COAST OF FLORIDA. BLANKS >> EVEN AS THE HURRICANE’S
CATASTROPHIC TALLY IS STILL
BEING KAL CLAILTD-- CALCULATED,
THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER AND
MOW TO REBUILD WHAT WAS LOST ARE
UNDER WAY.
>> ONE PERSON AND A GOOD
PHYSICIAN TO WEIGH IN ON THOSE
QUESTIONS IS JAR ODD
MOSCOWOWITZ, FLOOR GA’S FORMER
DISASTER CHIEF, FORMER STATE
REP, NOW A BROWARD COUNTY
COMMISSIONER AND CANDIDATE FOR
CONGRESS, HE TOOK AN AERIAL TOUR
OVER THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA
AND HE JOINS US NOW FROM HIS
HOME, I BELIEVE IN PARKLAND,
GOOD MORNING, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, HOW ARE YOU
DOING STH.
>> WELL, WE’RE WELL, TELL US
ABOUT THE AERIAL TOUR, I MEAN
YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING
DISASTERS.
HOW BAD IS IT?
>> YEAH, SO, YOU KNOW, I TOOK A
TOUR OF THE WHOLE AREA, I FLEW
IN VIA HELICOPTER TORE KIND OF
GET AN IDEA WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE
ON LAND AND GO OUT TO THE
BARRIER ISLANDS TKS REMINDED ME
VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT MEXICO
BEACH LOOKED LIKE AFTER
HURRICANE MICHAEL, THAT CATEGORY
5 STORM.
EXCEPT MEXICO BEACH WAS A SMALL
AREA OF THE PANHANDLE.
THIS IS, I DON’T KNOW, A HUNDRED
TIMES THE SIZE OF MEXICO BEACH
BETWEEN YOU KNOW, PINE ISLAND
AND FORT MEYERS BEACH AND
SANIBEL.
THE DEVASTATION TO THE BARRIER
ISLANDS, HAVE I TO IMAGINE,
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 85 TO 90% OF
THOSE STRUCTURES ARE EITHER
DESTROYED OR SO BADLY DAMAGED
THEY WILL NEED TO BE DEMOED.
>> YOU KNOW, I’M GLAD YOU
BROUGHT UP MEXICO BEACH.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, WE
WERE WITH YOU IN MEXICO BEACH
SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, WHAT, THREE
OR FOUR MONTHS AND YOU WERE THE
HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WITH THE
GOVERNOR TAKING A TOUR.
AND WE SAW LITERALLY FOUNDATIONS
WITH NO HOMES ON THEM, MUCH LIKE
IT HAPPENING IN FORT MYERS
BEACH.
AND WE ALSO SAW NEWER
CONSTRUCTION AS IF THERE HAD NOT
BEEN A STORM.
AND WHAT A GLARING EXAMPLE OF
HOW TO REBUILD AND WHERE TO
REBUILD.
AND I WONDER IF YOU WOULD WEIGH
IN ON THE FUTURE OF BUILDING
ALONG THE COAST AND IN FLORIDA
AS WE’VE SEEN TOTALLY.
AND HOW TO DO THAT AND SHOULD
GOVERNMENT GET INVOLVED IN MORE
MONDAY TATES ABOUT THAT.
>> YES, SO YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE
LOCAL DECISIONS, OBVIOUSLY.
I’M IN BROWARD COUNTY, DADE AND
BROWARD HAVE THE STRONGEST
BUILDING CODE IN THE COUNTRY.
OTHER AREAS OF FLORIDA SHOULD BE
LOOKING AT THAT.
AND AGAIN IT’S NOT JUST THE
WIND, IT IS ALSO THE WATER.
WE KNOW HOW TO BUILD TO
WITHSTAND HURRICANE WIND BECAUSE
WE’VE DONE IT IN DADE AND
BROWARD AND OTHER COUNTIES THAT
HAVE ADOPTED THE CODE.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO WATER, YOU
ARE RIGHT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT FORT
MEYERS BEACH, OR MEXICO BEACH,
THE NEWER STRUCTURES ELEVATED
OFF THE GROUND, MAYBE THEY HAVE
DAMAGE TO THE FIRST FLOOR BUT
THE WHOLE STRUCTURE ISN’T GONE.
