In Florida, all eyes on Puerto Rican voters after Maria

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI - Javier Gonzalez has joined a human tide of more than 130,000 U.S. citizens arriving in Florida since Hurricane Maria wrecked Puerto Rico, grateful for a place to start over but resenting how their island has been treated since the disaster.

A year after defeating Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s approval at 41% in Florida

A new Florida Atlantic University poll has some good numbers for Gov. Rick Scott and better approval ratings for President Donald Trump than he gets nationally. A year after Florida flipped from blue to red and helped Republican Donald Trump to his stunning presidential victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton , President Trump has a 41 percent approval rating in a new poll of Sunshine State voters.

Hurricane Maria evacuees start over in the Tampa Bay area

Times Puerto Rican evacuee Shamira Melendez, 4, watches "Finding Dory" on a tablet while her mom Ivana Reyes, 22, talks to representatives from local agencies while her son Jezel Garcia, 1, snoozes in his stroller at the Hispanic Outreach Center Thursday 11/2/2017. - Pinellas County government hosted a bilingual panel Thursday featuring community organizations providing help for local Hurricane Maria evacuees from Puerto Rico.

Drill, baby, drill in the eastern Gulf? Don’t even think about it

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board members talk about a ruling to revisit the idea of drilling for oil in the Everglades. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board members talk about a ruling to revisit the idea of drilling for oil in the Everglades.

More than 1 Billion in Federal Food Disaster Food Assistance Distributed

The Florida Department of Children and Families today released updates on the federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program operations in Florida. To date, in response to Hurricane Irma, DCF has distributed more than $1 billion in federal disaster food assistance through DSNAP, supplemental benefits, and replacements for regular SNAP customers.

Gov. Scott Applauds Work of Joint Terrorism Task Force in Arrest of Alleged Terrorist

Governor Rick Scott today applauded the hard work of a Federal Bureau of Investigation led Joint Terrorism Task Force which resulted in the arrest of an alleged terrorist in Miami. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has counterterrorism agents on the Joint Terrorism Task Force because of the positions and funding proposed by Governor Scott and approved by the Governor and Legislature this year.

Reina Lobo holds her grandson, Julio, in this 2014 photo. The family…

With more than 4,000 families facing the loss of their state-subidized KidCare health insurance in the wake of Hurricane Irma, Florida regulators have reversed course and now say they are prepared to seek federal help. Florida Healthy Kids, the agency that operates the KidCare insurance program, told the Herald/Times Friday that it will call a special board meeting next week to explore asking the federal government for a waiver to help families still financially stressed from the hurricane.

Most Insiders see Irma as boost to Scott

Gov. Rick Scott received generally high marks for his handling of the hurricanes hitting Florida and its sister territory, Puerto Rico, but his PR team lately has been working ferociously to push back against assorted reports raising questions about his emergency management record before and after the storms hit. Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio joined calls for a congressional investigation into the deaths of 14 Floridians in a sweltering Broward County nursing home.

Fuel Trucks Helping Hurricane Relief Efforts Head Home

BOSTON: Two weeks after Hurricane Irma hit Southern Florida, ten fuel trucks from New England are on their way home after working with FEMA in both the Texas and Florida restoration efforts. When the trucks were requested to head to Florida, Massachusetts-based fuel distributor Dennis K. Burke, Inc. already had trucks working with FEMA in Texas.

Back to school: After Irma, Florida classes begin resuming

Maria Stotts, and Heather Mueller, volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, clear debris from a Monroe County sheriff's deputy's home damaged by a six-foot storm surge, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Big Pine Key, Fla.