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Scott PowersOctober 16, 2017

State Rep. Bob Cortes went to Puerto Rico Monday to oversee a disaster relief effort arranged by Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and coordinated by him and other members of the Seminole County Legislative Caucus. Cortes, a Republican from Altamonte Springs, is overseeing delivery of about four tons of supplies headed for the hard-hit eastern part […]

Staff ReportsOctober 13, 2017

Saint Leo University says it will provide free room and board and a discounted tuition rate of $8,500 to students from Puerto Rico, which was hit hard by Hurricane Maria. “At Saint Leo, we live by six core values, one of which is community,” said Dr. William J. Lennox Jr., the university’s president. “We are happy to […]

Scott PowersOctober 12, 2017

Declaring that “Americans are dying as we speak,” state Sen. Victor Torres blasted the Puerto Rico federal disaster relief efforts in an impassioned call at the Florida Capitol Thursday. Torres, an Orlando Democrat who’s been active in the Florida-side of the relief efforts since Hurricane Maria devastated the island three weeks ago, also criticized President […]

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Bill Nelson just cannot help himself. After Republicans blasted a “tone deaf” email last month that sought to raise funds off Hurricane Irma, Florida’s senior U.S. Senator is at it again. Nelson writes: “There’s been a lot going on in Washington recently, from finding ways to fund these massive hurricane recovery efforts to prevent the […]

Jim RosicaOctober 11, 2017

House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa is traveling to Puerto Rico Wednesday “to deliver 30,000 pounds of much-needed relief supplies, including food, water, and medical necessities,” her spokesman said. Cruz is working with “Major League Baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Moffitt Cancer Center,” according to Anders Croy, communications director for the House Democratic Office. […]

Steve SchaleOctober 9, 2017

Since Maria, the question I’ve gotten more than any other is: “So if X number of Puerto Ricans move to Florida because of the hurricane, what does this mean?” Honestly, I write this blog with some hesitation. As I work on this piece, 80-90 percent of the population still lacks power and some 50 percent […]

Scott PowersOctober 6, 2017

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto spent the early part of the week touring Puerto Rico and then on Thursday met with the House Natural Resources Committee, leaving convinced that the island is in desperate straights and that the administration of President Donald Trump still has not come to terms, but that Congress has. In an interview […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 4, 2017

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been a valuable resource for the Trump Administration as they have grappled with the devastation in Puerto Rico. On Friday, for example, Scott talked to President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence about what he saw when he went last week — a prelude to President Trump’s own visit. Yet Gov. […]

Scott PowersOctober 4, 2017

After touring Puerto Rico earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto declared the island is in emergency need of robust emergency federal funding, not just to assure full federal relief efforts from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, but to keep the commonwealth’s government operating in a place where almost no one can work. “The stories that […]

Peter SchorschOctober 4, 2017

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Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, FloridaPolitics.com learned the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) — per the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) guidance — has selected a tiny, two-man company with fewer than two years of experience and merely $1 million in annual revenue to repair its massive and critical […]

Tag: Hurricane Maria
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Bob Cortes heads for Puerto Rico on relief mission organized through speaker’s office

Pasco’s Saint Leo U. helps students from Puerto Rico

Victor Torres blasts federal response, Donald Trump tweets on Puerto Rico

Bill Nelson fundraises off Irma again, Republicans say it’s ‘disgusting’

Janet Cruz heads to Puerto Rico on aid trip

Steve Schale: Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico and Florida politics

Darren Soto: Congress understands Puerto Rico plight

Rick Scott on Puerto Rico: ‘Whatever you need, we’ll be there for you’

Darren Soto: Congress must quickly approve robust relief package for Puerto Rico

Major Puerto Rico power restoration project awarded to small, untested vendor