A citizens group is drafting recommendations on how to improve the response to storms like Hurricane Hermine. The restoration efforts in Tallahassee raised concerns among residents and Governor Rick Scott.
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsible Spending is leading the effort, which includes former Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, and retired utilities officials and former city managers. The group says the goal isn’t to criticize the efforts of local government.
“This is not in any way politically motivated. Our sole motivation is to help the way our community responds to natural disasters and other crisis situations,” he said.
And Kottkamp says the recommendations won’t focus on Hermine at all, but on future possible storms.
“We’re not naïve enough to think that we’re going to fix all the problems, or even have the time or resources to get into every nuance. But there are some general areas that I think if we make some good solid recommendations in those areas I think will help it run smoother,” he said.
The task force will examine the process of rolling out restoration efforts and public communication. The group says they’ve invited city and county officials to participate in the review, and plan on issuing a final report in October.
