Kamala Harris Calls Gov. DeSantis As Milton Approaches, He Declines

According to ABC News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused a call from Kamala Harris as Hurricane Milton approaches the Sunshine State.

The outlet cited a source close to the Republican governor.

“DeSantis believed the call was politically motivated,” ABC News noted.

JUST IN – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to take a call with VP Kamala Harris about Hurricane Milton – ABC

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 7, 2024

Per ABC News:

DeSantis staffers also said the governor has not spoken to President Joe Biden in at least the last few days in the wake of Hurricane Helene and as the massive Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida.

“If you have the president and you have the vice president reaching out to offer up assistance provided to your constituents, the people who live in your state, to make sure we are doing everything that we need to do from federal response — and we’re reaching out, offering our support, that’s where … it is up to [DeSantis] if he wants to respond to us or not,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday afternoon.

Despite the lack of communication between them, Jean-Pierre said the administration is still working with state and local officials to make sure that teams are pre-positioned ahead of Milton’s landfall.

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The governor did speak with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday, and federal officials are continuing to work with state emergency managers to prepare for Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

DESANTIS REFUSES CALL FROM KAMALA AHEAD OF HURRICANE MILTON

Ron DeSantis has refused to take a call from Kamala regarding Hurricane Milton, with sources claiming the governor believes the call is politically motivated.

Despite this, federal officials are working with state… pic.twitter.com/xXl7sNne4w

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 7, 2024

NBC News reports:

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 27, devastating some of the state’s rural north Florida counties and swamping cities along the Gulf Coast with storm surge. Many of those cities, including the heavily populated Tampa region, are still dealing with significant flood damage and debris removal.

After landfall, remnants of Helene continued to cut a path through the Southeast, leaving more than 200 dead and swamping the region, including historic flooding in western North Carolina.

In Helene’s immediate aftermath, DeSantis said that “we have it handled” in reference to storm cleanup and that the federal government should focus on North Carolina.

Other governors have offered more praise for the federal response, with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp saying he had spoken to Biden and thanked him for the assistance, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, also a Republican, saying it had been “superb.”

In what he dubbed Operation Blue Ridge, DeSantis also sent Florida resources to North Carolina, including members of the Florida National Guard and officials from several state agencies.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 Hurricane on Monday as Florida initiated its largest evacuation since 2017’s Hurricane Irma.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

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