President Joe Biden will visit Florida on Saturday—just days after Hurricane Idalia touched down—to survey the damage from the hurricane, marking a much quicker visit than the one he made to survey damage from wildfires in Hawaii earlier this month.
An airboat passes through flood waters in the downtown area after Hurricane Idalia passed offshore ... [+]
Biden announced the visit to the storm-flooded state while speaking at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters on Thursday, the same day he also formally approved a major disaster declaration for the state.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, killing at least two people and destroying thousands of homes before being downgraded to a tropical storm and moving into Georgia and South Carolina.
The president was criticized earlier this month for visiting Maui 13 days after wildfires began burning the island, killing more than 110 people and causing $4 to $6 billion in economic losses, according to a report from Moody’s.
The White House has defended the timing of Biden’s trip to Maui, arguing an earlier visit might have gotten in the way of recovery efforts as rescue workers searched for hundreds of missing people.
Damage in Florida was widespread, but not as bad as some feared it would be. The hurricane did the most damage in the state's Big Bend region on the Gulf Coast: The administrator of Pasco County, Florida said on Wednesday that between 4,000 and 6,000 homes were damaged with up to five feet of floodwater, and officials in Manatee County estimated damage there is upwards of $2 million. Idalia is now expected to remain a tropical storm until it moves away from land. Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—who is also running against Biden in the 2024 presidential election—have both said they’ve spoken a number of times about the damage and federal help. On Wednesday, Biden said “I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I trust him to be able to suggest that this is not about politics, it’s about taking care of the people of the state,” CNN reported.
It’s unclear if Biden and DeSantis will see each other during Biden’s visit, though it wouldn’t be a surprise. Last year, Biden traveled to Florida to tour damage with DeSantis after Hurricane Ian touched down in the state, saying at the time political disagreements wouldn’t stop him from helping Florida.