Things That Matter

Hurricane Irma Has Devastated The Caribbean And Is Heading Straight For Florida

By September 7, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Mark Wilson / Getty

It’s been a week since Hurricane Harvey made landfall and began pummeling southeastern Texas. Now, Hurricane Irma has devastated the Caribbean islands and it making a beeline for Florida. The Category 5 storm has claimed at least 12 lives so far. As the storm heads west, evacuations have been put into effect in south Florida to move residents further north, away from the path of devastation. Here’s what’s happened so far.

Hurricane Irma has cut a path of devastation through the Caribbean killing 12 people so far.

Irma has destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Caribbean country of Barbuda. Businesses, banks, public institutions, schools, and emergency services have been shut down on the various islands impacted by the storm and residents were urged to take shelter.

Puerto Rico survived the storm as Hurricane Irma narrowly missed hitting the island head on. Still, power failures plague the island nation.

According to the Miami Herald, Puerto Rico, which has been suffering serious financial problems, could be without power in some areas for up to six months. The notice by public officials went out before the storm grazed the northern part of Puerto Rico. The New York Times reports that 70 percent of Puerto Rico was without power early Thursday.

Rescue and relief efforts are already underway for the islands that have been hit.

Dutch, French, British, and American personnel have been dispatched to the Caribbean islands that have been hit by the storm. Many of the Caribbean islands are territories of foreign countries, meaning that the aforementioned governments will be important players in all recovery efforts. At its peak, Hurricane Irma was delivering 185 mph winds which leveled buildings and decimated entire communities.

As the storm makes its way through the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida are bracing for impact.

The storm is expected to hit the southern tip of the Bahamas and the north coast of Cuba, including the capitol city Havana. Evacuation orders have been put into effect for residents and tourists of the Florida Keys.

Survivors on the islands are sharing videos and photos of the destruction as a warning for those who are in the path of Hurricane Irma.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has suspended all tolls on Florida roadways to allow for residents to evacuate from the storm.

Florida has also partnered with Google Maps to show real-time street closures as the storm impacts the state.

Yet, for the Caribbean islands already devastated by Hurricane Irma, there is no break from wind and rain as Hurricane Jose strengthens into a Category 3 storm. It is expected to follow Hurricane Irma’s path.

Stay safe. Evacuate if officials say so. Click here to get updates on the different hurricanes currently active.


READ: Here’s The Latest On Hurricane Harvey And How Texas Is Dealing With The Damage

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Florida AG Calls For Investigation Into Mike Bloomberg After He Paid Fines For Felons To Vote

Things That Matter

Florida AG Calls For Investigation Into Mike Bloomberg After He Paid Fines For Felons To Vote

By September 26, 2020 at 1:45 am
BY  | September 26, 2020 AT 1:45 am
Mike Bloomberg / Flickr

Mike Bloomberg promised during his campaign that he would help the Democratic nominee get elected. The former mayor of New York City is following through on his promise and his first focus is on Florida.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is spending money to help get Joe Biden elected.

During the 2020 campaign, Mike Bloomberg promised to spend his money and use his time to help elect the Democratic nominee. Many at the time were skeptical at the claim but Bloomberg is following through. The philanthropist and businessman is spending millions to advance his cause in Florida.

This is just the beginning of Bloomberg’s work in Florida to defeat President Trump. The New York politician has pledged to spend $100 million to help Biden win Florida. This includes ad buys and other ways to promote Biden within the Sunshine State.

Bloomberg recently raised $16 million to help get felons their right to vote back.

In 2018, Floridian voted in favor of reinstating the voting right of former felons who served their time. Governor Ron DeSantis immediately went to work stopping the voters’ choice and set up roadblocks to prevent former felons from voting. One of those roadblocks was making former felons pay all of their fines and fees before getting their right to vote back.

Bloomberg was able to raise enough money to pay off the fines and fees for 31,000 former felons in Florida. There are more than 1 million currently trying to get their right to vote back. Part of the problem with the fines and fees is that the state of Florida is not compelled to tell felons how to pay the fees nor that they have the fees.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling for an investigation.

