Hurricane season is upon Florida once again, and Governor Rick Scott has returned to the Florida Keys, which got hit nine months ago by Hurricane Irma. In his visit, the Governor wanted to let the citizens and local officials know that $616 million is making its way from the federal housing agency, which is also part of $1.4 billion for affordable housing and other recovery efforts to get the Florida Keys back on its feet.
Governor Scott explained that "We're still waiting for approval from HUD to get more money down to the Keys on housing issues."
He also mentioned that Florida's state budget next year will include $3.6 million coastal restoration work, and that the sunshine state has budgeted $202 million for beaches, coastlines and coral reefs over the span of four years.
However, Governor Scott is also running a Senate bid to unseat Democrat Bill Nelson, and Democrats took the time to criticize the GOvernor's visit for not tackling climate change and the sea level rising.
Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, in a conference call with reporters, criticized Governor Scott by saying that "There are a lot of missed opportunities. Unfortunately, when we look at hurricane season, it appears that the governor appears to be motivated by press opportunities to wear that Navy hat and be in the spotlight … He has stifled any real action that we could have taken here in Florida."
