Rick Scott presses Joe Biden on hurricane response

Though Florida’s current Governor sidestepped a chance to meet with Joe Biden during the President’s survey of Hurricane Helene damage, his predecessor did not.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott issued a media release detailing his disappointment with Biden’s storm response leaving Floridians in the lurch. He took aim at multiple federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“While I appreciate President Biden, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and officials from FEMA coming to Florida to see the damage here firsthand, there is so much work to be done,” Scott said.

“During my meeting with President Biden, I stressed that the federal government’s response to hurricanes over the last two years has left too many Floridians, especially our farmers, hurting and with unmet needs — and this must be fixed NOW.”

Scott also is urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to “immediately reconvene the Senate once FEMA and the SBA finalize damage assessments so we can fully fund these agencies, the USDA, and others responding to this disaster with a clean disaster supplemental appropriations bill.”

“I’ll be fighting like hell to deliver disaster aid to our state, and ensure seamless debris removal guidance for our local communities, and I urged the federal officials there today to put Floridians and all Americans first by doing the same,” Scott vowed.

“Since Hurricane Ian, Washington has played games with disaster relief funds and delayed the delivery of urgently needed FEMA assistance, and other aid like USDA block grants for Florida’s farmers and my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act. This aid has been routinely provided to victims of hurricanes in the past but that has not been the case since Hurricanes Ian, Debby and Idalia and that must change so we can deliver this aid NOW.”

Meanwhile, the Florida Democratic Party is taking a different tack, arguing that the Senator “skipped town” and avoided a vote on a supplemental funding bill that lacked new money for hurricane relief.

“Floridians desperately need disaster relief funding to rebuild from Helene, but Rick Scott wasn’t in Washington to fight for it when it mattered most. Scott wants to be the hero but he can’t change the facts: he’s voted against disaster relief time and time again,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Floridians are sick of Scott’s performances and will hold him accountable in November.”