Moody, a Republican elected in 2018, called for an investigation into Bloomberg’s donation to restore the voting rights of thousands. The investigation is designed to see if Bloomberg violated any election laws.

“Today, I sent a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into potential violations of election laws,” Moody said in a statement on Wednesday. “And I have instructed the Statewide Prosecutor to work with law enforcement and any Statewide Grand Jury that the Governor may call.”

People want Bloomberg to do the same in other states.

Bloomberg committed to helping the Democrats win the White House in 2020 because of damage created by the Trump administration. Bloomberg’s sudden involvement in Florida highlights Bloomberg’s willingness to follow up on his word. Bloomberg’s initiative helped the felons with less than $1,500 in penalty fees and had already applied for their voting rights to be restored.

Remember, your vote is your voice. Make sure you are registered to vote and get your friends registered too. Go to IWillVote.com or VoyaVotar.com and text TODOS to 30330 today to learn what choices you have to vote in your community and get information on where and when to vote.

READ: Joe Biden And President Donald Trump Are Battling It Out For Florida’s Crucial Latino Vote

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Joe Biden And President Donald Trump Are Battling It Out For Florida’s Crucial Latino Vote

Things That Matter

Joe Biden And President Donald Trump Are Battling It Out For Florida’s Crucial Latino Vote

By at 1:04 am
BY  | September 26, 2020 AT 1:04 am
joebiden / Instagram

Florida’s Latino vote is a crucial part of a winning strategy in the Sunshine State. The demographic shifts in recent years because of natural, financial, and governmental disasters has led to a big Puerto Rican diaspora in Florida. President Trump’s handling of the Hurricane Maria recovery has left Puerto Ricans upset with the administration.

Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are battling for Florida’s Latino voters.

Both the Democratic and Republican nominees are making concerted efforts to shore up Latino support in Florida. There are 3.1 million eligible Latino voters in the swing state and make up a crucial voting bloc. While a large number are conservative Cubans and Cuban-Americans, there are also other Latino communities representing different parts of Latin America.

The polling tells a story of two candidates locked in a heated race for the Latino vote in Florida.

Polls, like The Washington Post-ABC News poll, show Biden taking the lead with Latino voters in Florida. According to that poll, Biden is leading Trump 52 percent to 39 percent. However, Hillary Clinton won the Latino vote in Florida 62 percent to 35 percent in 2016. Clinton’s success with the Latino community of Florida shows that the Latino vote is not the only way to clinch the electoral college votes.

On the other hand, President Trump wants everyone to pay attention to one poll. President Trump is sharing a poll by The Washington Post and ABC News that shows him leading in Florida. According to the poll, Trump leads in Florida by 4 points.

The Latino community in southern Florida is being bombarded by a disinformation campaign.

The disinformation is aimed at Florida’s Latino voters and is peddling conspiracy theories against Biden. One of the most prominent examples of this disinformation was the racist and anti-Semitic insert published in a recent edition of the Miami Herald. The insert compared BLM protesters to Nazis but argued that Nazis were nicer since they didn’t steal anything.

Both candidates are pouring money into their campaign efforts in Florida. Both are spending time and money trying to court the Latino vote in an effort to win the key state.

Critics of the president are pointing to the sudden relief package to Puerto Rico is a grab for votes.

President Trump was harshly and fairly criticized after he didn’t respond to the natural disaster in Puerto Rico. The 2017 hurricane devastated the island and left millions without power for weeks. One of the most memorable moments of that time was President Trump throwing paper towels to Puerto Ricans recovering from the disaster.

President Trump, during an election, approved $13 billion in relief funds for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican voters have not forgotten the three years it took for the president to approve relief funds to help rebuild the island after a devastating storm.

READ: The Miami Herald Apologizes For Including Racist, Anti-Semitic Insert In Newspaper

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