DeSantis Skips Another Post-Hurricane Meeting with Biden
The president has visited the state for the second time in two weeks to assess the damage caused by the hurricane.
TroibNews 
Ron DeSantis did not meet with Joe Biden on Sunday, marking the second consecutive week in which the Republican governor did not engage with the outgoing Democratic president during Biden's visit to Florida to assess storm damage.
Biden was in the state to evaluate the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, which significantly impacted Florida earlier in the week. The hurricane brought heavy rains, high winds, and tornadoes to the Gulf Coast, resulting in considerable damage throughout the peninsula.
According to pool reports, Biden conducted an aerial survey of the devastation over Tampa Bay and received updates on the recovery efforts.
Before leaving Florida, Biden informed reporters that he had not spoken with DeSantis during his visit. A representative for the governor confirmed that DeSantis did not meet with Biden, indicating that the state's emergency management chief, Kevin Guthrie, attended the briefing on behalf of the governor.
Although the storm was severe, it did not develop into the worst-case scenario that officials and forecasters had anticipated prior to landfall. Nonetheless, damage estimates have reached into the tens of billions, with Moody’s Analytics projecting total economic costs ranging from “$50 billion to $85 billion” on Saturday. The storm has also resulted in at least 17 fatalities in the state.
As of Sunday afternoon, approximately 892,000 electricity customers in Florida were still without power, as reported by state regulators. This figure had peaked at around 4 million homes and businesses right after the storm passed.
DeSantis has not met with Biden during this year’s hurricane season, which coincides with the final phase of the presidential election. Following Hurricane Helene, which struck the northern region of the state last month, DeSantis also did not accompany the president during his visit, attributing the absence to a scheduling conflict while he was surveying damage hundreds of miles away.
DeSantis is set to hold a media briefing later Sunday afternoon at Treasure Island, which is close to the site where Biden received his briefing earlier that same day. However, Biden will have already left the state.
The governor similarly did not join Biden in assessing storm damage following Hurricane Idalia in 2023, during which DeSantis campaigned in the Republican presidential primary against former President Donald Trump.
Relations between DeSantis and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been strained amid the storms. Following Hurricane Helene, NBC News reported that DeSantis was not responding to Harris's attempts to communicate. Harris did not contest this report and criticized the governor for “playing political games.” In turn, DeSantis accused her of “trying to politicize the storm” for her campaign's benefit.
Despite the lack of public interactions, Biden and DeSantis have communicated via phone since the incident with the vice president, including conversations after Hurricane Milton made landfall. DeSantis has expressed gratitude for the federal government's support, while Biden noted on Wednesday that the governor has “been very gracious” and has “thanked me for all we’ve done,” when asked about the possibility of a conversation between DeSantis and Harris.
Not all Florida Republicans bypassed a meeting with Biden on Sunday. Sen. Rick Scott, a former governor who managed the state's storm response, was part of the Sunday briefing and had previously met with Biden after Hurricane Helene. Additionally, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican representing a district severely affected by Milton, was present at the briefing.
Luna has made claims that post-storm FEMA funds are being redirected to address issues related to migrants, a claim that has been proven false and is a widespread conspiracy theory on the right. Nevertheless, she spoke with the president by phone after the hurricane hit and shared on social media that “we are all working together to make sure our people are cared for.”
Gary Fineout contributed to this report.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Biden was in the state to evaluate the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, which significantly impacted Florida earlier in the week. The hurricane brought heavy rains, high winds, and tornadoes to the Gulf Coast, resulting in considerable damage throughout the peninsula.
According to pool reports, Biden conducted an aerial survey of the devastation over Tampa Bay and received updates on the recovery efforts.
Before leaving Florida, Biden informed reporters that he had not spoken with DeSantis during his visit. A representative for the governor confirmed that DeSantis did not meet with Biden, indicating that the state's emergency management chief, Kevin Guthrie, attended the briefing on behalf of the governor.
Although the storm was severe, it did not develop into the worst-case scenario that officials and forecasters had anticipated prior to landfall. Nonetheless, damage estimates have reached into the tens of billions, with Moody’s Analytics projecting total economic costs ranging from “$50 billion to $85 billion” on Saturday. The storm has also resulted in at least 17 fatalities in the state.
As of Sunday afternoon, approximately 892,000 electricity customers in Florida were still without power, as reported by state regulators. This figure had peaked at around 4 million homes and businesses right after the storm passed.
DeSantis has not met with Biden during this year’s hurricane season, which coincides with the final phase of the presidential election. Following Hurricane Helene, which struck the northern region of the state last month, DeSantis also did not accompany the president during his visit, attributing the absence to a scheduling conflict while he was surveying damage hundreds of miles away.
DeSantis is set to hold a media briefing later Sunday afternoon at Treasure Island, which is close to the site where Biden received his briefing earlier that same day. However, Biden will have already left the state.
The governor similarly did not join Biden in assessing storm damage following Hurricane Idalia in 2023, during which DeSantis campaigned in the Republican presidential primary against former President Donald Trump.
Relations between DeSantis and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been strained amid the storms. Following Hurricane Helene, NBC News reported that DeSantis was not responding to Harris's attempts to communicate. Harris did not contest this report and criticized the governor for “playing political games.” In turn, DeSantis accused her of “trying to politicize the storm” for her campaign's benefit.
Despite the lack of public interactions, Biden and DeSantis have communicated via phone since the incident with the vice president, including conversations after Hurricane Milton made landfall. DeSantis has expressed gratitude for the federal government's support, while Biden noted on Wednesday that the governor has “been very gracious” and has “thanked me for all we’ve done,” when asked about the possibility of a conversation between DeSantis and Harris.
Not all Florida Republicans bypassed a meeting with Biden on Sunday. Sen. Rick Scott, a former governor who managed the state's storm response, was part of the Sunday briefing and had previously met with Biden after Hurricane Helene. Additionally, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican representing a district severely affected by Milton, was present at the briefing.
Luna has made claims that post-storm FEMA funds are being redirected to address issues related to migrants, a claim that has been proven false and is a widespread conspiracy theory on the right. Nevertheless, she spoke with the president by phone after the hurricane hit and shared on social media that “we are all working together to make sure our people are cared for.”
Gary Fineout contributed to this report.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
