Governor Rick Scott

Gov. Scott Urges Gulf Coast Residents to Monitor Weather, Be Prepared for Hurricane Conditions

Posted on October 4, 2017

Governor Rick Scott today will again be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on potential storm impacts. Governor Scott and the State of Florida are continuing to actively monitor a tropical depression in the southwest Caribbean, and are urging everyone in Florida to remain vigilant. The state receives regular weather updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). At this time, the depression is forecast to move north – northwest into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend and has the potential to be a hurricane impacting the Florida Panhandle in the coming days.
Governor Scott said, “As we closely monitor this storm, it is so important for Florida families to remain vigilant, restock hurricane supply kits and ensure hurricane preparedness plans are in place. Based on current forecasts from the National Hurricane Center, we expect the storm to strengthen into Tropical Storm Nate today and move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. This storm has the potential to become a hurricane and impact the Florida Panhandle this weekend, and families must be ready. Let’s remember, we are still in the heart of hurricane season and while it’s hard to imagine experiencing another storm right now, everyone has to be prepared. We will continue to work with the National Hurricane Center to learn more as this storm develops and I encourage all Floridians to visit www.FLGetAPlan.org today to get prepared.”

Sen. Victor Torres calls on Gov. Scott to expedite stockpiles emergency supplies for Puerto Rico

Posted on October 3, 2017

The former Marine and New York City Cop urges Rick Scott to
tap close relationship with Donald Trump to hasten relief

Less than 24 hours after his return from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, and his first hand observation of one of the island’s largest cities still ignored by relief efforts, state Senator Victor Torres (D-Orlando) on Tuesday called on Governor Rick Scott to cut through the red tape stymieing the shipment of emergency supplies.
“The longer we wait, the worse it gets,” said Senator Torres, whose trip on Monday included the delivery of generators, chain saws, and other critically needed supplies to Ponce, Puerto Rico’s third largest city located in the southern part of the island. “The mayor told us yesterday that we were the first government officials to step foot in her city. No one from FEMA, no one from San Juan, and certainly no one from Tallahassee had preceded us in delivering supplies or accessing the situation in this city or its outlying towns.”
Noting the massive amount of water, food, and additional equipment – all critically needed by the people on the island yet lying idle in warehouses in Orlando – Senator Torres added that although Governor Scott emphasizes his close relationship with President Donald Trump, he has not made an effort to use that tie to cut through roadblocks hindering the shipment of stockpiled supplies to areas outside of the island’s capital.
“We’ve seen both the governor and the president fly into and out of the capital, bringing little more than photographers and promises,” said Senator Torres. “This does nothing to alleviate the suffering and the potential death count as supplies remain bottlenecked in warehouses.”
In his visit to Ponce, Senator Torres observed that the people themselves took it upon themselves to clear critical infrastructure, including roads, as well as the landing strip in the city’s airport for air transport. In addition, five of the city’s eight ports are operational, but no supplies are arriving. Senator Torres said that the governor could easily remedy the situation by asking for federal intervention.
“I saw firsthand the desperation that is mounting on the other side of Puerto Rico that has been neglected,” said Senator Torres. “Two weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall, Governor Scott’s promises of immediate help while he continues to wait for some kind of formal request from Puerto Rican officials are ringing hollow. It’s time for him to get to work.”

Gov. Scott Issues Updates on State Action to Assist Puerto Rico

Posted on October 3, 2017

Governor Rick Scott today visited the American Red Cross distribution warehouse in Orlando to thank volunteers for organizing donations to assist recovery efforts for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Governor Scott also spoke with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló today to discuss ongoing response and recovery efforts.
See below for more information on what the State of Florida is doing to support Puerto Rico:
MILITARY SUPPORT

