Florida Governor Rick Scott and elected officials in the Keys have one message: we’re open for business. But the island chain is still recovering from Hurricane Irma.
Florida’s biggest industry is tourism, and in vacation spots like the Keys it’s vital to the local economy. Governor Scott is pushing to salvage the tourism season, and Visit Florida CEO Ken Lawson says his agency is launching a social media campaign.
“My number one job is to make sure that people across this country and the world know that Florida is open for business—in particular the Keys—and Visit Florida is focused on that effort,” Lawson. “We’ve already started using live feeds sent through digital media, Facebook, Twitter and others to show locations across the Keys—to show their beauty and their openness.”
Contractors are still working to clear debris from the Category 4 storm, and Scott admits housing remains a challenge.
“We’re moving trailers here as we can. We’re doing housing repairs. Our national guard is cleaning out homes so people can get back into them,” Scott says. “So we’re going to keep working hard. That’s one of the hardest issues, and I’d like to say you could get it solved in a day—you can’t.”
Some local officials contend the company AshBritt isn’t holding up its end of a debris removal agreement with Monroe County. Earlier this week Attorney General Pam Bondi subpoenaed the company over allegations of price gouging.
