Facing South Florida: Nursing Home Deaths & Hurricane Irma Recovery Part II

WELCOME BACK.
WE ARE CONTINUING OUR
CONVERSATION ON THE AFTERMATH
OF HURRICANE IRMA.
THESE ARE THE TWO BEST PEOPLE I
COULD HAVE IN HERE TODAY.
ONE REPRESENTS THE FLORIDA KEYS
AND ONE HOLLYWOOD.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE
NURSING HOME.
I WANT TO TURN TO THE FLORIDA
KEYS IN A SECRETARY.
YOU HAD A COUPLE OF POINTS THAT
YOU WANTED TO MAKE AND A
QUESTION.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION.
I AM HAPPY TO HEAR SENATOR
FLORES TALKING ABOUT HAVING
ISSUES ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
NURSING HOME AND THE OVERALL
STATE OF THE CARE OF THE
ELDERLY AND THE FRAIL ELDERLY
PATIENTS IN THIS STATE.
WE HAVE SEEN TWO VERY DIVERGENT
TIMELINES BETWEEN THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND THE
NURSING HOME.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM FPL AND
OTHER DETAILS.
I AM SPEAKING TO THE HOSPITAL
OFFICIALS THAT SOMETIMES HAVE A
DIFFERENT VERSION OF EVENTS.
I THINK THE HEARINGS THAT
SENATOR FLORES TALKED ABOUT
BEING CONDUCTED SHOULD BE
CONDUCTED UNDER OATH.
I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK INTO
WHAT HAPPENED HERE AND FIND OUT
WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH
INCLUDING WHY DID THE GOVERNOR
GIVE HIS PERSONAL CELL PHONE
OUT.
POLITICAL REASONS?
BECAUSE HE HIMSELF DOWNED THE
EFFICACY OF HIS AGENCY'S
ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THE
EVENTS.
I HAVE SEEN FOUR DIFFERENT
EMERGENCY HOTLINE NUMBERS
INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR'S CELL
PHONE.
I THINK THAT I HAVE NO
PROBLEM WITH HAVING
INVESTIGATIONS UNDER OATH.
WE DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING
THAT WILL HINDER THE CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION THAT IS
HAPPENING.
THAT TAKES PRIORITY.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS NOT JUST
GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT
HAPPENED AT THIS NURSING HOME.
CERTAINLY THAT IS IMPORTANT AND
CRUCIAL FOR THE FAMILY'S
AFFECTED TO GET CLOSURE.
OUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE -- WE
HAVE TO LOOK AT THE ENTIRE
STATE.
HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THIS
DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
FOR ME THAT IS A PRIORITY.
LET'S TALK ABOUT, YOU ARE
SPENDING TIME ON THE PHONE IN
THE KEYS, YOU MADE FOUR TRIPS.
I TALKED TO YOU ONE DAY.
YOU WERE IN A CARAVAN OF FOUR
CARS DROPPING OFF SUPPLIES.
GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE
FLORIDA KEYS.
WHAT STANDS OUT MORE THAN
ANYTHING IS HOW RESILIENT
PEOPLE ARE TO DESCRIBE THE
FOLKS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS.
IT'S SO TRUE.
I WANT TO GIVE SOME PROPS,
SHOUT OUT TO THE LOCAL
OFFICIALS.
THEIR ELECTRIC COMPANIES ARE
MUNICIPAL.
IN SOME CASES THEIR POWER IN
THE DESIGNATED KEYS WERE ON
BEFORE --
THEY ARE NOT FPL DOWN THERE.
THEY ARE NOT.
THEY HAVE TWO MUNICIPAL CO-OPS
THAT ARE WORKING, A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE THEIR POWER BACK.
IN THE SHORT AFTERMATH THERE
WAS INITIAL CRITICISM ABOUT NOT
LETTING INDIVIDUALS BACK IN
WHEN TO THE KEYS.
I UNDERSTAND SOMEONE'S
FRUSTRATION OF NOT BEING ABLE
TO GET BACK IN BUT YOU HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE WERE NOT
LET IN UNTIL VERY BASIC THINGS
LIKE TOILETS COULD FLUSH.
WE COULDN'T HAVE A HEALTH
CRISIS ON OUR HANDS.
