Gov. Scott gets kudos for response to Irma, but recovery still remains
He says biggest task now is to ‘get people their power back’
TALLAHASSEE — It was hard to miss Gov. Rick Scott in the run-up to Hurricane Irma’s arrival as he zigzagged across the state ringing alarm bells about the need to be ready for the historic storm.
For that, the Republican governor has won praise, even from rival Democrats.
“No time for politics, all truth — @FLGovScott did a great job! He activated the state 911 plan, and he activated resources,” state Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, posted on Twitter.
But now Scott faces the tougher test of directing the recovery.
Just how quickly Florida returns to normal could decide Scott’s political future; the two-term governor is considering a run for U.S. Senate next year against incumbent Bill Nelson, D-Orlando.
“Getting this right will be remembered and will assist him should he run for the United States Senate,” said GOP consultant Mac Stipanovich, chief of staff to former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez. Getting it wrong, he said, could be “fatal.”
The process could be slow and the cost will be immense, as Irma affected nearly every part of the state, leaving millions without electricity and thousands of homes destroyed.
“There’s a lot of work left to do,” Scott said Tuesday. “This state has been hit by a … gigantic storm, hurricane. The biggest thing we’ve got to do right now is we’ve got to get people their power back.”
Then there’s the prospect of getting gasoline to all corners of the state so evacuees can return and assess the damage. Port Tampa and Port Everglades, both of which reopened Tuesday, are critical so fuel tankers can reach gas stations, Scott said.
Throughout the preparation and response, Scott has kept a tight lid on information, refusing to allow reporters into daily briefings of the State Emergency Response Team, even though previous governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist did so, and reporters were allowed in briefings for Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew last year.
Press releases from Scott’s office about response efforts don’t include the number of deaths, which roads are blocked, areas still under curfew or where flooding has subsided.
Though calls for bipartisanship and unity are made after disasters, they can often turn into political blame games.
After Hurricane Hermine hit the Tallahassee area last year, Scott scolded Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat running to replace Scott next year, for not taking assistance from major electric utility companies when it took nearly a week to restore power in many areas. Scott brought it up again as Irma approached.
“I couldn’t get [Tallahassee officials] to take resources or anything. Let me tell you, everyone wants my help now,” Scott said.
Gillum didn’t appreciate that jab, saying he’s concentrating on his own city’s recovery after Irma, which struck the capital city with tropical storm-force winds.
“My sole focus remains getting the power back on in Tallahassee — not on the Governor’s political attacks,” Gillum said in a statement.
Scott currently has vast powers because of the state of emergency order he issued last week for all 67 counties to prepare for the storm. He’s used that power to direct response efforts statewide, working with local officials, and in some cases, overriding them.
Scott ordered all schools and universities in Florida closed on Thursday and Friday so they could be used as shelters, even as some districts, including Orange County, were planning to remain open another day. The shelter space was needed as nearly 7 million Floridians were in mandatory evacuation zones, clogging highways on their way north.
Because of Irma’s size, its track up most of the state and its late shift to the west coast, Scott said he couldn’t position as many utility recovery workers and supplies ahead of the storm’s arrival. That could lead to delays as workers look to restore the comforts of civilization.
“We did a great job as a state on keeping people safe from the storm, now we need to do a great job of keeping people safe after the storm and helping get their lives back to normal,” Florida Division of Emergency Management director Bryan Koon said Tuesday. “That’s the big push right now, and that’s what we’ll focus on for the next couple of weeks.”