New Jersey is deploying troops and a specialized task force to Florida to help with Hurricane Irma. The state’s Army National Guard 253rd transportation company departs from Cape May County on Friday for central Florida. The unit is equipped with high-wheeled vehicles. A Naval reserve unit was deployed on Thursday evening, which is equipped with boats and towing vehicles.
After returning from an overnight flight on the Hurricane Hunter WP-3 aircraft to inspect Hurricane Irma, Dennis Ross can attest the coming storm could do “serious damage” to Florida and the Southeast.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s political committee has hired Taylor Budowich, privately described as a “first rate organizer” who has “contacts throughout the conservative movement.” Budowich joins Watchdog PAC from Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest Tea Party political action committee, where he served as the organization’s executive director and national spokesperson.
Gov. Rick Scott on Friday activated the Florida Disaster Fund, which provides financial support to Florida’s communities in times of disaster. “We expect that Hurricane Irma will have a major impact on our state and we must use every available resource to meet the needs of our families and communities,” he said in a statement.
As Hurricane Irma approaches Florida, the Division of Emergency Management provided updated information on evacuations that officially began as of Friday morning. Pinellas County was under a mandatory evacuation for zone A and those living in mobile homes. Manatee is under a voluntary evacuation for zone A.
Tampa state Representative Sean Shaw knows a thing or two about insurance in Florida, having served as the state’s Insurance Consumer Advocate for nearly two years between 2008 and 2010. With Hurricane Irma barreling toward the Sunshine State in less than 48 hours, FloridaPolitics.com talked to him about what homeowners need to do in advance of the storm, and what they need to do after Irma leaves, with potentially a lot of damage left in its wake.
Republican candidate for governor and state Sen. Jack Latvala says state officials may have “overdone it” in preparing for Hurricane Irma.
