Joe Biden acknowledged that Republican Governor Ron DeSantis “has done a good job” overseeing the storm recovery during a trip to Florida on October 5.
Regarding DeSantis, Biden remarked, “What the governor has done is pretty remarkable.”
“We worked hand in glove, we have very different political philosophies, but we worked hand in glove. And he’s been on top on things related to dealing with this crisis. We’ve been completely lockstep,” Biden clarified.
Prior to meeting with DeSantis at Fisherman’s Wharf, Biden had a helicopter tour of the area.
DeSantis praised them for the support of the federal government.
“We were very fortunate to have good coordination with the White House and with FEMA from the very beginning of this,” DeSantis stated.
As a result of Biden’s approval, those impacted by the hurricane received federal assistance. It is predicted that the government will incur billions of dollars in costs.
The Bidens were welcomed upon arrival by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Lee County Chairman Cecil Pendergrass, and emergency personnel. Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Marco Rubio of Florida both met with the president during the trip.
Along with tens of thousands of state and private workers, nearly 4,000 government workers are in Florida assisting in the storm’s aftermath.
According to state and federal officials, more than 3,800 rescues have taken place, nearly 100,000 structures have been examined, and pre-staged resources like water have been dispatched. Only 3% of the state lacks electricity.
Even still, the hurricane caused devastating damage, and Criswell told reporters from Air Force One that many homes were still underwater.
That prompted Biden to declare that 60 days of federal disaster aid will be made available to aid in the recovery. The governor asked for that amount of time.
