Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Cory Mills said he’s working with billionaire Elon Musk to restore internet service in Florida after Hurricane Milton.
The New Smyrna Beach Republican said he received 50 Starlink mini-systems. Starlink, a subsidy of the Musk-owned SpaceX, is offering internet service free through the rest of the year for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, two major hurricanes that hit Florida in the last three weeks.
When Helene cut off a number of road connections to North Carolina communities affected by Milton, Mills delivered supplies, including Starlink kits, as a private citizen by helicopter. Now, Mills said he’s working with Musk and Mercury One, a nonprofit founded by conservative pundit Glenn Beck, to set up systems in the Florida district he represents in Congress.
“We’ve got our generators in. We’ve got about 50 of the Starlink committee kits we’ll be distributing us today,” he said in a video posted on X on Saturday. “I’ve been in contact with our Office of Emergency Management, Alan Harris in Seminole County. I was in touch with (Volusia County) Sheriff Mike Chitwood and will be dropping it off to the Sheriff’s departments and Sheriff’s office in both Seminole and Volusia.”
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota County on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane, crossed the state and remained at hurricane-level strength as it left the Atlantic Coast on Thursday morning. Volusia County still has the fourth highest percentages of residents without power, almost 23% as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, of any county in Florida.
Mills said he will also be distributing power generators in the region.
He also said will prioritize making sure first responders have necessary communication online, noting concerns raised by Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis in Polk County about how Verizon outages impacted law enforcement.
He posted a photo on X of himself delivering 15 systems to the Florida Highway Patrol “to utilize as they escort much needed equipment, supplies, and resources to assist recovery.”
3 comments
ScienceBLVR
October 13, 2024 at 8:26 am
Humph.. I like the politicians who help without trying to capitalize on tragedy .. or act like they’re helping altruistically, rather than to score political points.
What a jerk
….He posted a photo on X of himself delivering 15 systems to the Florida Highway Patrol “to utilize as they escort much needed equipment, supplies, and resources to assist recovery.”
JustBabs
October 13, 2024 at 9:49 pm
By the time they get this up and running nobody will need it. Too little, too late.
Phil Morton
October 14, 2024 at 4:41 am
Good news for everyone, Cory Mills’ help isn’t needed. Less than 4% of customers are without power in Volusia County. Cory needs to get out of the way and let professionals do their jobs.
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