President Joe Biden toured the damage from Hurricane Idalia in Florida on Saturday, but Governor Ron DeSantis snubbed a meeting with the president.
Joe Biden stands with Jill Biden left, the Republican senator Rick Scott and the Fema administrator, Deanne Criswell, during a briefing in Live Oak, Florida-Image Source: The Guardian
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden flew over the town of Live Oak, which was one of the hardest hit areas by the storm. They then met with federal, state, and local officials to discuss the recovery effort.
DeSantis had previously said that he would not meet with Biden, claiming that the president’s visit would disrupt recovery efforts. However, Biden’s office said that the visit had been planned in coordination with FEMA and other officials to ensure that it would not interfere with the recovery effort.
Biden also visited a community that was affected by the storm and met with some of the residents who had been displaced by the storm. He pledged federal assistance to help the state recover from the storm.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm. It caused widespread damage, with power outages, flooding, and structural damage reported across the state. The storm also caused damage in Georgia and the Carolinas.
The White House said that Biden’s visit to Florida was a way to show the federal government’s support for the state and its residents.
“The president wanted to come to Florida to see firsthand the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia and to meet with the people who are working to recover,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “He also wanted to reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to helping Florida get back on its feet.”
The storm is estimated to have caused at least $8.36 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest climate disasters in the United States this year.
Biden has made climate change a top priority of his administration, and he has pledged to take action to address the issue. He has also called on Congress to pass legislation that would invest in clean energy and climate resilience.
The snub from DeSantis is the latest sign of the political tensions between the two men. DeSantis is a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, and he has been critical of Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.
Despite the snub, Biden said that he was committed to working with DeSantis to help Florida recover from the storm.
“We’re going to work together to get this done,” Biden said. “We’re going to get Florida back on its feet.”
