Highlights:
DeSantis Voted Against Federal Relief Package For New York And New Jersey In Aftermath Of Hurricane Sandy. According to The Hill, “Newly elected to Congress in 2013, DeSantis voted against a federal relief package for New York and New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Sandy hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states in late 2012, killing more than 100 Americans.” [The Hill, 9/29/22]
DeSantis And Rep. Yoho Were The Only House Members From Florida To Oppose Hurricane Sandy Relief Package. According to the New York Times, “In 2013, Mr. DeSantis and Representative Ted Yoho, another hard-line conservative, were the only House members from Florida to oppose the Sandy package.” [New York Times, 9/29/22]
New York Public Officials Criticized DeSantis For Voting Against Federal Aid For Hurricane Sandy In Congress. According to The Hill, “As Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida on Wednesday, several public officials from New York criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for voting against federal aid for Hurricane Sandy when he was a congressman. ‘Just a reminder to New York … Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis (who was in Congress at the time) voted against aid for Hurricane Sandy,’ Yuh-Line Niou, a member of the New York state assembly, said on Twitter.” [The Hill, 9/29/22]
DeSantis Requested Biden Grant Major Disaster Declaration For All 67 Counties Following Impact Of Hurricane Ian, Included 100% Federal Cost Share For Debris Removal And Emergency Protective Measures. According to a press release from Governor Ron DeSantis, “Today, Governor Ron DeSantis requested President Biden grant a Major Disaster Declaration for all 67 counties, for all categories, and all types of assistance, due to the ongoing devastating impacts of Hurricane Ian. If granted, a Major Disaster Declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals, as well as funds for both emergency and permanent work and public infrastructure. The request can be found here. Governor DeSantis also requested President Biden grant the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the authority to provide 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures (FEMA Categories A and B) for the first 60 days from landfall. This FEMA grant can only be authorized by the President of the United States. The letter with this request can be found here.” [Governor Ron DeSantis Press Release, 9/28/22]
DeSantis Outlined His Request For Full Federal Reimbursement Up Front For 60 Days And Called For People To Put Politics Aside. According to the New York Times, “‘As you say, Tucker, we live in a very politicized time,’ Mr. DeSantis, now Florida’s governor, told Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night, outlining his request for full federal reimbursement up front for 60 days and urging the Biden administration to do the right thing. ‘But you know, when people are fighting for their lives, when their whole livelihood is at stake, when they’ve lost everything — if you can’t put politics aside for that, then you’re just not going to be able to.’” [New York Times, 9/29/22]
DeSantis’s Called For Full Federal Disaster Relief Funds For Hurricane Ian Followed 2012 Votes Against Hurricane Sandy Aid. According to the American Independent, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requested federal disaster relief funds from President Joe Biden’s administration on Sept. 28 to address the damage caused by Hurricane Ian. DeSantis is one of many Republican politicians in Florida who have previously opposed federal disaster funding for other states, but now support it for their own state following the damage wrought by Ian. […] As a member of Congress in 2012, DeSantis opposed a similar relief package for Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the East Coast. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also voted against a funding bill for Hurricane Sandy, though he subsequently voted for another smaller package. DeSantis voted against both bills.” [American Independent, 10/5/22]
Federal Aid To Florida For Recovery From Hurricane Ian Exceeded $2 Billion. According to the Associated Press, “Federal aid to Florida for recovery from Hurricane Ian has topped the $2 billion mark, Biden administration officials announced Monday, one day before the midterm elections. Most of the money was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. About $710 million went directly to households, and another $322 million went to the state. The U.S. Small Business Administration furnished $631 million in disaster loans, and the National Flood Insurance Program has paid out $351 million in claims.” [Associated Press, 11/7/22]
DeSantis Said That He Would Vote For A Disaster Relief Bill For His District Only If It Was “Fiscally Responsible.” According to the St. Augustine Record, “Would he vote against disaster relief if a hurricane hit his district? ‘If a hurricane came here, I would want any relief plan to be fiscally responsible,’ he said. ‘(I) would not want to add extra things and say that because this is a vehicle that’s moving, let’s try to Christmas tree it out.’ Asked if he would vote against hurricane relief that affected his own district, DeSantis was less specific, but said he would support the right plan.” [St. Augustine Record, 6/16/13]
2013: DeSantis Voted To Offset $17 Billion In Emergency Superstorm Sandy Relief With Across The Board Discretionary Spending Cuts. In January 2013, DeSantis voted for an amendment that, according to Congressional Quarterly, would have “offset the $17 billion in emergency relief and recovery funding [in the underlying legislation] with a 1.63 percent across-the-board cut to all discretionary spending for fiscal 2013. The [underlying legislation] [would have] provide[d] $17 billion to address immediate needs relating to damage sustained from Superstorm Sandy.” The vote was on agreeing to the amendment, which the House rejected by a vote of 162 to 258. [House Vote 14, 1/15/13; Congressional Quarterly, 1/15/13]
