As legislative session looms, lawmakers get to work

Tallahassee Sen. Bill Montford wants to know what it means to have billions of dollars of hurricane damage. Hurricane Irma hit Florida hard in the gut, disrupting two of the state’s economic engines, agriculture, and tourism. And as chair of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, Montford has a role to play in how the Legislature responds to Irma’s economic damage.

The September storm destroyed more than $2.5 billion in crops. She also left pockets of the state without power for more than a week. Many South Florida communities are still cleaning up after her. Images of storm-ravaged Florida were in the news for days.

“The consequences are far reaching, financially and from a human point of view as well,” said Montford. “Unemployment? If Irma scared off the tourists, if there’s nothing in the field to harvest, the consequences grow for all aspects of government.”

Montford has assembled a panel of business leaders and experts for Monday’s Commerce meeting. The meeting is the first of nine the Senate will hold in the coming week to understand how damaging of a hit Irma delivered to Florida.

Read more: http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/10/08/legislative-session-looms-lawmakers-get-work/740795001/