Power struggle? Tallahassee, state at odds in storm recovery

Governor Rick Scott says the City of Tallahassee needs more help in restoring power to the more than 20,000 customers still in the dark.

Meanwhile Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is on the hot seat due to a perceived slow recovery and critical areas such as nursing homes, remaining without power.

“There are still too many people without power in the city of Tallahassee and Leon County”, Scott said. That contrasts with other parts of the state where there were only a few thousand still without electricity.

Scott said he wants to do everything he can to help residents and businesses quickly recover from Hurricane Hermine.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum tweeted late Friday that crews were going to stop fix efforts for the evening and that full restoration could take a week.

After reportedly denying aid from the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Tallahassee is accepting “cut-and-toss” assistance from the FDOT to clear debris such as downed trees and fallen tree limbs. Scott retorted that it may bother some people but that he wasn’t going to stop pushing for more to be done.

City officials were hopeful that 90 percent of power could be restored by Monday evening but it didn’t appear they would reach that goal.

The contractors began work today and are being paid for by state funds, according to the Governor’s Office.

Florida’s first hurricane in 11 years also brought to the forefront the problems that can often exist between investor-owned utilities and those owned by municipalities.

“What if we have a Category 2 or 3 hit?”

But the Governor also said as the number of people without power continues to shrink, it gets harder to get the rest up and running. Private power companies, including Gulf Power and Florida Power and Light have offered to help Tallahassee’s municipal electric company and the Talquin Electric Cooperative. Gould said the offer still stands.

Scott had given Gillum an 8 p.m. deadline to respond to his offer.