Photos for Headline Surfer / Seminole County School Board Chairwoman Amy Lockhart, who is running for the District 4 County Commission seat in 2018, is shown interacting with students in the public schools here. She also serves on the Seminole State College Board. For the past several weeks, she has been focused on Hurricane Irma, which struck Central Florida on Sept. 10. She's now focused on relief efforts and on the potential for Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico to relocate here with relatives due to the island's massive destruction. Below, Lockhart is shown at a press conference at the Seminole County Emergency Operations Center in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Behind her is Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.
YouTube download / Seminole County Schools video / Discussion of relief aid for Puerto Rico at 1:02:05 of the video.
SANFORD, Fla. -- School Board Chairwoman Amy Lockhart is all too aware of the suffering of Puerto Ricans with the utter devastation inflicted on the island a week ago by Maria, which made landfall on the commonwealth as a Category 4 hurricane.
With the cataclysmic destruction causing so much misery and suffering as well as the reality that it could take months, if not years, to restore Puerto Rico's infrastructure, Lockhart and her school board colleagues recognize their will likely be a mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to Florida, including the Seminole County cities of Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Altamonte Spring, Casselberry, Longwood and Winter Springs, where many will turn to relatives living in these communities, the district is making preparations now to deal with the influx.
"We're going to do all we can for Puerto Ricans who need to relocate here," Lockhart told Headline Surfer earlier today in a phone interview, based on sentiment shared with her colleagues and Superintendent Walt Griffin. "Seminole County Schools are prepared for this."
More immediately, Seminole County School Board members Karen Almond, Jeffrey Bauer, Abby Sanchez and Vice Chair Tina Calderon were in agreement at Tuesday night's meeting to encourage a relief drive for Puerto Rico on Friday and Saturday,Lockhart said. The drop off will be at 239 Rinehart Road. Non-perishable food items, toiletries, diapers, soaps, personal hygiene products, and sleep-ware, flashlights with batteries, and other such are among the suggested items.
With the cataclysmic destruction causing so much mysery and suffering as well as the reality that it could ake months, if not years, to restore Puerto Rico's infrastructure, Lockhart and her school board colleagues recognize their will likely be a mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to Florida, including the Seminole County cities of Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Altamonte Spring, Casselberry, Longwood and Winter Springs, where many will turn to relatives living in these communitis, the district is making preparations now to deal with the influx.
"We're going to do all we can for Puerto Ricans who need to relocate here," Lockhart told Headline Surfer earlier today in a phone interview, based on sentiment shared with her colleagues and Superintendent Walt Griffin. "Seminole County Schools are prepared for this."
More immediately, Seminole County School Board members Karen Almond, Jeffrey Bauer, Abby Sanchez, and Vice Chair Tina Calderon were in agreement at Tuesday night's meeting to encourage a relief drive for Puerto Rico on Friday and Saturday, Lockhart said.
The drop-off location is 239 Rinehart Road. Non-perishable food items, toiletries, diapers, soaps, personal hygiene products, sleepwear, flashlights with batteries, and other such necessities are among the suggested items.
And while Lockhart is running for a seat on the Seminole County Board of Commissioners in the 2018 elections, she said her immediate focus is on her school board responsibilities. Especially as they relate to the crisis in Puerto Rico and the impact on the community here.
Having gone through Hurricane Irma earlier this month, Lockhart was part of the Seminole County Emergency Management team of community leaders and first responders who dealt with the storm that struck Central Florida.
Lockhart said she cannot imagine going through two hurricanes like Puerto Rico has this month, with Irma and then Maria.
"We have families here worried about their loved ones in Puerto Rico," Lockhart said. "They went through it with Irma. Maria was much stronger, and many Puerto Rican families here have not been able to make contact with their relatives. They know they are in a devastated place. We are focused on preparing the schools for the arrival of Puerto Ricans who will turn to families here."
Profile Snapshot: Amy Lockhart
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