THE STUFF THAT IS NOT ELEVATED,
IT IS THE SAME PICTURE IN FORT
MYERS BEACH AND IN SANIBEL WHERE
HOMES ARE WASHED OFF THE
FOUNDATION, THEY ARE IN THE
STREET, IN THEIR NEIGHBOR’S
YARD.
SO LISTEN, THERE WILL BE WEATHER
EVENTS THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE
DO, THERE WILL BE DEVASTATION
BUT WE CAN BUILD TO WITHSTAND
THEM SO THAT WE DON’T SEE THE
COMPLETE DEVASTATION WE’RE
SEEING ON SOME OF THESE BARRIER
ISLANDS.
>> YEAH.
>> JARED, OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE, WE
BELIEVE, THE LEADING CANDIDATE,
POLLS TELL US THAT.
YOU KNOW FOR CONGRESS TO SUK SED
TED DEUTCH FOR THE DISTRICT FROM
FORT LAUDERDALE INTO SOUTHERN
PALM BEACH COUNTY.
SO HERE IS KIND OF A PREDICTABLE
QUESTION.
THERE ARE, IT IS A HEAVILY DEM
GRAT-- DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT, SOME
DIEHARD DEMOCRATS SAY HE IS A
NICE YOUNG MAN, A GOOD STATE
REP.
BUT HE WENT TO WORK FOR RON
DESANTIS WHO THEY DE TEST.
SO WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOVERNOR DESANTIS.
I MEAN YOU WORKED WITH HIM FOR
NEARLY FOUR YEARS.
WHAT DIFFERENCES CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT HIS POLITICAL POSITIONS
AND YOURS?
>> WELL LOOK, THE GOVERNOR AND I
HAD DIFFERENT POLITICAL
POSITIONS WHEN HE OFFERED ME THE
JOB.
THE GOVERNOR AND I HAD DIFFERENT
POLITICAL POSITIONS WHEN I DID
THE JOB FOR TWO AND A HALF YEAR,
THE GOVERNOR AND I STILL HAVE
DIFFERENT POLITICAL DECISIONS.
HE KNEW THAT WHEN HE OFFERED ME
THE JOB.
I KNEW THAT WHEN I TOOK THE JOB.
OUR RELATIONSHIP IS FINE.
OBVIOUSLY HE GAVE ME AN
OPPORTUNITY AND I THINK I DID A
GOOD JOB FOR BOTH THE CITIZENS
OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND FOR
HIS ADD MTION.
AND LOOK, THE GOVERNOR AND I
HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON
POLICIES.
BUT YOU KNOW, THE DIVISION OF
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS A RICH
HISTORY IN DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS WORKING TOGETHER,
CRAIG-- WAS A DEMOCRAT, HE
WORKED FOR A REPUBLICAN.
THE DIVISION, DIRECTOR BEFORE
THAT WAS A REPUBLICAN WORKING
FOR LAWTON CHILDS.
SO THERE SAY RICH HISTORY OF
THAT.
IT IS THE SAME REASON YOU JUST
SAW RON DESANTIS AND JOE BIED
HEEN GET TOGETHER, NOT JUST ON
HURRICANE IAN BUT THEY DID IT ON
SURFSIDE.
LOOK, I HAD A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY
IN MY STATE HOUSE DISTRICT N MY
HOMETOWN, AT MY HIGH SCHOOL, AT
MARJORIE STONEMAN DOUGLAS.
GOVERNMENT FAILED THOSE
FAMILIES, MULTIPLE LAYERS OF
GOVERNMENT.
AND WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP
PEOPLE IN A NONPARTISAN WAY IN
THEIR TIME OF NEED DEALING WITH
THEIR DISASTERS, I WANT BACK
HOME, I TALKED TO THOSE FAMILIES
AND THE IDEA OF TURNING THAT
DOWN FOR PARTISAN POLITICS
DIDN’T SEEM LIKE THE RIGHT THING
WHEN YOU KNOW, THEY HAD EMPTY
ROOMS IN THEIR HOMES, THEY HAVE
EMPTY CHAIRS AT THE DINNER
TABLE, NO HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION, NO COLLEGE
GRADUATION, NO FUTURE.
