There’s a lot Governor Rick Scott can do under his emergency powers, but state lawmakers are readying for a special session if the state needs more authority for Hurricane Irma response.
The House and Senate cancelled their first week of committee hearings ahead of Hurricane Irma. But House Speaker Richard Corcoran is warning members to keep their calendars clear.
“To the extent that there’s things that the governor can’t do through executive order in an emergency situation,” Corcoran says, “and that we have to convene, I want the members to be prepared to go up there.”
“And we will convene in ASAP time to go and do those things that are necessary to bring about a recovery—which Florida is always, always good at doing.”
Corcoran says temporarily allowing out-of-state workers could speed recovery efforts.
“We can immediately pass laws that allow or give incentives to adjusters,” he offers.
“One of the biggest problems is after a storm which we realize, is when you don’t have enough adjusters to go out to people’s house, and say this is the damage and this is what it costs, it sets people back days weeks and months.”
Corcoran suggests lawmakers could approve similar provisions to bring construction workers like roofers into Florida from out of state. Senate President Joe Negron’s office says he’s ready to call lawmakers to the capitol as well if it’s warranted.
