JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Joe Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a rare moment of unity Wednesday while meeting with victims of Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida.
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Biden and DeSantis have grown accustomed to disagreeing with each other on various political issues, but during the visit the partisan politicking was cast aside, if only for a moment.
The president and Florida governor exchanged a handshake upon Biden’s arrival.
The two potential 2024 presidential prospects spoke privately for about seven minutes before meeting with victims.
In a joint press conference, DeSantis offered his gratitude for the federal government extending 100% reimbursement for disaster cleanup to 60 days.
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“You have some of these communities here, their bill for debris removal will likely be more than their annual budgets and so this is really, really significant help,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis also praised the ability of government to cut through bureaucracy and red tape to deliver immediate relief.
“I think we’ve worked as well across state, local and federal (levels) of any disaster that I’ve seen,” said DeSantis.
Biden highlighted the united effort from around the country to provide aid.
“On a basis of a crisis we face, we’re the only nation that comes out of it better than we went into it, and that’s what we’re going to do this time around,” said Biden.
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He also complimented DeSantis’ disaster response while speaking with reporters.
“What the governor has done is pretty remarkable so far,” said Biden.
University of North Florida political science professor Sean Freeder said the moment of unity was expected, and not likely a sign the two political rivals are going to be singing each other’s praises down the road.
“At the very least, the public is going to expect that elected officials can put aside their differences in order to get the money flowing where it needs to go, in order to get the construction done that needs to get done,” said Freeder.
Earlier in the day, DeSantis emphasized while the federal response is welcome, the state of Florida is playing a major role in the recovery effort.
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He highlighted the Florida Department of Transportation’s efforts to restore bridge access to Pine and Sanibel islands.
“I’ve got a disaster fund that we created since I’ve been governor. I have FDOT money. I’ve got a massive surplus. So we’re going to put that to use very quickly, and I think that really what people want to see,” said DeSantis.
State lawmakers have also scheduled an emergency budget meeting next week to transfer an additional half-billion dollars into the state’s disaster relief fund.
“We are willing to act at the state level. We are not asking that everyone do our work for us,” said DeSantis.
Freeder pointed out both politicians have a lot riding on the response to this disaster, which could give them a boost or come back to haunt them in November.
“You know, there might be a lot of swing voters, a lot of moderates, independents, that have not made up their mind yet going into November. This is now going to be the most salient issue in terms of at least major things that have happened in Florida going into that,” said Freeder.
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We spoke with state Sen. Ray Rodrigues (R-Fort Myers) over the phone and asked him what he thought of the president touring the disaster zone.
“I think it’s very important for the president to be here. I think it’s very important for him to see firsthand the damage,” said Rodrigues.
Rodrigues complimented the work of both the state and federal government in their initial disaster response, but he knows all too well once the cameras are gone, relief can dwindle.
“Three months from now this isn’t going to be newsworthy, but the recovery is still going to be ongoing. We need to know that the federal government is going to continue to be as collaborative,” said Rodrigues.
Freeder said he doesn’t anticipate partisan battles to threaten relief funding, but Rodrigues’ concerns aren’t necessarily unfounded.
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“Just what the efforts look like on the ground once the cameras go away. That’s not to say that this is a publicity stunt, I think they’re really seriously trying to fix conditions on the ground, but politics is politics and there will be a lot more effort wherever there are cameras to pick up on that,” said Freeder.