Categories: FloridaFlorida PoliticsState & Local

DeSantis Refuses Recovery Efforts Stopping While He Visits

Gov. Ron DeSantis

With Hurricane Ian now behind us, recovery and rebuilding efforts have made headway. Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has been crisscrossing the state, supervising and aiding while providing updates. A video surfaced Sunday showing Gov. DeSantis cooking breakfast for first responders in Punta Gorda, after which he held a press conference in Arcadia.

The city's Peace River has severely flooded from rainfall caused by Ian, and DeSantis visited to assess the damage. Some media outlets speculate that local operations temporarily stop while DeSantis is in town, but the Governor says otherwise.

The Floridian's editor Javier Manjarres was able to briefly question DeSantis regarding the allegation. Additionally, Manjarres asks for details on the "POD" program, which provides food, water, and ice to hurricane victims.

@GovRonDeSantis is not allowing rescue operations to stop while he is on the ground around the state. He gave @javmanjarres some insight into some of those operations. #FlPol #HurricaneIan," The Floridian tweeted Sunday evening.

In the video, Manjarres asks, "you've refused to allow operations to cease while you've come into town around the state. Could you tell us about the POD Program?" DeSantis answers that, "oh yeah, no, everything goes, I mean, like, don't stop anything we want to do."

Regarding the pods, DeSantis says, "I think on these pods, you know, this is a symptom of success." His reasoning for this statement is that the POD distribution in the area saw a huge rush of Floridians coming to collect, but has since passed. "There's a rush, people get it, and then it does die down."

Furthermore, DeSantis says the fact that the POD located on the other side of the river saw little demand compared to the initial one he mentions is demonstrative of the program's efficiency. "So we were just across the river. It was open, but there was no one needing it at that time, and I think it's because they've done a good job of getting that stuff out."

A follow-up tweet by The Floridian reiterates that "Governor DeSantis is refusing to allow any operation, not just rescue operations, to stop while he is on the ground."

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.