KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis has reiterated his stance on eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a recent visit to Central Florida.
While in town to discuss the early completion of congestion lanes on I-4, he discussed his belief that disaster relief efforts should be managed at the state level.
“[President Trump] is going to block grant the money to the states, and so we’re not going to be left in the cold. But I can tell you that the FEMA bureaucracy is an impediment to disaster recovery,” DeSantis said. “So, empower the states. Give us the resources. And we don’t need necessarily the federal government, to be involved at all. Now look, will we have maybe Coast Guard supplement some of our rescue? Yeah, we probably will call on that. But by and large, this is a local and state driven process.”
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FEMA, which coordinates disaster relief efforts nationwide, is a familiar name for many Floridians. To date, residents have received over $1.5 billion in FEMA aid following hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby.
• $766.3 million approved for Hurricane Milton
• $764.1 million approved for Hurricane Helene
• $57.8 million approved for Hurricane Debby
As of April 14, the National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6.72 billion in claims to 61,862 claimants from Milton, Helene and Debby.
When asked about the implications of his proposal for residents who fear delays in assistance, DeSantis responded, “We don’t rely on FEMA. We do it. We lead. We got local partners. We got the best emergency management team from the local and state levels anywhere in the country, bar none. Not even close.”
How would disaster relief look without FEMA? DeSantis aid federal funds would be provided directly to states in the form of block grants for each state to allocate as needed. However, he also acknowledged the possibility of a scenario where the federal government withdraws from disaster management entirely.
“Well, listen, if that happens, we’ve got a big surplus. We would have to make adjustments to how we approach things. But I can do that,” he said.
“But I don’t anticipate that being the case. I think what you’re going to see is you’re going to see a block grant of money, maybe not this hurricane season, but maybe in time for next, bypassing the bureaucracy and the red tape and then let us go ahead and get the job done for our people.”
