Over the past few years, Florida experienced multiple major hurricanes for the first time in over a decade. This includes Hurricane Irma, the largest hurricane to make landfall in Florida in recent history. Governor Scott has worked to support disaster preparedness and response at the state and local levels, including making important investments to ensure Florida remains fully prepared for any potential disaster. Governor Scott will continue to do all he can at the federal level to make certain Florida’s families and businesses are protected and have the resources they need to be prepared and safe before any disaster.

Governor Scott led the charge to help Florida’s neighbors from Puerto Rico and has been taking action to support Puerto Rico since before Hurricane Maria even made landfall. This includes:

• Entering a host state agreement with FEMA to better welcome displaced families;
• Directing the opening of Multi-Agency Resource Centers at Florida airports to help connect Puerto Ricans arriving in Florida with available local, state and federal resources;
• Visiting the island seven times to offer continued guidance and assistance throughout the ongoing recovery process, including leading a delegation of Florida utility providers to Puerto Rico;
• Waiving regulations to help nearly 12,000 Puerto Rican students enroll in Florida public schools;
• Securing a $1 million investment in Florida’s workforce system to help Puerto Rican families find jobs through a job placement partnership between education, business and workforce development organizations; and
• Continually speaking with officials from Puerto Rico and the federal government to ensure families get the assistance they need. This includes working directly with FEMA to support displaced Puerto Ricans by keeping the FEMA case managers the Governor requested on the ground across the state.

Governor Scott will continue to fight for the people of Puerto Rico to ensure they are being treated fairly and have the federal and state resources and support they need to recover from this devastating storm.