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How to Pay For Hurricane Irma’s Damages: Lawmakers (and Taxpayers) Face Billions in Costs

December 26, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

A Hurricane Irma parking job on U.S. 1 in a Big Pine Key marina. (Dan Chapman, USFWS)
A Hurricane Irma parking job on U.S. 1 in a Big Pine Key marina. (Dan Chapman, USFWS)

As the state House plows through a long and potentially expensive menu of options to recover from Hurricane Irma and brace for Florida’s next hurricane, Senate President Joe Negron is confident the storm that walloped the state in September won’t blow a hole in the upcoming budget.


But potential public and private costs from Irma are staggering:

— Agriculture officials have estimated Irma caused a $2.5 billion hit on crops and facilities.

— The insurance industry is facing $6.55 billion in property damage claims.

— Utility customers could be asked to pay more than $1 billion to cover the costs of getting power restored.

— The Florida Division of Emergency Management said that as of Dec. 14, federal agencies had provided more than $2.49 billion to help cover Irma-related losses.

State officials have yet to put an overall price tag on Florida’s costs from Irma, which left destruction from the Keys to Jacksonville. Added to that are potential costs from Hurricane Maria, which is impacting Florida as evacuees from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have moved to the state.

Negron said during an interview this month that as lawmakers await a February update on tax revenues, the short-term effect of Irma on the state has been “modestly negative.”

While Irma cut revenue in September, Negron said forecasters anticipate an uptick in post-storm revenue to offset the losses.

He retained optimism about drawing up a 2018-2019 budget, which economists had expected to be tight even before Irma hit.

“I don’t think that it dramatically alters how we build our budget,” Negron said. “I still think there will be room for environmental priorities, educational priorities, and so I don’t think the hurricane spending will necessarily mean that there are other things that simply can’t be done. They’re not going to displace priorities that the House and Senate have. We’re going to have to address it, but we’ll still be able to do other things as well.”

But as the annual 60-day legislative session prepares to start Jan. 9, ideas for addressing hurricane issues — some of them potentially expensive — have continued to emerge.

Members of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness have continued to revise and offer recommendations that they will discuss Jan. 8 on the eve of the session. Any recommendations would need approval from the full House and Senate, but the ideas touch a wide range of issues.

For example, some lawmakers are looking for ways to speed evacuations when big storms threaten the state. Among proposals tossed out are using passenger trains, using a cruise ship to get people out of the Lower Keys or extending the Suncoast Parkway toll road north of the Tampa Bay area.

Other potentially high-profile recommendations include such things as strategically locating petroleum distribution centers and requiring utility lines to be placed underground.

Rep. Dane Eagle, a Cape Coral Republican who offered the proposal to use passenger trains to get people out of evacuation zones, also suggested the state look into the Florida Department of Transportation purchasing emergency generators for vital highway-railroad crossings.

“It is in the public interest to ensure that railroads in Strategic Intermodal System corridors are able to quickly resume operations following a hurricane event in order to deliver critical fuel supplies, bulk liquids such as chlorine for water treatment plants, building materials and other relief supplies to affected areas of the state,” Eagle’s recommendation said.

Rep. Elizabeth Porter, R-Lake City, earlier suggested the state consider using rail transport before, during and after hurricanes to speed fuel to impacted areas.

Irma, which made landfall Sept. 10 in Monroe and Collier counties and barreled up the state, was Florida’s first major hurricane since the devastating 2004 and 2005 seasons. Along with evacuation issues, Irma also caused widespread damage in the agriculture industry, left millions of Floridians temporarily without electricity and led to problems in cleaning up debris.

Lawmakers are discussing a variety of those types of issues as they prepare for the session.

For instance, Rep. Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican who is a citrus grower, outlined several proposed tax exemptions for the citrus industry. That included exemptions for material used to repair or replace damaged fences and structures and for fuel used to transport crops during an emergency.

Meanwhile, deaths at a Broward County nursing home that lost its air-conditioning system after Irma have resulted in a number of proposals, including Gov. Rick Scott’s administration pushing forward with requirements for nursing homes and assisted- living facilities to add generators that can keep buildings cool.

Rep. Robert Asencio, D-Miami, suggested an “at risk registry” to identify vulnerable people at care facilities, as well as creation of an industry panel to review and approve emergency plans for nursing homes and other facilities.

House Select Committee Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, suggested the state explore onsite options to maintain care for dialysis patients in nursing homes during disasters.

Nunez also has offered one of the few proposals that came with a price tag already attached, $1.46 million to serve as a match for federal funds to install generators at Florida’s 42 shelters for victims of domestic violence.

Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Rommel, R-Naples, would like the state to require each county to determine how much fuel it needs to operate generators for critical infrastructure and first responders during the first 72 hours following a storm. The proposal also would let counties build or maintain fuel depots or create agreements with current fuel depots.

Some of the proposals deal with the difficulties of cleaning up communities and rebuilding after major storms.

