GEORGIA, THE TWO CAROLINAS, ALABAMA AS WELL, WITHOUT POWER.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE MAYOR OF
TALLAHASSEE, THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINEE FOR GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA
AS WELL, ANDREW GILLUM.
>> I HOPE ALL IS WELL.
>> ALL IS WELL WITH LUCKILY MY
FAMILY THAT I HAVE IN PENSACOLA.
THEY LUCKED OUT.
THIS STORM TOOK THAT RIGHT TURN.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE
DEALING WITH IN TALLAHASSEE AND
IN SOME WAYS, I DON’T WANT TO
SAY YOU GUYS DODGED IT A BIT,
BUT I KNOW YOU’RE SERVING MORE
AS A COMMUNITY HELPING OUT
PANAMA CITY AND APALACHICOLA.
WALK ME THROUGH THE TALLAHASSEE
DESTRUCTION.
DESTRUCTION. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. FIRST, I GOT TO SAY THAT OUR
HEARTS HERE IN MY COMMUNITY GO
OUT TO OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
THERE TO THE WEST OF
TALLAHASSEE, LEON COUNTY.
WE SAW AS THEIR COMMUNITY WAS
LITERALLY WIPED AWAY BY WATER.
WATER UP TO ROOFTOPS.
YOU’VE SEEN ALL THE IMAGES,
YOU’VE SHOWN THEM.
OUR CHALLENGE HERE WAS OF A
DIFFERENT NATURE, LARGELY WIND
AND RAIN, AND MY COMMUNITY WE
GOT ABOUT 50% TREE COVER, WHICH
MEANS WHEN THE RAIN COMES AND
THAT GROUND GETS SATURATED, THE
WIND KNOCKS THOSE TREES OVER, WE
GOT THOUSANDS OF TREES DOWN IN
MY COMMUNITY, OVER 100,000 OF
OUR RESIDENTS WITHOUT POWER.
WE ARE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF
WORK TODAY TO REMOVE DEBRIS AND
TREES FROM COVERED AND
IMPASSABLE ROADS AND WE GOT OUR
UTILITY CREWS ON THE LINE TRYING
TO GET POWER BACK RESTORED.
BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT WE’RE
COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS HERE IN
TALLAHASSEE.
TALLAHASSEE. WE KNOW THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN
MUCH WORSE FOR US AND WHEN WE
SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR FRIENDS
AND NEIGHBORS, WE REALLY ARE
QUITE FORTUNATE.
QUITE FORTUNATE. >> YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE AN
ESTIMATE OF WHEN YOU FEEL AS IF
YOUR CITY WILL BE FULLY
FUNCTIONING AGAIN, WITH POWER,
WITH CLEARED STREETS, YOU KNOW,
BEING ABLE TO REOPEN SCHOOLS,
ALL OF THOSE THINGS, WHEN DO YOU
FEEL LIKE TALLAHASSEE CAN BE
BACK TO WORK.
IS MONDAY MORNING REALISTIC?
>> WELL, WE’RE TRYING.
TODAY, FOLKS WOKE UP TO CREWS
REALLY SATURATING MY CITY.
WE HAD PRESTAGED OVER 100
UTILITY LINE MEN, 6:00 THIS
MORNING, THEY WERE OUT WORKING
ON THESE POLLS.
I WENT AROUND AND VISITED A
COUPLE TODAY AND THROUGHOUT THE
DAY.
DAY. THE TRUTH IS, THOUGH, THAT
BECAUSE THE IMPACT TO OUR GRID
SYSTEM OVER 60% OF THE
TRANSMISSION LINES WERE
IMPACTED.
IMPACTED. BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE SOUTH OF
US, OUR ENERGY LINE TO SOUTHERN
ENERGY WAS CUT OFF.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THAT
RE-ESTABLISHED BECAUSE AS YOU
KNOW, YOU CAN’T HAVE TOO MUCH
ENERGY ON A GRID SYSTEM OR ELSE
MORE HARM IS CAUSED, SO WE GOT
TO GET THAT RECONNECTION
ESTABLISHED.
ESTABLISHED. HARD TO GIVE A HARD ESTIMATE AT
THIS POINT, I WILL TELL YOU
DAMAGE WAS GREATER THAN HERMINE,
WE HAD 90% OF OUR UTILITY BACK
UP IN 72 HOURS.
WE’RE HOPING TO BEAT THAT, BUT
STILL WAITING FOR ESTIMATES TO
COME IN.
COME IN. >> WHEN WILL YOU FEEL
COMFORTABLE GOING BACK ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL?
CAMPAIGN TRAIL? >> WELL, I TELL YOU, MY FIRST
JOB IS HERE AS MAYOR OF
FLORIDA’S CAPITAL CITY.
I WAS HERE AND PREPARED TO HELP
THE COMMITTEE THROUGH THE STORM.
