Goodbye Blackout, Hello Orlando! Puerto Ricans Flee For Florida

Welcome

The situation in Puerto Rico is not improving.  The head of the island’s electric utility resigned today.  Progress in restoring power is very slow.  According to NPR, forty percent of the generating capacity has returned but no one can honestly say when total power will be restored.  But the bigger story is Puerto Ricans who have begun to flee to Florida.  The New York Times calls it “a great migration.”

“More than 168,000 people have flown or sailed out of Puerto Rico to Florida since the hurricane, landing at airports in Orlando, Miami and Tampa, and the port in Fort Lauderdale. Nearly half are arriving in Orlando, where they are tapping their networks of family and friends. Another 100,000 are booked on flights to Orlando through Dec. 31, county officials said. Large numbers are also settling in the Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach areas.”

And Puerto Ricans will change the political landscape too, as they traditionally vote for Democrats.