The Florida National Guard (FLNG) continues to monitor and provide support, as needed, to coordinate Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) force flow into Puerto Rico.
Over the weekend, the FLNG deployed a communications specialist from the 48th Civil Support Team to Puerto Rico to assist with stabilizing the response network. This is in addition to the airman from the Florida Air National Guard is on the ground in San Juan directing the Joint Air Coordination Element (JACE).
Additionally, the FLNG is providing logistical support to the North Carolina National Guard which is preparing to ship vehicles out of Jacksonville to Puerto Rico via sealift. The 100-person unit will lodge at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center beginning October 5^th until deployment.
The Florida National Guard is coordinating with the full-time Guardsmen as part of the 601st Air Operations Center at Tyndall Air Force Base. This organization, under the U.S. Air Forces North (AFNORTH), is coordinating all military airflow in the Joint Operations Area. They recently coordinated 29 military flights, which included water, meals, sandbags, health specialists, military police, vehicles and other humanitarian assistance supplies and personnel.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) traveled to San Juan with Governor Scott last week and met with the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety to discuss security concerns and needs.
FDLE has coordinated a request for 1,500 law enforcement officers that are standing by to deploy to Puerto Rico to supplement Puerto Rican law enforcement. These assets will come from across Florida, including state and local partners, and other states.
An eight-member incident management team is prepared to deploy to Puerto Rico this week to help assess law enforcement needs. The Florida Highway Patrol has two members on the incident management team and will have between 50-70 troopers available to respond immediately once needs are identified.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has identified volunteers from across the state that are part of the FWC Special Operations Group (SOG) to stand by for potential deployment. Many of these officers have recently deployed to assist with Hurricanes Harvey and Hurricane Irma response and recovery operations.
FWC has identified specialty equipment such as trucks, coastal and river patrol boats, ATVs and shallow draft boats to be considered for potential use as needed.

DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

At the direction of Governor Scott, three Disaster Relief Centers (DRCs) have opened at Orlando International Airport, Miami International Airport, and the Port of Miami for Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
The following organizations will have staff on site: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Children and Families, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Department of Health, Department of Economic Opportunity, American Red Cross and Catholic Charities (Orlando International Airport).
These partners will offer services such as help with registering for FEMA Individual Assistance, crisis counseling, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) information, assistance with unaccompanied minors and agency social services, assistance with animal services, medical attention and health concerns, employment information and training services, food and water resources, language guidance and spiritual care.
The hours of operation for these centers are 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., including weekends.
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is working closely with Puerto Rican officials to help identify, prioritize and affect Emergency Management Assistance Compact missions, allowing for the right resources and personnel from the continental U.S. to be appropriately leveraged in support of the response effort.
SERT has coordinated with private partners to secure three large transport vessels that have a combined passenger capacity of more than 7,500 individuals.
SERT is working with private cellular infrastructure repair and support companies to assist the Puerto Rico response effort and deploy personnel, repair equipment, trucks and fuel needed for critical communications infrastructure repairs.
SERT is identifying relief supplies for deployment. More than 2 million pounds of relief supplies are positioned in the Tampa Bay area for two large cargo aircraft transporting them to airports outside of San Juan. In addition, four hangars across the Tampa and Orlando areas are full of relief supplies are on standby for air transport.
Available relief supplies include 220 Florida Point of Distribution (POD) support packages which are used for the distribution of water, food, and supplies to the public, 50 6,000-gallon potable water tankers, 300 fork lifts, 10 kitchen support units, 10 shower/laundry facilities, 1,000 light towers, and 1,200 portable generators standing by for transport to Puerto Rico as needed. In addition, Lowe’s is currently transporting 30 trailers worth of portable generators to Homestead for transport to Puerto Rico.
SERT is working with utility partners at the State Emergency Operations Center to identify resources that may be offered to Puerto Rico. This includes personnel, repair equipment and expertise. Additionally, FPL has offered assessment teams that can quickly deploy and assist in determining critical infrastructure needs.
SERT is working with fuel industry partners to secure ships transporting fuel, fuel trucks and bilingual drivers to transport fuel to areas with the most critical need. Two fuel barges are on standby for deployment.
SERT, through the Florida Retail Federation, is coordinating with Florida’s major retailers in ensuring the availability and distribution of needed goods.
SERT coordinated with the Humane Society of the United States to support pet and animal shelters in San Juan.