Reporter: HOW LONG BEFORE
NORMALCY RETURNS.
IN SOME PARTS OF THE KEYS --
UPPER KEYS.
IT'S BACK TO NORMAL.
PART OF THE UPPER KEYS -- KEY
WEST, I AM TOLD, WILL BE
RECEIVING THEIR FIRST CRUISE
SHIP THIS WEEKEND.
SO, GOES IN KEY WEST PROPER,
YOU ALREADY HAVE SEEN MAYBE
SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN VIDEOS
THAT SLOPPY JOES IS OPEN, DEVAL
STREET IS OPEN.
UPPER KEYS ARE GETTING INTO
ORDER.
THE BIGGER CHALLENGES INVOLVE
WORKFORCE HOUSING.
THAT IS THE BULK OF WHAT WAS
DESTROYED.
THE IMAGES THANK YOU SEE, THOSE
ARE WORKFORCE HOUSING.
THAT IS THE NURSES THAT WORK IN
THE HOSPITALS, YOUR BARTENDERS,
WAITRESSES, PEOPLE THAT WORK IN
THE SERVICE INDUSTRY.
SO, WE HAVE A LONG-TERM
CHALLENGE WHEN IT COMES TO
WORKFORCE HOUSING.
IT WAS EXPENSIVE BEFORE AND NOW
IT WILL BE MORE.
IT LOOKS LIKE BUILDING CODES
WORKED.
THEY DO WORK.
YOU KNOW WHAT, REGULATION IS
NOT A BAD WORD, JIM.
ISN'T THAT INTERESTING?
WE HAD AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
CRISIS IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE
KEYS LONG BEFORE THIS EVENT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S THE BEST
USE OF RESOURCES TO CONTINUE
WITH MOBILE HOMES.
MOBILE HOMES WERE THE PRIMARY
SOURCE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN
THE KEYS.
WHAT THIS REALLY HIGHLIGHTS IS
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH
SOMETHING CALLED THE SEDOWSKI
FUND IN FLORIDA.
IT'S MONEY GENERATED BY DOC
STAMPS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THOSE FUNDS ARE SWEPT EVERY
YEAR I BELIEVE THE LAST FIVE OR
SEVEN YEARS INTO GENERAL
REVENUE.
THOSE ARE MONIES -- THE LAW IS
BEING VIOLATED.
WHY ARE THEY PLUGGING HOLES
IN THE GENERAL REVENUE.
THAT IS NOT THE INTENDED
PURPOSE.
THAT IS NOT THE LAW.
WE ARE VIOLATING THE LAW WHEN
WE DO THAT.
BROWARD COUNTY LOST $85 MILLION
OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
WE HAVE TO STOP DOING THAT.
WE HAVE TO RETURN THOSE
RESOURCES TO THEIR INTENDED
PURPOSE.
ALL OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WE HAVE
AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS.
I THINK IT WHAT WILL
DOMINATE THE SESSION IS
HURRICANE RELATED ISSUES,
HEALTH CARE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING
ISSUES.
THE BUILDING CODE, EVERY YEAR
THERE IS AN ATTEMPT TO WEAKEN
THE BUILDING CODE.
IT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
WHEN YOU MAKE THE DRIVE DOWN TO
THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM MIAMI,
WHAT IS STRIKING TO YOU IS THAT
THE MOBILE HOME PARKS
UNFORTUNATELY FOR THOSE PEOPLE,
THEY ARE GONE.
BUT THE HOMES THAT ARE WELL
BUILT -- IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE
MULTIMILLION DOLLAR MANSIONS,
WELL BUILT CONCRETE HOMES ON
STILTS TO THE BUILDING CODES,
THOSE ARE FINE.
I THINK AS A GOVERNMENT AND AS
A LEGISLATURE, WE REALLY NEED
TO INVEST NOT JUST IN
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUT MAKING
SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE FUNDS
AVAILABLE TO STRENGTHEN THEIR
HOMES SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN
AGAIN.
I APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN.
LOOK, WE WILL BE DEALING WITH
HURRICANE IRMA FOR MONTHS AND
MONTHS FROM NOW.
THIS WAS A GOOD BEGINNING TO
START THE CONVERSATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU.
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Facing South Florida: Nursing Home Deaths & Hurricane Irma Recovery Part II

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