State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is expected to be in Tampa during the coming week to help host the Florida Energy & Climate Summit.
Fried’s office touted the multi-day event as the first state-level conference to address climate change since 2008, and representatives of a wide range of groups, companies and government agencies were expected to take part.
“Energy touches every one of us every single day -- from the food we eat, to how we move from one place to another, to the air we breathe,” Fried said in a mid-August statement. “It’s critical that we create policies that take on climate change and position Florida to be a leader in energy innovation, so all Floridians have access to clean, affordable energy while creating new opportunities for Florida’s economy. This year’s summit will examine the interconnectedness of energy with other sectors including agriculture, transportation and the environment.”
But then came big, bad Hurricane Dorian.
And early Friday afternoon, Fried’s office said the summit had been postponed.
“Due to the storm’s expected impact upon the speakers, panelists, and several hundred registered attendees, the summit will be rescheduled for a future date,” the office said in a news release.
That could be a common refrain in the coming days, as Hurricane Dorian is forecast to slam into the state’s East Coast early in the week as a potential Category 4 storm.
Barring an unexpected change of direction, the hurricane will disrupt millions of Floridians’ lives and change countless plans.
State offices will be closed for Labor Day.
Here are some of the events scheduled for the remainder of the week, subject to change, of course, as the state braces for Dorian.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN AT ISSUE: The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will hold a workshop on potential financial impacts of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban possession of assault-style weapons in Florida. The political committee Ban Assault Weapons Now is trying to get the issue on the November 2020 ballot. The assault-weapons issue has long been controversial, but Florida lawmakers have repeatedly rejected calls from gun-control activists to impose a ban. The ballot proposal would define assault weapons as “semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in fixed or detachable magazine, or any other ammunition-feeding device.” (Tuesday, 8:30 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
WAKULLA COUNTY DELEGATION MEETS: The Wakulla County legislative delegation, made up of Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, is scheduled to meet as it prepares for the 2020 legislative session. (Tuesday, 5 p.m., Wakulla County Commission chamber, 29 Arran Road, Crawfordville.)
RODRIGUES SPEAKS TO GOP WOMEN: State Rep. Ray Rodrigues, an Estero Republican who is running for an open Senate seat next year, is expected to speak during a Lee Republican Women’s Club dinner meeting. (Tuesday, 6 p.m., 3 Fishermen, 13021 North Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers.)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
CABINET AIDES MEET: Aides to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis are scheduled to meet to discuss issues in advance of a Sept. 10 Cabinet meeting. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)
RUBIO HOLDS ‘MOBILE’ OFFICE HOURS: Staff members for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will hold “mobile” office hours in Santa Rosa and Miami-Dade counties. (Wednesday, 9 a.m. Central time, Pace Area Chamber of Commerce, 4344 U.S. 90, Pace. Also, 9:30 a.m., Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 N.W. First St., Miami.)
UNEMPLOYMENT CASES CONSIDERED: The state Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission will meet. (Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission, 101 Rhyne Building, 2740 Centerview Dr., Tallahassee.)
LIBERTY COUNTY DELEGATION MEETS: The Liberty County legislative delegation, made up of Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, is scheduled to meet as it prepares for the 2020 legislative session. (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m., Liberty County Courthouse, 10818 State Road 20, Bristol.)
CALHOUN COUNTY DELEGATION MEETS: The Calhoun County legislative delegation, made up of Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, is scheduled to meet as it prepares for the 2020 legislative session. (Wednesday, 5 p.m. Central time, Calhoun County Courthouse, 20859 Central Avenue East, Blountstown.)
BROWARD DELEGATION LEADERS TAPPED: The Broward County legislative delegation is scheduled to elect a 2020 chair and vice-chair. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., Conference Center at Memorial Regional Hospital, 3501 Johnson St., Hollywood.)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
FIU TRUSTEES MEET: The Florida International University Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet after a series of committee meetings. (Thursday, committees start at 8 a.m., with full board at 2 p.m., Florida International University, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Graham Center, Miami.)
HOMELESS ISSUES DISCUSSED: The Council on Homelessness will hold a quarterly conference call. (Thursday, 9 a.m. Call-in number: 1-888-585-9008. Code: 351186925.)
SUPREME COURT RELEASES OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court is expected to issue its weekly opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)
RUBIO HOLDS ‘MOBILE’ OFFICE HOURS: Staff members of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will hold “mobile” office hours in Gulf and Madison counties. (Thursday, noon, Gulf County Senior Center, 307 East Third St., Wewahitchka. Also, 1 p.m., Madison County Public Library, 378 N.W. College Loop, Madison.)
ELECTION SECURITY AT ISSUE: The group Progress for All and the Hollywood Democrats will host a forum about election security and rigging. (Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Hollywood Beach Culture & Community Center, 1301 South Ocean Dr., Hollywood.)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN AT ISSUE: The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will discuss a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban possession of assault-style weapons in Florida. The political committee Ban Assault Weapons Now is trying to get the issue on the November 2020 ballot. The assault-weapons issue has long been controversial, but Florida lawmakers have repeatedly rejected calls from gun-control activists to impose a ban. The ballot proposal would define assault weapons as “semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in fixed or detachable magazine, or any other ammunition-feeding device.” (Friday, 8:30 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)
RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS DISCUSSED: The state’s Restoration of Voting Rights Work Group will meet. The group was created as part of efforts to carry out a November constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to felons who have completed terms of their sentences. (Friday, 10 a.m., 212 Knott Building, the Capitol. Call-in number: 1-888-585-9008. Code: 659459077.)
NEW AREA CODE EYED: Staff members of the Florida Public Service Commission will hold a workshop on a proposal that could lead to an additional area code in Northwest Florida. The commission in June received a petition aimed at addressing a shortage of remaining numbers in the region served by the 850 area code. That region includes cities such as Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator, an organization that works on area-code planning, filed the petition, saying that the 850 area code will “exhaust” during the first quarter of 2022. The petition recommends approval of what is known as overlay, which would involve assigning a new area code to the same area covered by the 850 area code. The Public Service Commission would ultimately have to sign off on a new area code, as it did last year when it approved a new 689 area code for parts of Central Florida. That new code, which took effect in June, was an overlay of the 407 and 321 area codes in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and parts of Lake and Volusia counties. (Friday, 1 p.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)
RUBIO HOLDS ‘MOBILE’ OFFICE HOURS: Staff members of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will hold “mobile” office hours in Franklin County. (Friday, 2:30 p.m., Carrabelle City Hall Office Complex, 1206 Highway 98 East, Carrabelle.)
