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In October, an infernal surprise hovers over the Gulf Coast of Florida, threatening to overthrow some of the country's most important medium-term political races with hurricane winds.
Less than a month after polling day, tropical storm Michael is expected to hit hurricane north Florida on Wednesday. Although the landing point was not reached Monday morning, as the storm headed north into the Yucatan Canal, Michael struck the Florida Panhandle on the National Hurricane Center's newest trail. state elections.
Any arrival in Florida would have political implications, since hurricanes can make or break a politician's reputation and the vote is already under way. But a direct passage over Tallahassee would likely have dramatic consequences for the race for the governor and the US Senate, which includes respectively the Democratic mayor of the city and the Republican governor of the state. Already, the storm that has accumulated has forced Mayor Andrew Gillum and Governor Rick Scott to focus on the positions they currently hold rather than the ones they hope to win in November.
"This storm will be life threatening," Scott said at a Sunday night briefing in Tallahassee. "And extremely dangerous."
At the very least, it will change campaign.
As the storm approached, Scott announced the state of emergency Sunday in 26 counties and began calling mayors and sheriffs. Gillum played his Sunday schedule, participating in a fundraiser with billionaire Michael Bloomberg in South Florida, before returning home. Gillum said on Twitter that he had canceled early week events in South Florida but had not spoken to the press as a result of an event late in the week. Afternoon at Pembroke Pines with Bloomberg and MP Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
At the same time, his campaign announced the sending of an order to suspend television commercials from Pensacola to Gainesville, and his supporters lobbied GOP candidate, Ron DeSantis, for the reason that he was in the midst of his campaign. he does the same. In particular, the Florida Republican Party has been asked to remove the ads reproaching Gillum for refusing the help of Flower Power & Light's utility teams after Hurricane Hermine in 2016 – the source of a dispute between Gillum-Scott during prolonged power outages that affected 100,000 customers.
"The structure of our state is strengthened by the way the Floridians unite in these moments," Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist, who served as Republican governor of Florida for four years, said Sunday. "Rather than tearing us down with his negative campaign, Ron DeSantis should unite with the rest of Florida, remove his fake ads from attacks and help those facing this storm."
The facts behind the Hermine dispute are complicated. The Tallahassee Public Services Manager called for not accepting FPL's offer immediately, partly because he felt the city had the resources to deal with his problems. Gillum participated in coordination meetings of the response to the storm, but as a weak mayor of the city has no official administrative task.
Nevertheless, Gillum is the face of the city. The situation is a good example of the volatility of a hurricane for a politician and illustrates the baggage that already exists at Michael's approach.
While Hermine's blood was still simmering, Gillum and Scott phoned Sunday afternoon around 14:30. to discuss Michael's preparations, with Gillum's staff saying that he contacted the governor. Neither criticized the other after the call, although Scott was vocal about disputes after Hermine at a press conference Sunday night.
"We all saw the damage caused by Hurricane Hermine to the neighborhoods that were in its wake just two years ago, and tropical storm Michael is expected to have similar effects," Scott said. He urged local governments to review their resources, supplies and mutual assistance agreements, "so that the restoration of power is not delayed for all Floridians".
"Two years ago, I asked for the implementation of these agreements, because the mutual aid agreements are essential," he added, referring to the fallout from Hermine. "They are building resources in advance."
Asked about his appeal with Gillum, Scott said his job "was to work with everyone in the state" and that he had contacted several sheriffs and mayors. "My expectation is that everyone takes the time to get ready."
Scott's own nightmare – an episode in which 12 seniors died in a nursing home in Hollywood who attempted to call the governor on his cell phone after a power outage for several days – n & # 39 did not surface in his campaign against US Senator Bill Nelson. Instead, the governor's supporters are noticing how much he has behaved in public opinion after the hurricanes of the past two years, a more typical response by government leaders during and after natural disasters.
Regarding the DeSantis campaign, press officer Dave Vasquez praised Scott's leadership over past hurricanes and said the Panhandle campaign staff had been reoriented to help their communities before the storm. .
"We will continue to monitor the storm and determine how the campaign can be most useful for those preparing for the storm and will be impacted in the coming days," said Vasquez.
Elizabeth Koh, a reporter for the Herald / Times Tallahassee Bureau, reported on Tallahassee. Miami Herald political reporter David Smiley reported in South Florida.
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