HEALTH AND MEDICAL

The state coordinated with Florida International University to host evacuees from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, 90 of which were dialysis patients, at Florida International University.
The state is currently on the list of Federal Coordinating Centers (FCCs) to accept patients if needed from Puerto Rico as recovery efforts continue. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) will stand ready to coordinate patient transport as needed.
DOH is providing education on available public health services at Disaster Relief Centers in South Florida and Orlando for Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
The Agency for Health Care Administration will work with our federal partners to gather information on any waivers the Medicaid program would need to serve individuals from Puerto Rico. As always, the Medicaid program covers medically necessary services for children and families eligible for Medicaid.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is prepared to deploy a four-person team to assess infrastructure status and needs and coordinate further related deployments.
FDOT is working to fulfill a request from Puerto Rico to assist in evaluating the current status of traffic signals and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field devices.
FDOT has been in communication with Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Transportation and Public Works regarding transportation needs.
The Governor has called on Florida port directors to prioritize and expedite the shipment of goods from across the country quickly to Puerto Rico and many ports have committed to stand ready to help move supplies through their facilities as quickly as possible.

VOLUNTEER FLORIDA

Volunteer Florida is providing information and resources to Floridians who want to make donations or volunteer at www.volunteerflorida.org.
Volunteer Florida is assisting with the opening of Disaster Relief Centers in South Florida and Orlando for Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria and providing bi-lingual assistance for displaced families.
Volunteer Florida is coordinating with local volunteer United Way agencies and non-profit partners to provide referral information for transportation, lodging, food and water during transition.

EDUCATION

Florida school districts have processes in place to enroll K-12 students displaced by natural disasters, and all districts are prepared to enroll Puerto Rican evacuees. Families displaced by Hurricane Maria have begun arriving in Florida, and a number have already enrolled their students.
Commissioner Stewart will issue a summary of guidance to all districts and continue to work with school districts on additional issues as they arise.
The below Florida state colleges and universities are waiving out-of-state tuition and fees for students from Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria following a request by Governor Scott:
- Broward College
- Chipola College
- College of Central Florida
- Daytona State
- Eastern Florida State College
- Florida A&M University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida Gateway
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Florida International University
- Florida Keys Community College
- Florida Southwestern State College
- Florida State College at Jacksonville
- Florida State University
- Gulf Coast State College
- Hillsborough Community College
- Indian River State College
- Lake Sumter
- Miami Dade College
- New College of Florida
- North Florida Community College
- Northwest Florida State College
- Palm Beach State
- Pasco-Hernando State College
- Pensacola State College
- Polk State College
- Santa Fe College
- Seminole State
- South Florida State College
- Johns River State College
- Petersburg College
- State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota
- Tallahassee Community College
- University of Central Florida
- University of Florida
- University of North Florida
- University of South Florida
- University of West Florida
- Valencia College

Last week, at the request of Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Governor Scott visited San Juan, Puerto Rico to help coordinate response and recovery efforts. On Friday, Governor Scott met with President Trump and Vice President Pence to discuss his trip to Puerto Rico and actions the State of Florida is taking to help with response and recovery. Governor Scott also hosted a call with Puerto Rican government officials and Florida state agency leaders last week to ensure the State of Florida is doing everything possible to help Puerto Rico recover.

Gov. Scott proposes major legislation prohibiting business with the Maduro regime

Posted on October 2, 2017

Governor Rick Scott today met with world leaders for the 2017 Latin American Summit and announced a major legislative proposal for the upcoming legislative session which will strictly prohibit the State of Florida, including all state agencies, from investing in any company that is doing business with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s oppressive government. Earlier this year, the SBA unanimously approved Governor Scott’s proposed resolution to prohibit the State of Florida from investments connected to the Maduro regime.
Governor Scott said, “In Florida, we have been absolutely clear – the brutal government of Nicolas Maduro must end and the people of Venezuela must be given total freedom and democracy now. Earlier this year, my resolution was passed by the State Board of Administration to make sure that Florida state investments do not support the Maduro regime. Now, we are building on this action. Today, I’m proud to announce that during the upcoming legislative session, I will propose additional measures to continue to advocate for human rights and democracy for the people of Venezuela. My new proposal holds the Maduro regime accountable by making the steps we took this year permanent in Florida law. It also extends this action to all state agencies, prohibiting Florida’s state government from investing in any company doing business with the regime. I also call on all local governments and businesses to do what I’m advocating for at the state level and not do business with those that support the Maduro Regime. Companies can choose to either support the Maduro Regime, or to seek investments from the State of Florida – not both.
“Let me be clear- this proposal is aimed squarely at the Maduro regime – not businesses who provide much needed goods and services to the Venezuelan people. Florida continues to stand with the people of Venezuela and steadfast against any government that oppresses its people and denies freedom and human rights.”
Details on Governor Scott’s proposed legislation will be available in the coming weeks.

