State lawmakers explore rising hurricane costs

$649 million in Irma-related costs reported

TALLAHASSEE — As the tab for hurricanes Irma and Maria continues to grow, one key lawmaker said Wednesday the state budget might have to be cut to help pay for the cleanup.

A Senate budget panel on Wednesday heard a litany of costs — local governments waiting months to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for debris removal, damage to waterways, beach restoration and removal of derelict vessels.

So far, state agencies have reported $649 million in Irma-related costs, said Cynthia Kelly, budget director for Gov. Rick Scott. Much of that tab will be paid by the federal government, but it is unclear when the state will be reimbursed.

State economists have said their previous projection of a $52 million surplus next year was likely wiped out by Irma.

“Obviously we’re going to have to tighten our belts,” said Senate budget chief Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.

But Latvala said lawmakers could also take money out of reserves, even though House leaders have said the state should add more to the state’s rainy-day fund to guard against future natural disasters and warned the state would have to spend money on ongoing issues unrelated to the storms.

“The problems are not going away,” Latvala said. “The opioid crisis is not mysteriously solving itself. The traffic [jams] in South Florida and Orlando and Tampa hasn’t solved itself.”

Costs related to the influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the effects of Hurricane Maria also continue to rise.

Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, said Wednesday he has secured approval from the Board of Nursing to expedite licensing for Puerto Rican nurses looking for work in Florida. Cortes also asked Scott to waive the $110 license fee on Wednesday but didn’t receive an immediate response.

“They don’t want handouts; they want the opportunity to work,” Cortes said. “And we’re giving them that opportunity by taking away some of the red tape.”

The anticipated influx from the island devastated by Maria – Cortes said 60,000 Puerto Ricans are already coming to Florida – also will carry costs to government. School boards are bracing for new students, programs such as Medicaid could rise, and lawmakers are scrambling for affordable-housing funds.

Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, said shelter and housing are the most immediate needs for incoming Puerto Ricans. While short-term solutions are being found by staying with family members or in hotels at reduced prices, the state will need to jumpstart affordable-housing projects to find long-term solutions.

“The honeymoon period is over at some point,” Plasencia said. “We’ll have families that are staying with aunts, uncles, cousins distant relatives or friends, but after four or five weeks, they feel like it’s time for them to move on and try to find their own place.”

Latvala has consistently pushed for affordable-housing funds in the budget but warned that projects in the Irma-battered Keys would likely be first in line. He urged officials with the Florida Housing Finance Corp., the agency in charge of affordable-housing programs, to add more projects in the Keys, because housing for workers is in short supply.

“I’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Latvala said when asked about housing projects in Central Florida. “We’ve got a critical problem [in the Keys] right now where we need some answers.”