2013: DeSantis Voted Against Requiring FEMA To Continue Using Grandfathered Rates For Flood Insurance Premiums. In June 2013, DeSantis voted against an amendment by Rep. Cassidy (R-LA) to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for FY2014, which, according to CQ.com, “would bar the use of funds provided in the bill to implement, carry out, administer or enforce a provision of current law that ends grandfathered National Flood Insurance Program rates for certain policy holders.” The amendment would effectively prohibit charging homeowners’ rates during the coming fiscal year based on revised flood maps that, in some cases, had led to multi-thousand dollar increases in a homeowners’ yearly flood insurance premium. The House adopted the amendment by a vote of 281 to 146. The underlying bill later passed the House, but while the Senate Appropriations Committee has reported its version of the legislation, the bill has not been taken up yet on the Senate floor. [House Vote 203, 6/5/13; Congressional Record, 6/5/13; Congressional Quarterly, 6/5/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2217]
2018: DeSantis Effectively Voted Against Requiring The Army Secretary Restore And Improve Public Infrastructure Damaged By Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Or Maria. In June 2018, DeSantis effectively voted against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “require[d] the secretary of the Army to restore and improve the public infrastructure in the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that was damaged as a result of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria.” The underlying legislation was a water bill. The vote was on a motion to recommit. The House rejected the motion, thereby defeating the amendment, by a vote of 180 to 227. [House Vote 237, 6/6/18; Congressional Quarterly, 6/6/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 8]
Emergency Managers In Lee County Florida Delayed Issuing Evacuation Orders Ahead Of Hurricane Ian. According to the New York Times, “As Hurricane Ian charged toward the western coast of Florida this week, the warnings from forecasters were growing more urgent. Life-threatening storm surge threatened to deluge the region from Tampa all the way to Fort Myers. But while officials along much of that coastline responded with orders to evacuate on Monday, emergency managers in Lee County held off, pondering during the day whether to tell people to flee, but then deciding to see how the forecast evolved overnight.” [New York Times, 9/30/22]
DeSantis Defended His Hurricane Response As Questions Mounted Over Evacuation Protocols. According to Politico, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday defended the state’s early preparations for Hurricane Ian as questions remain over whether hard-hit areas received enough advance warning to evacuate. DeSantis said local officials in Lee County— where Ian made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane — acted appropriately when they issued evacuation orders on Tuesday, after the storm’s forecasted path had shifted from the eastern Panhandle to Tampa Bay and eventually further south to the Fort Myers area. Several other counties in southwest Florida and west-central Florida — including Charlotte County, immediately to the north of Lee — had issued mandatory evacuation orders for their barrier islands on Monday, offering crucial extra time for people to depart a low-lying region with few major escape routes. The National Hurricane Center warned Monday that the region from Fort Myers to Tampa Bay faced the highest risk of storm surge, regardless of Ian’s exact path. Even so, DeSantis pointed to the ample public warnings early this week that Ian posed a catastrophic danger to the flood-prone Tampa Bay region, which had not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century. ‘When we went to bed Monday night, people were saying this is a direct hit on Tampa Bay — worst case scenario for the state,’ DeSantis said during a news briefing in Fort Myers on Saturday.” [Politico, 10/1/22]
DeSantis And Florida’s Division Of Emergency Management Head, Noted The Difficulty Of Predicting The Path Of Hurricane Ian, Which Was Why Lee County Was Given Notice During Hours 36-48 Of The Storm. According to Politico, “Kevin Guthrie, director Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said the storm’s path was very difficult to predict and state officials make decisions with the best information they have at the time. ‘Lee county did not get real notice that they were going to be the center of this thing until about 36-48 hours,’ he said during a briefing on Friday. DeSantis, at that same briefing, also said local officials had acted appropriately given the data they had. ‘I think from southwest Florida’s perspective, as the storm shifted, they made calls and they were helping people get to shelters, they opened up their shelters, they did what they needed to do,’ he said. He added that, as a sign of how unpredictable the storm was, some people in Tampa even tried to escape the storm by traveling south to Fort Myers.” [Politico, 10/1/22]
Death Toll From Hurricane Ian Reached 149 Deaths, Including 72 In Lee County. According to WUSF, “With another death added in Lee County, medical examiners have confirmed that 149 people have died from Hurricane Ian, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Friday. The department had reported 148 deaths in mid-January, including 71 in Lee County. But a news release Friday said the Lee County total had increased to 72.” [WUSF, 2/4/23]
DeSantis Defended His Response In Lee County, Said “This Has Been Handled Ad Nauseam.” According to the Orlando Sentinel, “‘This has been handled ad nauseam,’ DeSantis told a reporter at a news conference in Cape Coral. But the reporter kept asking the question, even as DeSantis told him, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’ ‘Lee County has explained what they did,’ he said impatiently. ‘We should be focusing on lifting people up and stop incessantly talking and trying to cast aspersions on people that were doing the best job they could with imperfect information.’” [Orlando Sentinel, 10/3/22]
