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Economy

A woman pulls shopping carts through the aisle of a Target store in Torrington, Connecticut November 25, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

A woman pulls shopping carts through the aisle of a Target store in Torrington, Connecticut November 25, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

The Survey of Consumers, a closely-watched gauge of consumer sentiment, edged down slightly but still came in at a strong 95.3 despite two devastating hurricanes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina had a much more severe negative initial impact on the consumer sentiment index, declining by more than 12 points.

“Consumer confidence edged downward in early September due to concerns over the outlook for the national economy,” Richard Curtain, Survey of Consumers chief economist said. Consumers’ assessments of current economic conditions improved, however, with the Current Conditions Index reaching the highest level since November of 2000.”

Still, Hurricanes Harvey and Hurricane Irma had a greater impact on expected economic conditions. Across all interviews in early September, 9% spontaneously mentioned concerns that Harvey, Irma, or both, would have a negative impact on the overall economy. Among those who mentioned the two hurricanes, the Sentiment Index was 80.2, while among those who did not spontaneously mention either, the Sentiment Index remained unchanged from last month at 96.8.

“Given the widespread devastation in Texas and Florida, it is not surprising to find these very negative initial reactions, nor would it be surprising if these negative assessments last longer than following most past hurricanes,” Mr. Curtain added. “While consumers anticipated slight increases in gas prices and a slightly higher overall inflation rate, those concerns were neutralized by the best assessments of their financial situation in more than a decade.”

Mr. Curtain predicted the storms would have a lasting negative impact on consumer sentiment due to underlaying fundamental strength. Further, both 1-year and 5-year inflation expectations are up 1 tenth to 2.7% and 2.6%, respectively.

“Renewed gains in incomes as well as rising home and equity values have acted to counterbalance the negative impacts from the hurricanes,” he added. “Given the current resilience of consumers, recent events are unlikely to derail confidence.”

The Survey of Consumers, a closely-watched gauge

Economy

A factory worker at a New York manufacturing plant. (Photo: Reuters)

A factory worker at a New York manufacturing plant. (Photo: Reuters)

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey continued to show incredible strength and growth in September, coming in at 24.4 juxtaposed to the 19.0 forecast. The survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York came in at 25.2 for August, and remains overheated.

Forty percent (40%) of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while just 16% reported that conditions had worsened.

Solid gains continued for orders and shipments as both the new orders index and the shipments index rose 4 points to 24.9 and 16.2, respectively. Unfilled orders, pulling out of contraction, gained 14 points to 8.9, and delivery times continued to lengthen. The delivery time index rose 9 points to 14.6.

Labor market indicators pointed to a modest increase in employment and hours worked, while conditions overall improved. The index for number of employees gained 4 points to 10.6, while the average workweek index remained positive at 5.7, suggesting longer hours.

Both input prices and selling prices rose at a faster pace than last month. Indexes assessing the six-month outlook suggested that firms remained optimistic about future conditions.

Indexes assessing the six-month outlook continued to indicate firms remain optimistic about future conditions. The index for future business conditions came in at 39.3, and the index for future new orders ticked up 2 points to 43.7. Employment is also expected to increase slightly still. The capital expenditures index shot up 13 points to 24.4, and the technology spending index is now up to 17.1.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey, which most analysts say needs to cool to avoid overheating and dislocation, is the first regional monthly manufacturing survey. It comes before the Philadelphia Federal Reserve releases its report next week.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey continued to

US

Florida Gov. Rick Scott escorts President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence surveying from the damage from Hurricane Irma in Fort Myers, Florida on Thursday, September 14, 2017.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott escorts President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence surveying from the damage from Hurricane Irma in Fort Myers, Florida on Thursday, September 14, 2017.

Power has been restored to over 4.8 million Floridians in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma as of Friday morning, though nearly 1.9 million statewide are still impacted by outages. On Monday, when Florida was at the height of the power outages, 6.7 million accounts were impacted.

Latest Power Outage Data can be found here.

“Over the past few days, I have seen firsthand how Hurricane Irma has impacted our communities, and I know from talking with these families that power restoration is the number one thing they need to start the recovery process,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement. “Fully restoring power is my top priority and we have been aggressively working with utility providers to solve this issue as fast as possible.”

Florida Power and Light (FPL), the state’s largest utilities company, said they’ve been able to restore power 4:1 faster than in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma in 2004. A workforce of more than 21,500 employees and contractors from nearly 30 states and Canada have worked around the clock.

“We expect to have all West Coast customers essentially restored by end of day, September 22,” FPL said in a statement. “We expect to have all East Coast customers essentially restored by end of this coming weekend.”

