Storm threat forces Florida candidates to switch campaigns

The imminent threat of tropical storm Michael is disrupting the already hectic campaign under way in the state of battle in Florida. It is expected that the storm will break out mid-week in northwestern Florida. The candidates rushed Sunday to reorganize their plans.

Candidate for Democratic Governor Andrew Gillum & # 39;The election campaign announced that he was canceling the events in South Florida scheduled for this week and that he was returning home to deal with the preparations for the storm. Projections show that the storm is likely to affect more and more the state of Florida, west of Tallahassee.

Gillum is already under fire from Republicans who broadcast TV ads blaming the mayor of Tallahassee for power cuts following Hurricane Hermine in 2016. Governor Rick Scott Gillum then engaged in a public quarrel over whether municipal officials were doing enough to restore electricity to the tree-lined city.

Gillum, who as mayor is actually one of the five officials who oversee the city's government, does not directly control the city's public service. But he was forced two years ago to answer questions about why Tallahassee officials had refused the help of at least one utility company at the time. His campaign has argued that ads paid by the Republican Party of Florida are false.

The US representative Charlie Crist, who is now a Democrat but was elected Republican Governor, called for Ron DeSantis, GOP candidate to cancel the ads, it should "unite with the rest of Florida, remove its fake ads and help those facing the coming storm".

The DeSantis campaign did not say if it would ask Republicans to stop running ads. DeSantis, however, issued a statement on Sunday saying he was redirecting staff and volunteers in northwestern Florida to prepare for the storm instead of the campaign.

Scott briefly touched on the 2016 confrontation between Gillum and himself during a late afternoon media meeting, stressing that it was important for local utilities to conclude Mutual assistance agreements to quickly restore power. Scott, who spoke at Gillum on Sunday, said, "My job is to work with everyone" so that communities are ready.

The threat of the storm also forces Scott, who challenges Senator Bill Nelson this year, take a break from the countryside. He spent the day huddling with state officials and discussing emergency preparations with local officials. He has also activated 500 members of the Florida National Guard.

Scott was scheduled to travel to Orlando on Monday when President Donald Trump will visit the state. The White House announced that Mr. Trump would address the International Association of Chiefs of Police on law enforcement issues and securing the border with Mexico.

Scott has made managing his past storms a theme in one of his current campaign ads.