Kevin Guthrie's 3 hurricane prep tips

Politico

2 days ago

Good morning and welcome to June: the start of hurricane season.
There's only one Gov. RON DESANTIS. But artificial intelligence can help him be in more than two places at once — at least when it comes to emergency management.
Heading into this hurricane season, Florida is using a new system called BEACON, or Broadcast Emergency Alerts and Communication Operations Network. It uses AI to comb through press releases, text messages and other official government sources, then turns them into a broadcast using the voices of people that communities trust.
For some, that'll be DeSantis. For others, it'll be a local sheriff or someone who speaks Spanish. Either way, it's intended to cut down on the manpower needed to get the word out so people can still get accurate information.
BEACON is able to recognize which part of the state people live in to send them hyper-local, constant alerts about how they might be affected and what they need to do. It also tells them how to get resources that'll help after the storm.
KEVIN GUTHRIE, executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, hopped on the phone to talk about BEACON and other hurricane prep tools with Playbook. Weather forecasters say this year's season is expected to be 'above average,' with anywhere from three to five major hurricanes expected in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
BEACON is designed to work even when the power is out and when people don't have cellphone service. It's in several major markets now while it expands statewide, Guthrie said. Floridians will be able to hear its alerts over TV or radio broadcasts, as well as through an app. (Download it for Apple or Android.)
Another tool Guthrie is drawing attention to is called Storm Armour, one that's extremely effective in preventing rain from coming in sideways through sliding glass doors and windows. Think of it as working like a sandbag, Guthrie explained. He emphasized that it'll be helpful not just with homes but with condos — where water that enters upper-level units would otherwise seep down to the bottom floors.
'It takes a handful of minutes to install,' Guthrie said. Officials hope that more people will buy the tools so that there's far less flood damage to properties. They retail at $585, but Guthrie said they have the potential to help people avoid tens of thousands of dollars in storm damage.
Lastly, Guthrie is doubling down on a key message this hurricane season: Fill up your gas tank when it reaches the halfway mark. The emergency management division started with the campaign, dubbed 'Halfway Full, Halfway There,' last year and wants to double down on it this year so that, if a storm does hit, lines at gas stations won't be as long. Guthrie wants Floridians to get to a place where keeping tanks more full becomes not just best practice, but common practice.
'We're looking for more private-public partnerships to help us get those campaigns out and do some more stuff,' he said.
WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Sarasota at 10 a.m.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: [e-mail].
Today's Playbook was written with help from Veronica Bianco.
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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...
BACK TO TALLAHASSEE TOMORROW — 'Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal that will guarantee $2.25 billion shifted into tax cuts and reserves while also establishing a path for legislators to avoid a potential shutdown of state government this summer,' reports POLITICO's Gary Fineout.
'The agreement does not include a permanent reduction in the overall sales tax rate … In a memo to senators, Albritton said the plan is for lawmakers to start budget conference meetings Tuesday, with the goal to work over the next two weeks and vote out the budget no later than June 16. …
'The agreement calls for the Legislature to reduce 'recurring revenue' by $2.25 billion including the elimination of sales tax charged on commercial leases and what is being billed as 'permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families.' This was not explained further, but Albritton earlier in the year had proposed the permanent elimination of sales taxes on clothing and shoes valued at less than $75.'
IN MEMORIAM — 'Former Florida State University President and state House Speaker John Thrasher died early Friday morning, according to a family spokesperson. He was 81,' reports POLITICO's Gary Fineout. 'Thrasher played a pivotal role in Florida's transition from a state long controlled by Democrats to one now dominated by Republicans. … Thrasher served as House speaker in 1999 and 2000, coinciding with then-Gov. Jeb Bush's first years in office and GOP control of both the governor's mansion and Legislature. Thrasher was instrumental in getting legislators to pass several major bills during Bush's first year in office, including his signature A+ education law that first brought private school vouchers in the state and subjected schools to annual grading based on test scores.'
TEACHER TRAINING OVERHAUL — 'Legislation signed Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis calls on the Florida Department of Education to rework key aspects of the teacher certification process by replacing longstanding tests educators needed to pass to earn certification with new measures developed by the state,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'The new education law also doubles down on Florida's opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion by prohibiting educator training courses from 'distort[ing] significant historical events' or teaching 'identity politics' in language carried over from 'anti-woke' policies passed last year by state Republicans.'
— 'DeSantis signs law restricting cellphones in schools,' reports News Service of Florida.
PSC HEARINGS CONTINUE — The Public Service Commission this week will wrap up a series of customer service hearings around the state on Florida Power & Light Co.'s $2.5 billion rate hike request. Hearings will be held online Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by hearings Thursday in Pensacola and Friday in Panama City. Last week, 30 environmental and energy justice groups sent a letter to the PSC objecting to FPL's request.
