TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis raved about Kevin Guthrie, Florida's emergency response director, on Tuesday after Guthrie sidestepped a question about whether he would lead the federal version of the agency under Donald Trump.
Rumored to be the top name on Trump's shortlist for Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Guthrie didn't respond to a question from The Floridian asking if he'd spoken to Trump or his team about the post.
He backed away from the Tallahassee podium, where he and DeSantis were hosting a press conference about an impending winter storm, allowing DeSantis to speak instead.
"FEMA needs a lot of work, but if you're talking about emergency response, where would you go? You would come here to Kevin because he's done it better than anyone," DeSantis said, praising Guthrie for leading the Florida Division of Emergency Management since 2021. DeSantis also swiped at FEMA, which came under heavy fire for allegedly discriminating against Trump supporters in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
"I told him, 'I don't really want to lose you,' but I want people to go on and do bigger, better things," DeSantis continued, joking that Florida will start "hectoring" Guthrie for change if he scores the federal nomination. "We do not want to run the same playbook we've been running. [Instead], block grant us money, let us run with it.
"I don't think anyone would appreciate that approach more than Kevin because he's been here at the state level managing this stuff," the governor added.
This isn't the first time DeSantis has pushed Trump to pick a Florida man for his administration.
In November, DeSantis took to social media to ask Floridians to "retweet" if they wanted Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. Though the job ultimately went to Trump competitor-turned-ally Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump has snagged or eyed over two dozen Floridians for his administration.
But the jury is still out on Guthrie, whose team referred The Floridian to Trump's transition team for comment. They have yet to respond to a request for comment.
Since Guthrie's appointment to FDEM in 2021, he has overseen four major hurricanes—including the back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton weeks apart in the fall of 2024—and the tragic collapse of a high-rise condominium in South Florida that killed 98 people. A retired police officer, Guthrie has worked in an emergency response capacity since 1990.