DeSantis Grew Frustrated With A CNN Reporter When Asked About Lee County Evacuations. According to the Huffington Post, “On Monday, DeSantis grew testy in an interview with a CNN reporter who asked him if Lee County, where Hurricane Ian made landfall, should have called for a mandatory evacuation earlier than Tuesday, just a day before the storm hit, the way neighboring counties had done. ‘Where was your industry stationed when the storm hit? Were you guys in Lee County? No, you were in Tampa,’ he said to the reporter. ‘So they were following the weather track, and they had to make decisions based on that. But, you know, 72 hours, they weren’t even in the cone. Forty-eight hours, they were on the periphery, so you’ve got to make the decisions best you can.’” [Huffington Post, 10/3/22]
DeSantis Blamed The Media For Outsized Focusing On Tampa Bay In Build Up To The Storm. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “He blamed the news media for focusing on Tampa Bay in the days before the storm, saying the criticism was ‘a little rich, coming from an industry that on Monday, all day, they were all in Tampa Bay saying it was going to be the worst case scenario for Florida straight into Tampa Bay.’” [Orlando Sentinel, 10/3/22]
Were Handled At The Local Level. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie also defend Lee County officials at an earlier news conference in Tallahassee. ‘Emergency management directors do not have a crystal ball,’ Guthrie said. ‘... I will never second guess a local emergency manager on their decision to pull an evacuation order.’ But Guthrie also stressed that the decision was Lee County’s alone. ‘All evacuation orders, all — and again, I’ve heard that all means all ... all evacuation orders are handled at the local level,’ Guthrie said.” [Orlando Sentinel, 10/3/22]
DeSantis Promoted Campaign During Hurricane Ian Recovery, Wearing Campaign Apparel During Relief Efforts. According to the Huffington Post, “From wearing campaign garb at hurricane recovery events to falsely asserting that Ian’s landfall wasn’t ‘even in the cone’ three days earlier, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking his combative, hyper-partisan style into his first major natural disaster response since taking office and just weeks before the Nov. 8 election that would give the Republican a second term. ‘He doesn’t handle scrutiny well. The governor suffers from a glass jaw and quick temper,’ said David Jolly, a former GOP congressman from Tampa. ‘It becomes apparent as he’s challenged with facts that don’t fit his narrative. It may be tough to confront a governor’s word during tragedy, but it’s important the state know the truth.’” [Huffington Post, 10/3/22]
DeSantis And Florida Senate Candidates Continued To Run Ads In Tampa And Fort Myers TV Markets During Hurricane Ian. According to Politico, “Hurricane Ian has forced airports to suspend operations. Roads and bridges are closed. Hotels and resorts are turning tourists away. But the prospect of this life-threatening hurricane wasn’t enough to stop campaigns from both parties from airing ads both on television or digitally — including negative ones — even as Ian spawned tornadoes and brought torrential rain and storm surges to Florida. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) are all continuing to run ads during the storm, though Demings, who is challenging Rubio, pulled advertisements from the Tampa and Fort Myers markets where the storm is expected to cause the most damage.” [Politico, 9/28/22]
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Commented That Campaigns Should Shift Towards Helping Floridians. According to Politico, “‘I think campaigns should shift to helping what will be hundreds of thousands of Floridians that will need a lot of assistance,’ said former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush when asked about the campaigning. Bush guided Florida during a two-year period when it was hit by eight hurricanes, including four ahead of the 2004 presidential election.” [Politico, 9/28/22]
DeSantis Claimed Vice President Harris Was “Trying To Play Identity Politics” On Hurricane Ian Relief. According to the American Independent, “Prominent Republicans are falsely claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris supports distributing relief from Hurricane Ian based on race, taking something she said on Sept. 30 out of context to do so. […] Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that evening, ‘I think she’s trying to play identity politics with a storm and a natural disaster and I think it’s ridiculous.’” [American Independent, 10/7/22]
Harris Had Generally Called For Giving Resources Based On Equity And Need, Did Not Specifically Invoke Hurricane Ian Or Race. According to the American Independent, “Harris was interviewed by actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum. Chopra Jonas asked Harris about the Biden administration’s policies for addressing issues of climate change and environmental justice following recent natural disasters such as Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. Harris said, ‘We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity, understanding that not everybody starts out at the same place.’ Several conservatives have falsely characterized Harris’ comments, stating that they were specifically about the administration’s planned federal aid response following Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Florida on Sep. 28 and continued to impact the state over the next few days.” [American Independent, 10/7/22]
Associated Press HEADLINE: “Harris Comments On Addressing Climate Inequity Misrepresented” [Associated Press, 10/4/22]
PolitiFact HEADLINE: “No, Kamala Harris Didn’t Say Hurricane Ian Relief Would Be Based On Skin Color” [PolitiFact, 10/3/22]