Late Thursday, Duke Energy announced they restored power to 1 million customers in the state, a number that has grown to 1,022,608 as of Friday morning. Duke Energy, which serves 1.8 million customers in Florida, sustained heavy damage to its transmission systems, the high-voltage network of lines that deliver electricity from the power plants.

Latest Power Outage Data specifically for Duke Energy can be found here.

Tampa Electric said in a statement their crews have restored power to more than 90% of the 750,000 customers impacted by the storm. They expect to restore power to essentially all customers by Sunday night, though they concede customers with more complex damage may take longer to restore.

UPDATE: Tampa Electric has updated the percentage restored to 94.4%.

“We know that our customers want their lives to get back to normal – and electricity is a key part of that,” said Gordon Gillette, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Electric. “Thank you for your continued patience, and rest assured, we will get your power restored.”

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), the main utilities company for Florida Gators, have been very successful in their restoration efforts. On Friday, GRU said just 3,578 customers of their customers remain without power, adding that “crews were working around the clock to restore the remaining 5% of our customers still experiencing outages.”

Gov. Scott hosted President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday in Fort Myers. He held calls with utility companies and directed the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) to provide law enforcement escorts to utility vehicles to ensure that they can quickly and safely reach communities still in need.

“Right now, tens of thousands of people across our state are working day and night to get power restored,” Gov. Scott added. “We will not stop until 100 percent of Florida homes and businesses have power so all families can get back to their normal lives.”

Power has been restored to over 4.8

Economy

A shopper passes a ''Sale'' sign at Quincy Market in downtown in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 11, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

A shopper passes a ”Sale” sign at Quincy Market in downtown in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 11, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

While often volatile, the U.S. Census Bureau said advanced estimates for retail sales were $474.8 billion, down 0.2% (±0.5%) from last month. However, retail sales were still estimated 3.2% (±0.7%) higher than in August 2016.

Total sales from June 2017 through August 2017 were up 3.2% (±0.7%) from the same period a year ago. The period from June 2017 to July 2017 was revised down from 0.6% (±0.5%) to up 0.3% (±0.1%).

Retail trade sales were down 0.3% (±0.5%) from July 2017, and up 3.3% (±0.7%) from last year. Non-store Retailers were up 8.4% (±1.6%) from August 2016, while Building Materials and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers were up 7.5% (±1.9%) from last year.

Overall, there are signs of fundamental underlaying strengths in consumer spending. Restaurant sales rose 0.3%, furniture was up 0.4% and general merchandise pulled out of contraction to 0.2%.

The U.S. Census Bureau said advanced estimates

Politics

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks to the employees at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks to the employees at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson placed the blame squarely on China and Russia in response to the latest ballistic missile launch by North Korea on Friday. The model KN-17 ballistic missile flew 3,700 km (2,300 miles), reached an altitude of roughly 770 km (480 miles) and landed about 2,000 km (1,240 miles) east of Hokkaido.

“China supplies North Korea with most of its oil. Russia is the largest employer of North Korean forced labor,” Secretary Tillerson said in a statement emailed to PPD. “China and Russia must indicate their intolerance for these reckless missile launches by taking direct actions of their own.”

Last month, North Korea fired another ballistic missile from a similar area near the capital that flew over Hokkaido before splashing down into the ocean, as well. That followed the Pyongyang conducting what was their sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb. Preliminary estimates put the new launch capabilities on par with the last, easily far enough to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

“North Korea’s provocative missile launch represents the second time the people of Japan, a treaty ally of the United States, have been directly threatened in recent weeks,” Secretary Tillerson added. “These continued provocations only deepen North Korea’s diplomatic and economic isolation.”

In response, the U.N. Security Council on Monday again voted unanimously on a U.S.-led resolution imposing a new round of sanctions on Pyongyang, banning textile exports and capping fuel supplies. It followed what was an earlier resolution imposing the largest, most severe ban on exports from the rogue regime ever to come out of the United Nations.

Secretary Tillerson warned North Korea that the U.S. is prepared to take further, more harsh steps at the U.N. following the launch.

“United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take,” he said. “We call on all nations to take new measures against the Kim regime.”

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson placed the

World

The Japanese government's alert message called J-alert notifying citizens of a ballistic missile launch by North Korea is seen on a television screen in Tokyo, Japan September 15, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The Japanese government’s alert message called J-alert notifying citizens of a ballistic missile launch by North Korea is seen on a television screen in Tokyo, Japan September 15, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

North Korea fired another ballistic missile on Friday that flew over northern Hokkaido in Japan before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, multiple officials confirm. The launch, which U.S. officials confirmed was a model KN-17 intermediate ballistic missile, comes after several rounds of sanctions and increases tension on the Peninsula after Pyongyang recently test of a powerful nuclear bomb.

Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference the ballistic missile landed about 2,000 km (1,240 miles) east of Hokkaido. South Korea officials said it reached an altitude of roughly 770 km (480 miles) and flew 3,700 km (2,300 miles), easily enough to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

“These repeated provocations on the part of North Korea are unpermissible and we protest in the strongest words,” Suga said.

The Japanese government's alert message called J-alert notifying citizens of a ballistic missile launch by North Korea is seen on a television screen in Tokyo, Japan September 15, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The Japanese government’s alert message called J-alert notifying citizens of a ballistic missile launch by North Korea is seen on a television screen in Tokyo, Japan September 15, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Japan’s emergency alert system warned residents to take shelter.

Last month, North Korea fired another ballistic missile from a similar area near the capital Pyongyang that flew over Hokkaido before splashing down into the ocean, as well. Preliminary estimates put the new launch on par with the last.

An official from U.S. Pacific Command said the launch did not present a threat to the United States or Guam.

“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad,” U.S. PACOM said in a statement. “We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.”

Australia, a key and vocal ally of the U.S. in the Pacific, condemned the latest launch by North Korea.

“This is another dangerous, reckless, criminal act by the North Korean regime, threatening the stability of the region and the world and we condemn it, utterly,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. “This is a sign, I believe, of their frustration at the increased sanctions on North Korea, recently imposed by the Security Council. It’s a sign that the sanctions are working.”

The U.N. Security Council on Monday again voted unanimously on a U.S.-led resolution imposing a new round of sanctions on Pyongyang, banning textile exports and capping fuel supplies.

The U.S. and South Korea are still technically in a state of war with North Korea as a result of the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.

North Korea fired another ballistic missile on

Polls

Vice President Mike Pence looks on with President Donald Trump during a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Washington. (Photo: AP)

Vice President Mike Pence looks on with President Donald Trump during a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in Washington. (Photo: AP)

President Donald Trump held a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday to discuss a deal on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and border security.

Within an hour, Sen. Schumer and Rep. Pelosi released a joint statement declaring victory on DACA with no funding for the The Wall. By Thursday morning, President Trump took to Twitter to deny he made a deal on DACA amid outrage from his base, though a series of tweets seem to imply he already caved.

It’s no wonder a new poll finds most voters don’t think Congress can pass legislation for so-called “Dreamers” in the near future. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced almost two weeks ago that President Trump decided to end DACA, but gave lawmakers six months to iron out a deal to send to him desk for his signature.

The Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 35% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s likely comprehensive immigration reform legislation will pass Congress in the next six months, including only 9% who see it as Very Likely. Fifty-seven percent (57%) say it’s unlikely, with 22% who say it’s Not At All Likely.

Worth noting, American voters continue to say they want the border secure before anyone is granted legal status. Only 34% say those who are now in this country illegally be granted legal status right away, while 48% say only after the border is secured.

The plurality includes 70% of Republicans, 48% of voters not affiliated with a political party and even 28% of Democrats. Forty-eight percent (48%) of white voters want the border secured first and 44% of black voters agree. Worth noting, 52% of “other,” to include Hispanics and Asians, also want a secure border before legal status.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 6-7, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

American voters have little faith Congress will

Opinion

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), left, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), right.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), left, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), right.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) must be anxious to get on my list of government bureaucracies that shouldn’t exist.

The bureaucrats have engaged in some really silly and petty behavior, such as confiscating Airsoft toy guns because they might be machine guns, and they’ve engaged in some behavior that is criminally stupid and dangerous (running guns to Mexican drug gangs as part of the “Fast and Furious” fiasco).

Now we have another example. Though it’s so bizarre that I’m not sure how to classify it. Basically, the bureaucrats created an illegal slush fund, and then used the money illegally.

The New York Times has been on top of this story. Here are excerpts from the latest report.

For seven years, agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives followed an unwritten policy: If you needed to buy something for one of your cases, do not bother asking Washington. Talk to agents in Bristol, Va., who controlled a multimillion-dollar account unrestricted by Congress or the bureaucracy. …thousands of pages of newly unsealed records reveal a widespread scheme — a highly unorthodox merger of an undercover law enforcement operation and a legitimate business. What began as a way to catch black-market cigarette dealers quickly transformed into a nearly untraceable A.T.F. slush fund that agents from around the country could tap. …One agent steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate, electronics and money to his church and his children’s sports teams, records show. …At least tens of millions of dollars moved through the account before it was shut down in 2013, but no one can say for sure how much. The government never tracked it.