I’LL FEEL BETTER WHEN WE HAVE
OUR FOLKS CONNECTED TO ELECTRIC
UTILITIES.
UTILITIES. IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME GETTING
DEBRIS REMOVED AND THAT KIND OF
THING.
THING. ONCE WE GOT PEOPLE THEIR POWER
BACK, I’LL FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE
GETTING BACK OUT ON THE TRAIL
CAMPAIGNING.
CAMPAIGNING. >> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOW
THEY’RE LEADING THE EFFORT HERE?
>> WE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH
FOLKS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND EVERYBODY SEEMS
ACCOMMODATING OUR REQUESTS.
WE TRIED TO KEEP THEM DOWN,
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE REQUEST
TO THE WEST OF US IS MUCH
GREATER.
GREATER. ANYTHING WE NEED, WE’RE PUTTING
IN THE REQUEST AND ARE HOPING TO
GET A GOOD RESPONSE.
SO I SAY WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> I WANT YOU TO PUT YOUR
GUBERNATORIAL HAT ON FOR A
MOMENT WHEN IT COMES TO TYNDALL
AIR FORCE BASE.
YOU AND I -- YOU PARTIALLY GREW
UP IN MIAMI, ALONG WITH ME AND
YOU MOVED FROM RICHMOND HEIGHTS
JUST BEFORE ANDREW.
HOMESTEAD AIR FORCE BASE WAS THE
HEART OF -- HOMESTEAD AIR FORCE
BASE WAS THE HEART OF THE
COMMUNITY DOWN THERE.
AND ANDREW DEVASTATED IT AND IT
WAS ALWAYS SORT OF TEETERING ON
THE LIST OF WHETHER THEY WERE
GOING TO CLOSE IT AND IT GETS
DECIMATED, AND THEY NEVER REALLY
FULLY RETURNED.
FULLY RETURNED. I THINK THERE IS A FEAR THAT
SOMEHOW BECAUSE OF THE
DEVASTATION TO TYNDALL THIS
COULD BECOME AN EXCUSE TO, YOU
KNOW, SHUT DOWN ANOTHER BASE,
FLORIDA HAS PLENTY OF BASES WILL
BE THE ARGUMENT PERHAPS, WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF ELECTED
GOVERNOR TO SAYVE TYNDALL.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE
THAT THOUGHT IS NOT A SERIOUS
ONE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
TYNDALL PLAYS AN INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT ROLE NOT ONLY TO OUR
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
SECURITY, BUT TO THE ECONOMY OF
THE WESTERN PANHANDLE OF THE
STATE OF FLORIDA.
YOU’VE GOT A WHOLE COMMUNITY
THAT HAS GROWN UP AS A MILITARY
SUPPORT ARM, IF YOU WILL.
THE SCHOOLS ARE FILLED WITH
STUDENTS WHOSE PATIENTS ARE
PUBLIC SERVANTS AND REALLY GIVEN
THEIR YOU’LL FOR OUR COUNTRY.
I HOPE WE’RE JUST
PROGNOSTICATING AND THAT IS NOT
A REAL POSSIBILITY.
I’LL DEFEND TYNDALL AS AN
IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT TO THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. >> THERE IS A DEBATE INSIDE THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, WHICH
IS THE FAMOUS LINE THAT MICHELLE
OBAMA SAID, WHEN THEY GO LOW, WE
GO HAD HIGH.
AND ERIC HOLDER SAID, YOU KNOW
WHAT, WHEN THEY GO LOW, WE GOT
TO KICK THEM.
AND THERE HAS BEEN THIS BACK AND
FORTH DEBATE.
FORTH DEBATE. WHERE DO YOU SIT ON THIS?
DO YOU THINK DEMOCRATS NEED TO
FIGHT HARDER OR DO YOU STILL
ASCRIBE TO THE MICHELLE OBAMA
LINE OF WHEN THEY GO LOW, WE GO
HIGH?
HIGH? >> WELL, I’LL TELL YOU, I’LL
QUOTE MY GRANDMAMA, SHE USED TO
SAY NEVER WRESTLE WITH A PIG.
YOU BOTH GET DIRTY BUT THE PIG
LIKES IT.
LIKES IT. I TRIED TO ASCRIBE THAT IN MY
OWN POLITICAL LIFE AND I REALIZE
THIS IS A SERIOUS CONVERSATION
FOR SOME.
FOR SOME. QUITE FRANKLY AT THIS TIME,
WE’RE FOCUSED ON GETTING THINGS
RESTORED.
RESTORED. >> UNDERSTAND.
>> UNDERSTAND. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME.
TIME. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY THERE.
AND WE’RE ALL THINKING ABOUT THE
BIG BEND COMMUNITIES DOWN THERE.
THANK YOU, SIR.
>>> WE SHOULD NOTE THAT WE ALSO