[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18182-18183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      FLORIDA WEATHERS THE STORMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, in a few minutes, my other colleagues 
from Florida will be speaking on the horrible disasters that have 
befallen our State. I am proud to stand with my Florida colleagues in a 
bipartisan manner to congratulate and thank all of the men and women 
who have helped to make our fellow citizens be better able to cope with 
this crisis.
  I want to express my condolences for the victims of Hurricanes 
Frances and Charley and the victims of Hurricane Ivan in the Caribbean. 
These storms have caused a great loss of life and property, but it 
would have been far worse had it not been for the sound planning and 
the quick response from Governor Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush. 
Governor Bush organized an effective plan and ensured that the National 
Guard would mobilize in the areas that were hardest hit.
  I also would like to commend President Bush for his quick declaration 
of an emergency and his handling of the disasters. Thanks to President 
Bush, Floridians were able to quickly receive the essentials that they 
needed. President Bush traveled to Florida to inspect the disaster and 
was handing out water and ice to those affected and he spoke to 
Floridians who had lost everything in this disaster.
  Here in Congress, we acted last week to pass an emergency 
supplemental appropriations bill to help FEMA pay for the disaster 
relief of Hurricane Charley. Soon our colleagues in Congress are once 
again rising to the same challenges as we prepare to pass another 
supplemental appropriations bill for Hurricane Frances.

                              {time}  2000

  I am proud to represent both Miami-Dade County and Monroe County. 
Miami-Dade experienced the loss of electricity in many areas as well as 
a shortage of fuel, and the Florida Keys have been evacuated twice, 
leading to a huge economic loss to that area. Today for the third time 
in a month, another part of Florida braces for a disastrous storm. All 
of south Florida prays for the safety of those in the path of Hurricane 
Ivan, and I am confident that if it were to strike our State, Governor 
Bush and President Bush and all of the emergency workers will once 
again be ready to quickly respond.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to bring to the attention of this 
Chamber the economic losses which the Florida Keys have suffered as a 
result of the two mandatory evacuations imposed in less than a month. 
Tourists had to leave, which meant a huge economic loss for the area. 
The Florida Keys badly depends on the thousands and

[[Page 18183]]

thousands of tourists who come to enjoy south Florida. My good friend, 
the colorful commissioner of Key West, Tom Oosterhoudt, will be manning 
the emergency operations center tonight from 10 to midnight when the 
winds of Hurricane Ivan will be whipping by Key West.
  The Florida Keys, as all of us know, are the southern-most point of 
Florida. Their abundance of nature and beaches, fishing, and coral make 
them one of the largest destinations for tourists, and they come from 
every corner of the globe to bask in the year-round beach weather. 
Conservationists and nature lovers come to enjoy the many birds and 
plant species that are found in no other place.
  However, because of these three hurricanes that have threatened to 
strike, the Florida Keys have been evacuated at various times in these 
weeks. And for an economy that is heavily dependent on tourism, these 
hurricanes have been economically devastating.
  My district office staff helped out today at Florida International 
University, the shelter for the Monroe County residents who had to 
evacuate their lovely keys. This week alone Key West lost 20 to $30 
million in lost sales tax revenues. This is just in 1 week.
  So I call on all Americans to plan a visit once again to the Florida 
Keys now that the hurricanes have almost passed. I invite them to 
discover the beauty and the wonder that Hemingway and President Truman 
fell in love with and which encouraged them to make the Florida Keys 
one of their homes. Come to our beaches, swim in our coral reef, fish 
in our waters, enjoy the sun; and while there, of course, a mandatory 
visit to a bar in Key West; swim in Sombrero Beach in Marathon, and 
ride a jet ski in Key Largo.
  As the Florida Keys representative in Congress, I welcome people to 
come and visit the Florida Keys and all of south Florida once again, 
and they will see why I am so proud to represent such a beautiful and 
diverse place.

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