Oh, by the way, the BATF was breaking the law.

Federal law prohibits mixing government and private money. The A.T.F. now acknowledges it can point to no legal justification for the scheme.

But you won’t be surprised to learn that there have been no consequences.

…no one was ever prosecuted, Congress was only recently notified, and the Justice Department tried for years to keep the records secret.

And it’s also worth noting that this is also a tax issue. As I’ve noted before, high tax rates encourage illegality.

Though cigarettes are available at any corner store, they are extraordinarily profitable to smuggle. That’s because taxes are high and every state sets its own rates. Virginia charges $3 per carton. New York charges $43.50. The simplest scheme — buying cigarettes in Virginia and selling them tax-free in New York — can generate tens of thousands of dollars in illicit cash. By some estimates, more than half of New York’s cigarettes come from the black market.

By the way, I can help but wonder why the federal government is engaging in all sorts of dodgy behavior to help enforce bad state tax laws. Yes, I realize the cigarettes are crossing state lines, but so what? The illegal (but not immoral) behavior occurs when an untaxed cigarette is sold inside the borders of, say, New York. Why should Washington get involved?

In other words, I like the fact that borders limit the power of government. It’s why I don’t like global schemes to undermine tax competition (why should Swiss banks be required to enforce bad U.S. tax law?), and it’s why I don’t like the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act (why should merchants in one state be required to enforce the sales taxes of other states?).

But I’m digressing.

Let’s get back to the Bureau’s misbehavior. Here’s some additional reporting from the U.K.-based Times.

A US government crime-fighting agency ran a secret bank account that its employees used to buy luxury cars, property and trips to casinos. Officers for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), charged with investigating smuggling and gun crimes, built up a slush fund worth tens of millions of dollars through illicit cigarette sales, ostensibly as part of an operation to catch traffickers. The scandal is the latest controversy to hit the agency, which has been criticised in recent years for lack of accountability and allowing the flow of guns and drugs to go unchecked. …Cash from the slush fund generated at an ATF field office in Bristol, Virginia, …funded activities such as a trip to Las Vegas, donations to agents’ children and the booking of a $21,000 suite at a Nascar race.

And what about the overall ATF bureaucracy? Well, it’s getting some unfavorable attention. Keep in mind that this scandal is on top of the “Fast and Furious” scandal of the Obama years.

The ATF has said that it has “implemented substantial enhancements to its policies, and has markedly improved leadership, training, communication, accountability and operational oversight”. Under the previous administration, it was widely derided for a botched weapons operation known as “Fast and Furious”. The agency allowed licensed firearms dealers to sell weapons to illegal buyers, hoping to track the guns to Mexican drug cartel kingpins. But out of the 2,000 firearms sold, only a fraction have been traced. The secret account scandal has renewed calls from across the political spectrum for the department of about 2,000 agents to be reformed or shut down.

Last but not least, I think we have a new member of the Bureaucrat Hall of Fame.

Thomas Lesnak, a senior ATF investigator, began the scheme. …Mr Lesnak retired with his pension and was not reprimanded.

Just like Lois Lerner and the IRS, engaging in corrupt and crooked behavior and then escaping any punishment.

Maybe the two of them should hook up? They’d make a great couple. I’m sure they could even figure out a way to make taxpayers finance their wedding and honeymoon.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and

Politics

President Donald Trump stands before speaking at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, in Phoenix. (Photo: AP)

President Donald Trump stands before speaking at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, in Phoenix. (Photo: AP)

President Donald Trump denied claims he made a deal on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), though a series of tweets implies he already caved.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a joint statement following a meeting at the White House declaring victory on DACA with no funding for the The Wall.

He followed up the tweet with another that takes funding for the border wall out of the equation, altogether. President Trump tweeted The Wall “is already under construction” and “will continue to be built” regardless of the deal on DACA.

While the Trump Administration has made progress on the President’s key campaign promise, without legislation funding the project whatever construction efforts are underway will cease when they run out of money.

White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short said just last week that the Trump Administration would be open to trading amnesty for tax cuts. A trade for the RAISE Act, which cuts legal immigration in half in transforms the system from family-based to merit-based, was previously on the table.

President Trump proceeded to tweet what have long been Democratic talking points, a series of claims People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) and others have shown to be completely false.

The average age for a DACA recipient is 25. On education, the Migration Policy Institute, which is pro-amnesty, found in an August 2017 study that only 5% of DACA-qualified illegals have a college degree. Put simply, the “DACA population is more likely to be in lower-skilled jobs when compared to all workers ages 16 to 32.”

They are represented by an even larger percentage of low-skilled workers than legal citizens.