— Bruce Ritchie
INSIDE THE LATEST COURT ABORTION DECISION — A Florida Appeals Court took an 'unusual legal step' this month when it ruled unconstitutional a law letting minors get abortions without parental consent, reports the Tampa Bay Times' Romy Ellenbogen. The court was initially considering whether to reverse a lower court's denial of a 17-year-old's petition for an abortion but instead decided to rule on the constitutionality of the law that allows minors to file petitions for care in the first place. Florida Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER and other conservatives heralded the ruling as a win for parental rights and the anti-abortion movement, while abortion access advocates called it a misuse of judicial power.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY PUSH — 'Attorney General James Uthmeier issued subpoenas Friday to Florida-based hospitals to ensure they comply with price transparency laws,' reports Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'Uthmeier said under Florida law, a hospital's failure to provide price disclosure may constitute an unfair and deceptive trade practice.'
— 'A Florida Medicaid patient had a heart attack in South Dakota. He owed the hospital $77,574,' by Arielle Zionts of KFF Health News.
PENINSULA AND BEYOND
UNDER CONSIDERATION THIS WEEK — The State University's Board of Governors will vote this week on whether to confirm SANTA ONO as University of Florida president, reports Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix. The proposed contract suggests a compensation package of $3 million a year.
MANATEE THREATS — 'An environmental group Friday filed a formal notice that is a step toward suing the federal government over protecting manatees in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge,' reports News Service of Florida.
'The Center for Biological Diversity alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act because of understaffing at the refuge, which the notice said serves as a winter habitat for about 20 percent of Florida's manatees drawn by warm-water springs and vegetation.'
...HURRICANE HOLE...
DUST WAVE COMING — A massive plume of dust from the Sahara desert is on its way towards Florida and could be visible towards the middle of this week, CBS News' Sarah Lynch Baldwin reports. The National Weather Service said the dust can exacerbate allergies and cause some eye irritation.
It's typical for dust to migrate across the Atlantic in the early summer each year. NOAA calls it the Saharan Air Layer, a mass of 'very dry, dusty air' that forms in the desert and floats west over the ocean. The National Hurricane Center's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch said the dry air helps suppress storm development.
INSURANCE COSTS STILL HIGH — 'The upward rise in costs for homeowner insurance in Florida resumed during the first quarter of 2025, with average premium costs edging higher after dipping slightly in late 2024, new data released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation shows,' reports Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
'The average premium paid by owners of single-family homes in Florida increased by 0.3 percent — climbing from $3,646 to $3,658 — between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, according to a South Florida Sun Sentinel comparison of figures released in the office's quarterly Residential Market Share Report.'
MOVING AFTER THE STORM — Some Tampa Bay residents are leaving the hurricane-ridden area for places like Montana, the Midwest and even Australia, the Tampa Bay Times' Michaela Mulligan and Max Chesnes report.
People who moved away said massive flooding during Hurricane Helene and widespread power outages during Milton were enough to finally bring them to leave the place that, for some, was home for decades. Others cited affordability, education policy, and more as motivation to leave the state in addition to environmental concerns.
CAMPAIGN MODE
PRIMARY AHEAD THIS MONTH — 'The Democratic primary to succeed outgoing state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis will pit her current chief of staff, RaShon Young, against former state Rep. Travaris McCurdy,' reports Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel. 'The special election for District 40 in western Orange County, a heavily Democratic seat which includes parts of Orlando and Ocoee, is the latest domino effect following the death of state Sen. Geraldine Thompson in February.'
— 'August Mangeney launches bid to flip HD 93 back to blue, promises 'people first' agenda,' Florida Politics' Jesse Scheckner reports.
— 'Upton Fisher to file to succeed Michele Rayner in HD 62,' by Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics.
TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP
SCOTUS DECISION ON IMMIGRATION — 'The Supreme Court has given the Trump administration the go-ahead to begin deporting about a half-million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who entered the U.S. legally under 'humanitarian parole' programs implemented during the Biden administration,' reports POLITICO's Josh Gerstein.
NEW NASA NOM AHEAD — 'The White House [withdrew] the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,' reports POLITICO's Ben Johansen. 'The sudden move [came] days before the Senate was slated to vote on his nomination to lead NASA.'
WINTER WHITE HOUSE — 'The man who has led President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club for three decades is retiring,' reports Kristina Webb of the Palm Beach Daily News. 'Bernd Lembcke, Mar-a-Lago's executive vice president and managing director, announced his retirement in a letter to members dated May 30 and provided to Palm Beach Daily News by a club member.'
ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN
BIRTHDAYS: Former state Rep. Mike Hill … Political analyst and consultant Chris Ingram.