AND SO I JUST DIDN’T THINK IT
WAS A TIME FOR PARTISAN
POLITICS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A TIME FOR
PUBLIC SERVICE.
>> WE SEE IN DISASTER TIME THAT
THAT OCCURS REGULARLY, TO YOUR
POINT.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT, AGAIN,
GOING FORWARD, AND THE COSTS OF
THE STORM.
THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FLOOD
INSURANCE IN THE NATIONAL FLOOD
POOL, AND I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE
IN SOUTH FLORIDA WHO LIVE ALONG
THE COAST HAVE THAT, IS
FINANCIALLY PRETTY MANAGEABLE.
EXPENSIVE BUT DOABLE BY ALL
ACCOUNTS.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU COMPARE IT
TO WIND STORM.
AND WHAT BY ALL ACCOUNTS IS A
COLLAPSING WIND STORM INSURANCE
INDUSTRY IN THIS STATE.
AS CONGRESSMAN IF AND WHEN YOU
GET TO CONGRESS, WOULD THERE BE,
ON YOUR PLATE, SOME WORK TOWARD
A NATIONAL DISASTER POOL WHICH
WOULD INCLUDE WIND STORM AND
THINGS LIKE WILDFIRE DAMAGE AND
FLOOD, MAYBE, AND SPREADING THE
HURT THAT WAY, AND MAKING IT
MORE AFFORDABLE.
>> YEAH, I DO THINK WE NEED TO
ESTABLISH A NATIONAL CAT STROFNG
FUND.
I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD
ESTABLISH IN THAT FUND SOME SORT
OF INSURANCE, SOME SORT OF POOL
TO HELP OUT THE INSURANCE
COMPANIES MANAGE THESE
DISASTERS.
I MEAN AT THE END OF THE DAY
FLORIDA, TEXAS, LOUISIANA,
ALABAMA, MIST MIST, WE DEAL WITH
HURRICANES-- MISSISSIPPI, WE
DEAL WITH HURRICANES, WE HAVE
SEEN THE HURRICANES GET INTO THE
GULF OF MEXICO AND GO THROUGH
RAPID INTEST FICTION.
WE ARE DEALING WITH CATEGORY
FOUR, FIVE STORMS MORE OFTEN.
EARTHQUAKE, FIRES IN CALIFORNIA,
AND NEVADA.
YOU HAD FIRES IN COLORADO.
YOU HAVE FLOODS, JUST RECENTLY
IN THE KENTUCKY.
AND SO YOU KNOW, THESE EVENTS
ARE NATIONWIDE AND THERE SHOULD
BE A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM TO HELP
AMORTIZE THE SORT OF DAMAGE THAT
WE DEAL WITH SO THAT IT ISN’T
JUST UP TO STATE GOVERNMENT.
REMIND-- MY OWN INSURANCE
COMPANY DROPPED ME AND CLAIMED
THAT I HAD HURRICANE EXPOS TURE.
I GUESS THEY JUST FOUND THAT
OUT, BY THE WAY.
>> I THINK WE BURIED THE LEAD
HERE.
THAT IS A WHOLE OTHER SEGMENT.
>> YEAH.
THEY JUST DISCOVERED HI
HURRICANE INSURANCE-- HURRICANE
EXPOSURE.
I GUESS THEY DIDN’T REALIZE THAT
THEY INSURED ME WHEN I LIVED IN
FLORIDA PREVIOUSLY.
BUT THE POINT IS THE INSURANCE
MARKET IS BROKEN.
THERE IS MORE THE STATE CAN DO,
THERE IS NO DOUBT BUT I DO THINK
THERE IS GOING TO BE A NATIONAL
SOLUTION.
>> ALWAYS GOOD TO SPEAK WITH
YOU, WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH
YOUR CAMPAIGN FOR CONGRESS ON
NOVEMBER 8th.