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Capital Report: October 11, 2024

Three hurricane landfalls this season have put Floridians in a perpetual state of preparedness and recovery. The latest storm, Hurricane Milton, wasn’t quite as bad as some feared, but as Adrian Andrews reports, this year’s hurricane season has already taken a toll.

As Florida and America’s Southeast work to recover following two devastating hurricanes that crashed onto the coast within the span of about two weeks, conspiracy theories and misinformation about the origin of the storms have gone viral on social media. Tristan Wood reports, elected officials and experts fear that spread is hurting emergency response efforts.

Amid two damaging hurricanes and ongoing recovery looms a major deadline—November 5th. Election Day. That’s when millions of Floridians will cast their votes. But many are facing uncertainty due to storm damage. As Margie Menzel reports, a clash has been brewing over how best to accommodate displaced voters and those in difficulty due to the storms.

The Sunshine State is getting walloped by storms this hurricane season. On the Deeper Dive with Dara Kam podcast, Florida Municipal Electric Association Executive Director Amy Zubaly talked about how city-owned electric companies prep for and respond to catastrophic storms. Hear the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced it plans to launch a national climate service. The service will provide forecast conditions linked to climate change that can make floods, heat waves, and hurricanes even more dangerous. WLRN’s Jenny Staletovich reports.

The dream of opening the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery has been years in the making. The building will offer housing to those with severe mental health conditions for up to a year — as they receive treatment. It will be open for outpatient as well as inpatient care. Miami-Dade Administrative Judge Steve Leifman has been leading the effort to build the facility — which is expected to open within a few months. WLRN’s Danny Rivero spoke with the judge about his work to get these patients treatment -- instead of jail time.