,000 customers to lose electricity service, and Hurricane Irma has cut service to millions of people. Soon, winter storms will bring wind and snow to much of the country. Anxious people everywhere worry about […]

Joe HendersonSeptember 19, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran has taken the first step to improve Florida’s hurricane readiness, and it sounds like a good one. He is convening the bipartisan Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness to study what steps the state should take to prepare in the future for mega-storms like Hurricane Irma. Excellent idea. We’re all going […]

Tag: Hurricane Irma

After Irma, Florida Jews seek respite in High Holy Days

For a new Key West resident, Irma was her welcome-to-town

Jack Latvala swears off electric cash, urges utilities to stop political donations

Rick Scott gets hero’s welcome, talks Irma recovery in Orange Park

Irma-related claims now over $2 billion

Calls for blue-ribbon hurricane panels abound in Capitol

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

Lenny Curry: JEA crisis comms issues ‘need to be fixed’

Theodore Kury: Should power lines go underground?

Joe Henderson: Corcoran’s big move for hurricane readiness