Scott, FL Lawmakers Urge Biden to Support Hurricane Relief Bill

Since Hurricane Ian made landfall, Florida legislators have worked tirelessly to secure recovery funding for Florida and its residents, especially those Floridians in heavily impacted areas.

According to Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just announced that Hurricane Ian will be officially classified as a Category 5 storm in perpetuity.

“BREAKING: @NOAA just classified Ian as a devastating CAT 5 hurricane. Families and small businesses are working every day to recover from this devastating storm, and I’m fighting to get them the resources and relief they need,” stated Sen. Scott.

Sen. Scott points this out as he is attempting to gain support for a bill he introduced just recently.

In March, Florida legislators including Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio (R), Representatives Scott Franklin (R), Bill Posey (R), Anna Paulina-Luna (R), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), and Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner (non-voting member of Congress) Jenniffer González-Colón (R) came together to introduce the Hurricane Tax Relief Act.

The bill looks to ensure tax relief to the residents of the two entities due to the recent Hurricanes (Ian, Nicole, and Fiona). It also follows the precedent that was established after Hurricanes Irma, Wilma, Dorian, and Michael, which qualified the storms as “purposes of enhanced disaster casualty loss tax relief.”

In hopes of gaining support for the bill, legislators of Florida and Puerto Rico have sent a letter to President Joe Biden (D).

“As families in Florida and Puerto Rico keep working to fully rebuild their lives, homes and communities, Congress must take the same important action it has after previous storms to provide tax relief for families in impacted areas,” the lawmakers wrote.

They would go on to mention that “Past Congresses and administrations have supported such relief for Hurricanes Irma, Wilma, Dorian, and Michael, among others, in a bipartisan manner with overwhelming support, and now must do the same for those impacted by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, and Fiona. This can and should be done as soon as possible and without controversy, as it has been done many times before.”

They concluded the letter with a request for support, stating “We strongly urge you to issue a statement in support of this legislation. This critical bill will provide relief to the hardworking families who have been impacted by these devastating storms.”