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Scott Wants Washington's Help With Zika Response

Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Washington in hopes of developing an emergency response plan for combating the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Washington in hopes of developing an emergency response plan for combating the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Governor Rick Scott says he’s not sure what he will ask for when he heads to Washington Wednesday for a two-day trip to discuss a strategy for combatting the mosquito-borne Zicka virus.

Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Washington in hopes of developing an emergency response plan for combating the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Washington in hopes of developing an emergency response plan for combating the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Scott couldn’t name a dollar figure, but he says he wants to create a disaster response plan similar to hurricanes.

“Whether it’s more money for our mosquito boards, whether it’s to make sure we have the right testing kits, to make sure, that, if we have a significant outbreak, do we have all the right resources, do we have what we ought to be given to families if there’s an outbreak in their area? All of these things.”

Florida’s congressional delegation has been working with the Obama Administration to free up $1.9 billion.

With more than 100 confirmed cases, Florida has more than any other state. Most of them are in South Florida.

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Jim Ash is a reporter at WFSU-FM. A Miami native, he is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.