In the Florida battlefield, Puerto Ricans fleeing the destruction of Maria reshape the electoral landscape

ORLANDO – Carmen & # 39; Millie & # 39; Santiago arrived in Florida with her husband and two children after Hurricane Maria destroyed her home and daycare. "Often, when people move to a new place, they have the opportunity to sell a couch or mattress and have some money," Santiago explained. "The people who came here after Maria did not have the opportunity to do that.We all started from nothing."

Santiago represents just one of the estimated 200,000 Puerto Ricans [19659005] who fled their island to Florida after the Category 4 storm that struck the US last September.

But as they begin the laborious task of rebuilding their lives in the state of Sunshine, the influx of new residents has also attracted the attention of officials and candidates alike. Florida. Taken together, these potential new voters represent a powerful political force and their resettlement could have major implications for this year's elections and beyond.

More than 56,000 Puerto Ricans, including Santiago and his family, settled in the Orlando area. by the Puerto Rican Studies Center at Hunter College New York. Orlando is a critical part of what is known as the I-4 corridor – which extends between St. Petersburg and Daytona Beach and has become one of the most contested political battlegrounds in the United States

. Puerto Rican voter.

– Hector Cordero-Guzman, professor at Baruch College

According to data from the Census Bureau, Puerto Ricans voted 60% in the last national elections. But these voters could well be at stake for both parties, in the last deadlines and perhaps in 2020 – while Puerto Ricans are very attentive to the plans and promises of the candidates for the reconstruction of the island and for those who fled.

a political science professor at Rollins College, said it would be wrong to see their vote on a monolithic block for a party.

"I think it's a simplification to rank a Puerto Rican vote or a Hispanic vote," Davison said. "These are groups of voters who display great complexity and subtlety."

In a single sign of the population's expansion over a short period, nearly 14,000 people – three times more than last year – have presented themselves Most importantly, the leaders of the community told Fox News that many of them were registered for the first time.

"People are engaged and involved and you have seen many people register voters," said Christian Lloyd Suarez, the organizer of the Puerto Rican parade.

The voters of Puerto Rico have always considered that the controversial attitude of the US government with regard to aid to post-Maria reconstruction has become just as important, say the members of the community and leaders.

The administration offered inadequate assistance to the island as a result of the disastrous storm. The island received more than $ 15 billion in federal aid at the beginning of the year, although Puerto Rican leaders have asked for much more.

"People are always watching and they see who is helping our community, which is voting for legislation that will help our community," said Zoé Colón, community chief, at Fox News, noting that Puerto Ricans do not remain passive. "… we are a force to be reckoned with."

The 2018 mid-term elections in Florida could be one of the most important in years. And candidates at all levels of the public service have been courting Puerto Ricans, who have a long history in the state.

The governor's office is open this year, while several congressional seats will be competitive and Floridians will vote on 13 proposed constitutional amendments. Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who supports the Puerto Rican state, is also challenging three-term Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.

In the run for the governorship, Fox News is hosting a Florida GOP main debate Thursday in Orlando, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm ET.

Meanwhile, the question of displaced Puerto Ricans erupted in a recent campaign controversy in a Florida congressional race – when Republican John Ward, a businessman running into 6 ^{District from Florida, has been criticized for saying relocated to Florida after Hurricane Maria should not be allowed to vote.}

"I do not think that they should be allowed to register to vote," he told a reporter, saying that he "did not necessarily have a problem "with Puerto Ricans coming to the continental United States but think the focus should be on their return. He said that the United States should provide "the capital and resources to rebuild Puerto Rico, where I sincerely believe that they belong."

One of his main opponents, former state representative Fred Costello, posted a video on YouTube. Bob Cortes, a Costello supporter who is Puerto Rican, said about Ward: "To elect a candidate like this one is dangerous and would be a disservice, not just to Puerto Rican Americans that he would be depriving his rights but for all those who love American freedom.