Rep. Holly Raschein, R-Key Largo, suggested a pilot housing program that would use $2.85 million from the state as a match for federal Community Development Block Grant money that could be used to build temporary and permanent affordable housing in storm-battered Monroe County.

Trying to help post-storm cleanup efforts, Rep. Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte, has recommended prohibiting tree trimming and discontinuing non-containerized yard waste collection services 72 hours before hurricanes. He also suggested traditional garbage collection be suspended 48 hours prior to storms.

“Time is needed in order to get our employees off the street, so they can prepare for the storm and make sure materials in trucks have time to dispose of items and landfills have time to process,” the recommendation from Grant said.

–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DOWNTOWN says

    December 26, 2017 at 10:28 am

    If the infrastructure problems we have in Florida are not addressed and remedied soon, we soon will be dealing with the problems Puerto Rico is now facing.

    Reply
  2. Please no more. says

    December 26, 2017 at 11:03 am

    I personally cannot handle any more hurricane debt. I used all of my savings and more to pay out of pocket to evacuate. Gas, lodging, unexpected preparation expenses, repairing a damaged sump pump and cleanup from flooding wiped me out. And I didn’t get any of the help that I applied(2 times) for from FEMA. My power was even cutoff because I have struggled paying my bill. Plus an added security deposit. We are struggling. Please no more. And don’t day, I moved to FL and should have known. My health depended on living in a warmer climate. Sorry, had to vent. Very frustrated.

    Reply
  3. Sherry says

    December 26, 2017 at 11:36 am

    Please no more. . . my heart goes out to you, and to all those in similar situations. Downtown you have an excellent point.

    OK. . . now that our congress has given “Billionaires” a huge tax cut, where will the much needed dollars for current and future disaster recovery come from???

    Reply
  4. YankeeExPat says

    December 26, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    RE: Sherry, all my fellow Floridians including the ever loyal Trunpster’s and Trumpet’s

    There’s no need to worry!
    (1) First, Hurricanes are “Fake News”, …Just ask the 1/3rd of American citizens in Puerto Rico still with NO power today. (Please see reference below)

    https://www.vox.com/2017/10/3/16411488/trump-remarks-puerto-rico

    (2) Most Importantly. If displaced by a Storm, Floridians can all stay at Mar-a-Lago. If they run out of rooms, I’m sure they will be more than Happy to allow us to put tents out on the lawn. (Room service might be Iffy though)
    (Affected Florida Hurricane victims, Please have your Membership application completed upon arrival)

    http://www.maralagoclub.com/Default.aspx?p=dynamicmodule&pageid=100014

    Reply
  5. Sherry says

    December 26, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    Right On YankeeExPat! . . . also, Climate Change is a hoax. . . just ask the idiot in our White House.

    So, we should not worry or do anything to save our planet because those melting icebergs will keep us cool. . . trust the “honest” Republican geniuses.

    Reply
  6. gmath55 says

    December 27, 2017 at 12:19 am

    Been the President for over a year now and some people still comment about him. It must stink! To hijack your party, steal a nomination, turn DNC into money laundromat, bury any evidence against you, finance fake dossier, swipe the debate questions, and promise free everything, yet still lose to someone you call incompetent.

    Reply
  7. Richard says

    December 27, 2017 at 6:13 am

    FEMA is a joke and just another government department that needs to be cleaned out and drained of the corruption and collusion like the FBI and DOJ. I would bet that 80-90% of the government agencies fall into that same category. They take care of their own within the departments to protect their self-centered life style. It time for the people to rise up and take back our country. Also, STOP wasting money on countries that disrespect the USA, burn our flags or want to kill us. That money would go along way in helping to buildup the infrastructure of America and hand out to needy people of THIS country who have lost everything in wildfires, hurricanes, tornado’s and earthquakes.

    Reply
    • A Maxwell says

      July 17, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Another bad joke, for ME, was Rebuild Florid, the almost 2 year wait now, for help. I went over all my case workers, to Ken Lawson, in Tallahassee, head of Florida Jobs & Rebuild Florida, one of the guys who worked for him, gave me these “options” Construction help was not in them, which is- what I still need. 1. Move everything out of my singlewide, built on, porch , bedroom/bathroom (with jacuzzi & walk in closet and- Garage (thats 3 thick), and let them tear it all down & move me in a smaller New- single wide- @. Bring my whole Trailer up to code- which I didnt want & they wouldnt do. Im in Bev Beach, its own-Unincorporated area- no permits, no inspections required. ~ My roof leakage has gotten So much worse, in the 2 yrs waiting, ceiling-collapsed Jan 1, 2020 ~Im using my entire savings,$5, 000.oo to hire a small mobile home repair Co, Palatka- who still hasnt shown up, to ReRoof. Im STILL- left with 5 other very MAJOR Repairs, I cant do, myself. Also, now- Cant Afford, so it just devalues & rots around me. Literally. FEMA turned me down, 3 times, I got hit by Irma then Damian. The REALITY, of FEMA, is: If you can live in your home- you get NO help. Thats it, thats all. (my experience w/them)

      Reply
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