Vern Buchanan, Kathy Castor lead request to Joe Biden for expedited Milton declaration

U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Kathy Castor are leading a letter urging President Joe Biden to expedite Hurricane Milton relief.

The Longboat Key Republican and Tampa Democrat represent districts heavily impacted by the Category 3 hurricane. Their letter supports a request from Gov. Ron DeSantis for an expedited major disaster declaration by Biden.

“As you are undoubtedly aware, Florida has experienced three hurricanes in as many months — two of which have been major hurricanes — causing significant damage across much of the state,” the letter reads.

“In fact, Hurricane Milton made landfall on parts of Florida’s coastline that had already suffered from unprecedented storm surge from Hurricane Helene and claimed the lives of 25 Floridians just two weeks ago. Furthermore, dozens of tornadoes were reported on the east and west coasts of the state from the outer bands of Hurricane Milton, destroying an estimated 150 homes and leading to numerous fatalities.”

Buchanan, the Republican Co-Chair of the Florida congressional delegation, received a tour of the storm’s impact on Florida’s 16th Congressional District. He lives on a barrier island north of where Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening.

“Just weeks after Hurricane Helene barreled across Florida and up the East Coast, Hurricane Milton ripped through my district and much of the state, claiming at least 16 lives and causing still untold damage to peoples’ homes, businesses and property,” Buchanan said.

“In order to help our constituents and our communities recover and rebuild, we require the full support of the federal government. A Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Milton will do just that and unlock critical resources and federal funding for our state, residents and local communities.”

The Sarasota-Bradenton area also dealt with significant flooding after Hurricane Debby.

The greatest rainfall and storm surge from Milton struck areas north of landfall. Castor’s Hillsborough County district as of Friday still has more people without power because of the storm.

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott co-signed the letter from Buchanan and Castor, as did every U.S. Representative representing Florida in the House.