In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on May 22, however, Ward clarified his remarks and said that he was referring to the temporary, displaced Puerto Ricans.

"Puerto Ricans are citizens Americans, and they are Despite Ward's comments, many Puerto Ricans can now consider Florida as their long-term home.

Hurricane Maria caused more than 100 billion dollars in damages. The number of hurricane-related deaths remains controversial; According to a report from the Associated Press, Hurricane Maria also caused the longest power outage in the history of the United States, leaving the entire island of 3 , 3 million people without electricity, including those in hospitals and hospitals.

Millie Santiago reminded Fox News that she had told her husband, as a result of Maria, that they could "start Florida from scratch, because we had lost everything in Porto Rico. "

"

Puerto Rican rulers allege a contrast between the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria, whose strongest winds blow to 155 miles at the hour , and Hurricane Irma, who hit Florida 10 They note, for example, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has activated its program of transitional assistance to the US. Shelters (TSA) on the Irma hit, but the agency took more than a month to activate on the mainland for evacuees of Hurricane Maria.

Rev. José Rodríguez de Iglesia Episcopal Jesus of Nazareth, who helped many Puerto Rican families displaced by Maria, complained that families affected by Maria had to fight with the federal government for hotel extensions while those affected by Irma did not do so

. Why is Irma extended without a fight, but Puerto Rican families have to fight? He asked.

The Trump administration, however, categorically defended its response.

"We made an unprecedented move in terms of the federal funding to provide the people of Puerto Rico and others who were affected [by] with these storms," ​​said spokeswoman White House, Sarah Sanders, last September. "We will continue to do everything we can under the federal government to provide help."

Brendan Ramirez, CEO of Pan American Behavioral Health Services of Florida, said political candidates can not ignore the concerns of Puerto Ricans. .

"You must not look any further than the 2016 presidential election, where voters felt marginalized and did something that no one thought they could do, and the reason they did it. have done was precisely because they felt they were marginalized, "he said." This is what you will see here in central Florida with new and established Puerto Ricans. "

Puerto Ricans have long been rooted in Florida, first at the southern tip of the state and then in the central region.Their number in central Florida has increased dramatically in recent years in response to the economic crisis of the island, which has pushed many professionals and Puerto Ricans richer to leave.

Jimmy Torres Vélez, coordinator of Boricua Vota, said that Florida their new home are aware of the impact that their party participation in elections on the continent may have on Puerto Rico. "Here we have an opportunity and can vote," said Velez, "and we must make sure that people understand that by voting here they can help Puerto Rico."

Fernando Rivera, Professor of Sociology at the University of Central Florida, said the relationship between Puerto Ricans from the island and the mainland has "strengthened" since the storm. "The US Congress has a lot to say and to do, as to the future of the island," he said.

Millie Santiago said that there should be no question about the determination of Puerto Ricans. "I can tell you firmly that we are workers, we are on the streets to fight and we are there for everyone, not just for our own skin, we stay together," said Santiago. "I want people to understand that, we are here to fight, not just for our fellow Puerto Ricans, but for all Latinos who find themselves homeless here."

The most recent data shows that In 2015, about 769,000 Puerto Ricans in Florida were eligible to vote. Groups like Boricua Vota, Mi Vota Familia and UnidosUS are putting significant pressure to register Hispanic voters in the state. Their leaders say that they expect to record a combined total of 35,000 new Puerto Rican voters.

Christian Lloyd Suarez said lawmakers of both parties have the opportunity to present their case to Puerto Rican voters. "Many Puerto Ricans do not identify as a Democrat or Republican … so I think there is a real opportunity for Puerto Ricans to be persuaded," Suarez said.

Like Hector Cordero-Guzman, professor at Baruch College "There is an active campaign and a fight for the soul of the Puerto Rican voter."

Emily DeCiccio is a video producer and writer for Fox Digital Originals. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyDeCiccio

The Associated Press contributed to this report.