Puerto Rico’s governor
reaches out to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, asking for help as the storm-ravaged island struggles to restore electricity. Scott will travel there Friday.
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott will head to Puerto Rico on Friday to help restore power to the beleaguered island struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria.
Scott’s visit, his second since the storm hit last month, comes at the request of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosello. The trip was announced a day after Puerto Rico canceled a controversial $300 million contract to repair the electrical grid.
“Given your experience in managing natural disasters, your guidance on restoring energy would be greatly appreciated,” Rosello wrote in a letter to Scott.
More than a month after Maria hit the island as a Category 4 hurricane, only about 30 percent of Puerto Rico has electricity.
A release from Scott’s office said he will lead a delegation of utility companies to Puerto Rico, but his office did not return calls for more information. More details about the trip will be released later in the week, a Scott spokeswoman said.
Rosello called for the contract with Montana-based Whitefish to be nixed after a Washington Post story raised questions about it, noting it was a small firm with few employees and had ties to U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. The contract also stated Whitefish would be exempt from government audits.
Zinke has said he had nothing to do with the deal.
But Rosello also has been criticized for not reaching out to states for help in the aftermath of the storm. Puerto Rico was reeling from a financial crisis before Maria, leaving questions about whether it could pay back states for aid it received.
“Restoring electricity to our citizens has become a daunting task, mainly because of the lack of liquidity of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and the need for additional assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Rosello wrote in his letter.
Scott went to Puerto Rico last month to help recovery efforts and dispatched National Guard, state law enforcement and disaster relief personnel.
In addition, Scott has set up three recovery centers, including one at Orlando International Airport, to help Puerto Ricans fleeing the island with housing, supplies and job placement.
As of Monday, more than 86,000 Puerto Ricans have come to Florida through the recovery centers, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Lawmakers, too, are bracing for the impact of the influx of Puerto Ricans, with some calling for the Florida Department of Education to relax school size requirements and for a boost in affordable housing funding.
Friday’s trip marks the end of a busy travel week for Scott. He’s headed to Canada today for a two-day trip to recruit businesses and tourists to Florida.