Florida’s budget will face increased financial pressure as the state continues to recover from Hurricane Michael, which ravaged Panhandle communities in October. A new report to the Senate Appropriations Committee shows the state costs for emergency relief and recovery efforts will exceed the costs for Hurricane Irma, a 2017 storm that damaged a larger portion of the state. And the Michael rebuilding effort is not likely to produce a short-term boost in sales tax revenue because many of the storm-damaged homes were not insured.
