Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is reportedly refusing calls about storm recovery from Kamala Harris, more than a week after Hurricane Helene hit the state and two days before intensifying Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the south-west of the state.
Citing a DeSantis aide, NBC News reported on Monday that the Republican governor was dodging the Democratic presidential nominee’s calls because they “seemed political”.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” the DeSantis aide told the outlet. As of Monday afternoon, DeSantis had not appeared to have spoken to Joe Biden, either, to the aide’s knowledge.
Later Monday, Harris responded to the reports, telling journalists: “You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re gonna put politics aside and put the people first.”
However, a White House pool report on Monday evening said that the US president had separate calls with DeSantis and Tampa mayor Jane Castor to get a first-hand report on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene, and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton.
Biden asked DeSantis and Castor to call him directly if there was anything that could be done to further support the response and recovery efforts.
The Florida governor has, however, been in touch with the Fema director, Deanne Criswell.
Last week, DeSantis said Biden had called him, but he was flying at the time so could not take the call. A source familiar with the planning for Biden’s trip to north Florida to survey Helene’s damage said that the Biden team had invited DeSantis to the event but their schedules conflicted.
The response to Hurricane Helene has become an intense political issue one month before the presidential election. The White House and local Democratic leaders have appealed for an end to misinformation about the storm and the response to it.
Both Trump and Vice-President Harris have made trips to some of the affected states. Republicans have linked the disaster relief effort to immigration, including false claims that Fema had spent disaster funds on immigration relief. The White House and the agency itself have disputed that characterization.
At a White House briefing on Monday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, reiterated that the government would mount “a robust federal response” to the oncoming storm.
“Anything else, I would have to leave it to the governor, to his actions, to how he wants to move forward. In this, that is for him,” Jean-Pierre added.
The White House press secretary added that “misinformation, disinformation, is a problem across the board ... Whether it’s the election or what we’re seeing with Hurricane Helene or with Hurricane Milton on its way.”
After Helene hit, DeSantis told reporters that the federal government should focus on North Carolina.
“Florida, we have it handled,” DeSantis said. “We have what we need … Most of the effort should be in western North Carolina right now because you still have active rescues that need to take place.”
DeSantis also sent Florida resources to North Carolina, including members of the Florida national guard and officials from several state agencies.
