Scott draws fire over Irma debris removal

Florida’s Democratic members of Congress called the state’s debris removal process after Hurricane Irma “dangerous, delayed, and disorderly” in a blistering letter to Republican Gov. Rick Scott released Thursday.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DWeston, was joined by nine of her Democratic colleagues in signing the letter, including Broward and Palm Beach county U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings and Frederica Wilson.

Wasserman Schultz and other Democrats have been attempting to put blame on Scott for Irma debris issues since shortly after the storm. The Republican governor is challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, in this year’s election. In the letter, they said they were also concerned about reports from WFOR-Ch. 4 that the Scott administration approved emergency contracts for debris removal instead of honoring previous contracts.

“The state’s guidance has been unclear, and its assistance insufficient, leaving most Florida cities and counties on their own to deal with debris left over from Hurricane Irma, which lingered on their streets into the winter months,” the Democrats wrote. “This hazardous situation cannot be allowed to occur again. We ask that your office provide us with the legal, policy, and planning changes your administration has made to ensure that Floridians will not suffer from a repeat of last year’s unacceptable conditions.”

They criticized Scott for telling cities and counties to avoid “being price gouged by debris removal contractors,” resulting in delays in removal.

“We were fortunate that Florida was not hit by a subsequent storm that could have turned these piles of debris into hazardous flying objects, thereby compounding an already dangerous situation,” the letter said.

They ended by asking Scott what he and Attorney General Pam Bondi have done to hold the allegedly price-gouging companies accountable and for what new policies have been enacted.

"Governor Scott fought against the special interests who were not showing up to honor their pre-storm agreements following Hurricane Irma, saving taxpayers millions of dollars,” said John Tupps, Scott’s communication director. “It’s ironic that members of Congress would write about fiscal responsibility – they can’t even pass a budget. The Governor stood with families before, during and after Hurricane Irma and was proud to help reopen the Florida Keys within a few weeks after a direct hit from a Category Four storm.”