Biden is surveying hurricane’s toll from the sky and ground in Florida. DeSantis won’t see him

President Joe Biden conducted an aerial and ground assessment of the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia in Florida on Saturday. The president, accompanied by the first lady Jill Biden, embarked on a walking tour of a city that is in the process of recovering from the devastating impact of the storm. Surprisingly absent from Biden’s schedule was a meeting with Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican candidate for the presidency. DeSantis had indicated that such a meeting could potentially hinder ongoing disaster response efforts.

Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), explained that the area for the president’s visit had been mutually agreed upon by their teams due to the limited impact of the storm. She emphasized that there were no concerns raised about the visit affecting the communities they intended to inspect.

Air Force One touched down at Gainesville airport, where President Biden and Jill Biden transferred to Marine One for a helicopter flight to Live Oak, located approximately 80 miles east of Tallahassee. There, he awaited briefings on response and recovery initiatives, engaging with federal and local officials, as well as first responders.

Governor DeSantis’s office contradicted earlier statements from Biden regarding a planned meeting between the two. The governor’s spokesperson, Jeremy Redfern, mentioned that the logistical complexities of setting up a meeting, along with the ongoing recovery efforts in rural communities, were the reasons behind the absence of such a meeting.

During the flight, Deanne Criswell reported that power restoration was underway and roads were accessible in the area Biden was visiting. She emphasized that there were no hindrances to access and mentioned close coordination between FEMA’s team and the governor’s staff.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, leading to extensive flooding and damage. The storm later moved north to affect Georgia and the Carolinas.

President Biden, as he left Washington, responded to questions from reporters about the missed meeting with Governor DeSantis, indicating that he would not be meeting him. He assured that the federal government would take care of Florida’s recovery efforts.

This political divergence represents a shift from past interactions, as President Biden and Governor DeSantis had collaborated during previous disaster incidents. However, DeSantis’s current bid for the presidency has introduced a new dynamic, with potential implications for how political rivalries are managed in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The challenges of balancing political considerations and disaster response were highlighted by Governor Chris Christie’s interactions with then-President Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey in 2012. Christie’s actions during that time were met with criticism from within the GOP.

Initially, both Biden and DeSantis suggested that assisting storm victims outweighed partisan differences. As time went on, however, Governor DeSantis began expressing concerns about the potential disruption caused by a presidential visit in terms of response logistics.

The aftermath of Hurricane Idalia holds significant political consequences for both President Biden and Governor DeSantis. As Biden seeks reelection, his administration has requested additional funding to address natural disasters, underscoring the rising costs of climate-related events. DeSantis, on the other hand, is running a White House campaign focused on challenging Democratic policies, but he faces stiff competition from other candidates, including former President Donald Trump, in the Republican primary. Challenges in campaign organization and messaging adjustments have added to the complexities of DeSantis’s bid.

Brendan Farrington, a writer for Big Big News based in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.

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More about Disaster Response

• President Biden’s Visit to Hurricane-Impacted Florida
• Governor DeSantis’s Statement on Meeting with President Biden
• FEMA’s Role in Disaster Response
• Hurricane Idalia’s Impact on Florida
• Governor Chris Christie’s Actions After Hurricane Sandy
• Climate Change and Increasing Costs of Natural Disasters
• Governor DeSantis’s Presidential Campaign
• Political Dynamics Between Biden and DeSantis