Hurricane Season 2023: Scott joins local officials in urging preparedness during stop in Jupiter

JUPITER — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott made the sixth appearance on his statewide hurricane preparedness tour in Jupiter on Monday, where his message was clear.

“Law-enforcement, our fire, all our first-responders will do everything they can to take care of you. You have to do the first part, and take care of yourself,” the first-term Republican senator said at the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue station on Military Trail in the town's Abacoa community.

Several Jupiter and Palm Beach County officials reinforced Scott’s message Monday to take individual responsibility by stocking food, water and medications, readying your property, learning your evacuation zone and having a plan to evacuate if officials order it.

“No one should die in a hurricane,” Scott said. “You can rebuild a house or buy a new car. You can’t rebuild your life.”

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Andrew and Ian, 30 years apart, show how different storms can be

Hurricane Ian, which struck Southwest Florida on Sept. 28 last year, was much different than Hurricane Andrew, which made landfall in South Miami-Dade as a Cat 5 in 1992, Scott said.

Andrew’s damage was mostly due to high winds, although there was some storm surge, and resulted in 65 deaths, while Ian killed at least 148 people.

Ian, a Category 4 at landfall, produced catastrophic storm surge, damaging winds and historic freshwater flooding across much of central and northern Florida. Many drowned as they fled on foot, in their vehicles or when seawater flooded their homes.

Scott urged Floridians not to just consider a hurricane by its category rating, but to think about what the storm surge might be and where flooding might occur.

Hurricane season officially began June 1, but planning for the next hurricane season begins when the last season ends, said Palm Beach County Assistant Fire Rescue Chief David Woodside. Data is analyzed to determine what can be done better.

Palm Beach County Emergency Manager Mary Blakeney said that with so many new residents moving to the county, people need to know the risks involved with a hurricane and have supply kits ready and a plan in place.

“It’s storm surge and inland flooding that has historically killed people. If you are told to evacuate, heed that warning,” Blakeney said.

Scott speaks on other topics during stop in Jupiter

Scott, a two-term Florida governor before being elected to the Senate in 2018, was asked whether there are discussions in the Senate about illegal immigrants entering the United States.

“It’s disappointing. There is almost no conversation about how you secure the (U.S.-Mexico) border and how do you have a legal immigration process. People want to come here,” Scott said. “It’s frustrating.

“I don’t understand why the Biden administration is not worried about 70,000 people dying of Fentanyl overdoses,” Scott added.

As for Florida and Texas sending immigrants to other states, Scott said that if the federal government causes a problem, then it should be responsible for that problem and pay for it.

As for last Thursday’s debt-ceiling bill vote, Scott said he voted against it because it does nothing to fix inflation.

“The problem is inflation,” Scott said. “When I was governor, we balanced the budget every year. This is all doable. The federal government just wants to spend money like it’s free. It’s not free.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: U.S. Sen Rick Scott talks hurricane preparedness during stop in Jupiter