Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not returned a call from Vice President Kamala Harris about storm recovery, just over a week after Hurricane Helen hit parts of the state.
Mr. DeSantis avoided calls from Democratic presidential candidates because they “appeared to be political,” a person familiar with the situation said.
“Mr. Kamara tried to reach out to us, but we didn’t respond,” a DeSantis aide told NBC News.
Asked whether DeSantis had spoken to President Joe Biden, the official said, “Not to my knowledge.”
Mr. DeSantis said Mr. Biden called him last week, but he was on a plane at the time and was unable to answer the call. Biden was in northern Florida last week to assess storm damage, but the meeting did not take place because DeSantis already had a scheduled news conference in another part of the state. The Biden team has invited DeSantis to an event in North Florida, according to a person familiar with the planning.
DeSantis has been in direct contact with Federal Emergency Management Director DeAnne Criswell.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not met with Vice President Kamala Harris or President Joe Biden about the hurricane response. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images File
Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 27, devastating parts of the state’s rural north Florida counties and cities along the Gulf Coast. Many of these cities, including the densely populated Tampa area, are still dealing with significant flood damage and debris removal.
After making landfall, Helen’s remnants continued to carve a path through the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing historic flooding in western North Carolina.
Immediately after Herren, DeSantis said “we are responding” to storm cleanup and said the federal government should focus on North Carolina.
Other governors further praised the federal government’s response, with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp saying he had spoken to Biden and thanked him for the support, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a fellow Republican, saying, “It’s great. ” he said.
Mr. DeSantis sent Florida personnel to North Carolina, including the Florida National Guard and personnel from several state agencies, in an operation he dubbed Operation Blue Ridge.
DeSantis said over the weekend that Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida by midweek, impacting large swathes of the state, including coastal cities flooded by Hurricane Helen. He said he is returning to Florida.
The storm is expected to make landfall on the central Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Two other officials in Mr. DeSantis’ office said so far Mr. Biden has made no effort to contact the governor regarding Hurricane Milton.
Former President Donald Trump spoke at length about Hurricane Hermene, sometimes using overtly political language and pushing misinformation. At one point, Harris claimed that photos posted on social media of her receiving a storm briefing were “fake and staged.”
President Trump visited Georgia a few days after the storm and appeared at an event with Kemp. He also started a GoFundMe to support organizations doing relief work in the area.
Contributed by Gabe Gutierrez.
