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As Idalia approaches Florida, DeSantis says now is not the time for politics

Before Tropical Storm Idalia locked Florida’s eastern coast in its crosshairs, state residents were more likely to catch Gov. Ron DeSantis on TV shaking hands in Iowa as part of his presidential campaign than they were to see him in Florida. Now, as Idalia is expected to become a powerful hurricane, DeSantis said he is leaving the campaign trail to steer his state through the disaster.

“When you have situations like this, you’ve got to put the interest of the people first,” the governor said Monday morning in the Tallahassee emergency operations center, in response to a question about whether communications have been strained with the Biden administration, which he has sharply criticized as part of his White House bid.

“There’s a time and a place to have the political season, but then there’s a time and place to say that this is something that’s life-threatening,” he added. “We have a responsibility as Americans to come together and do what we can to mitigate any damage and to protect people.”

DeSantis spoke by phone with President Joe Biden at 9:35 a.m. Monday, according to the governor’s schedule.

When handled well, hurricanes have historically provided Florida governors with the opportunity to get a high volume of media coverage, which can prove to be an important political opportunity to solidify their image as a leader in times of crisis. Still, DeSantis’ situation is unique: He’s the first sitting governor of Florida to run for president while in office, which means no other governor has handled such a disaster with the intense level of scrutiny that being a presidential candidate brings.

Ron DeSantis says he wanted to go further than Legislature in fixing insurance problems

Florida’s homeowners’ insurance market is about to be severely tested by Tropical Storm Idalia, and while the Legislature passed a package to support it this year, the Governor says he would have done more if he could.

“I’ve always wanted to do more than the Legislature wanted to do,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in Tallahassee.

“We got the Legislature to do a lot more this year than we’ve ever had. So, whatever is down the pike that could be beneficial to the market, I’m all ears for it.”

The Legislature has shored up the reinsurance market and made various legislative reforms recently, as insurers have bailed from Florida.

SB 2A, passed in December, provided $1 billion from the state’s general revenue fund to bolster the reinsurance market, to stop last year’s attrition of available providers. This followed up another $2 billion allocation from a Special Session in May 2022 for essentially the same purpose.

Here are the first 10 drugs that Medicare will target for price cuts

The Biden administration released its list of the first 10 drugs that Medicare will target for price cuts – reductions the government plans to achieve by negotiating the prices with drug makers.

People on Medicare who took the 10 drugs paid a total of $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs for them in 2022, according to the government. The cost to Medicare was much higher — about $50 billion in total.

The list includes Eliquis, a drug sold by Bristol Myers Squibb to prevent blood clots used by more than 3.7 million people on Medicare in the year ending May 2023 at a cost of $16.4 billion to the program, and Xarelto, another blood thinner sold by Johnson & Johnson used by more than 1.3 million people on Medicare at a cost to the program of more than $6 billion.

Diabetes drugs Jardiance, Januvia, Farxiga and Fiasp/Novolog insulin are on the list, as are Enbrel and Stelara, drugs used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Imbruvica, a drug that treats blood cancers, is also on the list.

Some Florida tolls are being lifted to help aid Idalia evacuations

To help speed evacuations ahead of what is expected to be a powerful Hurricane Idalia, the state is lifting tolls at 4 a.m. Tuesday in parts of the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he’s directed the Department of Transportation to stop collecting tolls in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas and Sumter counties.

“You don't need to leave the state. You don't need to drive 100 miles to ride out the storm,” DeSantis said during a news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center.

“If you're in those low-lying areas, the reason why they (local officials) are advising you to evacuate is because you're going to be susceptible to storm surge.”