ICYMI: WFTV: Gov. Scott to Deploy All Available Resources and Personnel to Puerto Rico

Posted on October 2, 2017

“Gov. Scott to Deploy All Available Resources and Personnel to Puerto Rico”
WFTV-ORD (ABC) – Orlando, FL
October 1, 2017
To view the clip, click HERE.

Gov. Scott Declares State of Emergency for Hurricane Maria to Support Puerto Rico

Posted on October 2, 2017

Governor Rick Scott today signed Executive Order 17-259 declaring a State of Emergency in all 67 Florida counties in response to Hurricane Maria’s catastrophic impact on Puerto Rico. This declaration will provide important resources and assistance needed to best accommodate the needs of families impacted by Hurricane Maria when they come to Florida. Families displaced by Hurricane Maria are already present and arriving in Florida and the state must do everything possible to effectively support the Puerto Rico response effort. Florida will continue to coordinate with FEMA to provide Maria survivors who have traveled to the state with important services such as housing assistance, crisis counseling, unemployment assistance and legal advice.
Governor Scott said, “Today, to ensure Florida has every available resource ready to assist families displaced by Hurricane Maria, I signed Executive Order 17-259, declaring a State of Emergency in all 67 Florida counties. Puerto Rico was totally devastated by Hurricane Maria and so many families lost everything. With families displaced by Hurricane Maria already present and still arriving in Florida, it is critical that our state is prepared to provide the resources they need upon entering our state.
“Our state is an incredible melting pot, and the success and growth we’ve seen over the years is credited to the wonderful people that live in Florida. As Puerto Rico rebuilds, Florida remains committed to doing everything we can to help the families impacted by Hurricane Maria and aid in the recovery process.”
To view Executive Order 17-259, click HERE.

Gov. Scott proposing 10% pay raise for juvenile detention probation officers

Posted on September 29, 2017

Governor Rick Scott today announced that he will propose a 10 percent pay raise for juvenile detention and juvenile probation officers in his 2018-2019 recommended budget. The Governor will recommend $8 million in pay raises to support officer recruitment and retention and to reward these officers for their life changing work in the juvenile justice system. The State of Florida has more than 2,000 juvenile detention and juvenile probation officers who work around the clock to protect Florida’s at-risk youth and keep families and communities safe.
Governor Scott said, “Over the past six and a half years, we have taken aggressive steps to reform Florida’s juvenile justice system. Today, I’m proud to announce that as part of my upcoming recommended budget, I will be proposing an $8 million investment for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to use as a 10 percent pay raise for the recruitment and retention of detention and probation officers.
“Florida’s juvenile detention and probation officers have the important responsibility of working with youth in DJJ care, but they also have the unique opportunity to help change lives and redirect our youth to a successful path. I look forward to working with the Legislature during the upcoming session to pass this 10 percent pay raise, which will ensure DJJ can hire highly qualified and dedicated detention and probation officers to help our youth and keep our communities safe for years to come.”
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Christina K. Daly said, “I am extremely proud of the thousands of staff who come to work every day to change the lives of the youth and families we serve and the dedication they put forth in ensuring our communities are safer places to live, work and play. Governor Scott’s commitment to making Florida a leader in juvenile justice began on the first day of his administration and continues today, and I cannot thank him enough for his recognition of the importance of dedicating resources for the recruitment and retention of committed, high-quality employees.”
Today’s proposal builds on the Governor’s proposed $30 million investment in pay raises for our state law enforcement agencies to use for officer recruitment and retention, and the pay raises for state law enforcement and correctional officers included in the current year’s budget. The Governor’s entire 2018-2019 recommended budget will be released prior to the beginning of the upcoming legislative session.

Governor Scott Visits Puerto Rico to Help Coordinate Hurricane Maria Response and Recovery Efforts

Posted on September 28, 2017

At the request of Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Governor Rick Scott today visited San Juan, Puerto Rico to help coordinate response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria.
Governor Scott and the State of Florida have been in constant contact with Governor Ricardo Rosselló and the Puerto Rican government to offer support as they respond and recover from Hurricane Maria. This week, Governor Scott directed the Florida National Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to stand ready to assist Puerto Rico as soon as the government identifies their specific needs.