Worth noting, the DREAM Act Democrats and the President are looking to push through Congress will provide legal status to far more illegal immigrants than DACA, 5 million juxtaposed to 800,000, respectively.

[brid video=”163817″ player=”2077″ title=”FLASHBACK Trump in 2016 ‘There Will Be No Amnesty'”]

President Donald Trump denied claims he made

US

Governor Rick Scott heads to the Florida Keys via helicopter to survey the damage and from Hurricane Irma. (Photo: Courtesy of the Florida Governor's Office)

Governor Rick Scott heads to the Florida Keys via helicopter to survey the damage and from Hurricane Irma. (Photo: Courtesy of the Florida Governor’s Office)

Power restoration efforts in Florida made significant gains on Wednesday, though more than 3.1 million customers statewide are still impacted by outages. Latest Power Outage Data, which can be found here, were updated just before 9:00 PM EST.

Florida Power and Light (FPL), the state’s largest utilities company, said a workforce of more than 21,500 employees and contractors from nearly 30 states and Canada are working around the clock to restore service.

“We expect to have all West Coast customers essentially restored by end of day, September 22,” FPL said in a statement. “We expect to have all East Coast customers essentially restored by end of this coming weekend.”

Duke Energy, which serves 1.8 million customers in Florida, sustained heavy damage to its transmission systems, the high-voltage network of lines that deliver electricity from the power plants. A total of 809,592 customers have had their power restored, including many of those hit hard in Pinellas and Pasco counties, but 600,000 are still without power in the state.

“Our crews are making great progress all around our territory,” said Harry Sideris, Duke Energy Florida President. “We have set restoration times for our counties and are laser-focused on getting customers back on as quickly and safely as possible.”

“We appreciate the patience our customers have shown during this stressful time.”

Mr. Sideris added that over 3,000 power poles, more than 1,100 transformers and more than 1,000 miles of wire are being replaced due to storm damage.

Further, Duke supplies other power companies such as Clay Electric with feeds across the state. Duke personnel energized substations throughout Wednesday, allowing Clay and others to restore customers in Central Florida.

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), the main utilities company for Florida Gators, have been very successful in their restoration efforts. On Tuesday, GRU reported just 12,266 customers out and 46,349 restored. According to their website, as of Wednesday night, the number of customers still affected by outages was down to 6,121.

Tampa Electric said in a statement their crews have restored power to nearly 60% of customers affected by Hurricane Irma and have successfully repaired its entire transmission system. In total, 425,000 of their 750,000 customers were impacted by the storm, and power has been restored to 250,000, or 59% of those affected.

They expect to restore power to essentially all customers by Sunday night, though they concede customers with more complex damage may take longer to restore.

“We know that our customers want their lives to get back to normal – and electricity is a key part of that,” said Gordon Gillette, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Electric. “Thank you for your continued patience, and rest assured, we will get your power restored.”

Still, the hardest hit areas of the state have a long way to go before outages are fully addressed.

The Florida Keys Electric Coop, which services the Upper Keys to the end of the Seven Mile Bridge, fully energized its main transmission line and all its substations. They are working on feeder lines to the neighborhoods. The last estimate put restoration at about 30% of its service area.

“We expect that percentage to go up significantly today,” said Scott Newberry with the Coop.

Keys Energy Services, which covers the South end of Seven Mile Bridge to Key West, reported that only about 7% of their clients now have service. This includes power to the Monroe County Assisted Living Facility, whose generator had failed.

While they made good progress on Wednesday and expect to restore power to Key West in a few days, the hardest hit areas around Big Pine Key and Cudjoe Key will take longer. There is about 300 downed power poles that need to either be repaired or replaced.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott continued to tour the state surveying the damage and moving relief efforts forward. He announced the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved a $25 million Emergency Relief (ER) Quick Release Grant to conduct emergency repairs on impacted roads, embankments, bridges or other infrastructure and help restore traffic on major roadways.

“I want to thank President Trump, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the entire Administration for their commitment to helping Floridians impacted by Irma,” Gov. Scott said in a statement. “The Florida Department of Transportation is already responding in full-force to quickly repair Florida’s roads and transportation infrastructure damaged in the storm and this critical funding will enhance our efforts to ensure the safety of families as they travel through our state.”

He also responded to a tragic report about 6 deaths in a nursing home in Broward County. The governor said he’s “demanding answers” and if the investigation finds “anyone wasn’t acting in the best interests of their patients, we will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Governor Rick Scott Statement Broward County Nursing Home Irma

Live Blog: Power Restoration Efforts in Florida Post-Irma

Power restoration efforts in Florida made significant

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