Ron DeSantis On Call From Biden: “Haven’t Heard Back”

(FreedomBeacon.com)- After Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida last week, Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he had not heard back from the White House about whether the federal government would reimburse the state for the damage caused by the storm.

DeSantis appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Wednesday where he described Hurricane Ian as one of the worst flood events in the history of the state. He said assessments still need to be made to determine the full extent of the damage caused by the storm.

Carlson asked DeSantis, given how politicized things are, how confident was he that Florida will get the federal support it needs.

DeSantis said when he spoke with President Biden, the president said he wanted to help. So Florida submitted a reimbursement request “for the next 60 days at 100 percent.” But as yet, DeSantis added, they had not heard back from the White House. However, DeSantis told Carlson that he was “cautiously optimistic” that they would.

The Republican governor called for politics to be put aside, noting that people in Florida are fighting for their lives and many are losing everything because of the hurricane.

Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast bringing with it brutal winds and rain, becoming one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States in history.

It caused extensive flooding in Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, and other parts of Lee and Charlotte counties, leaving over 2.5 million without power. Bridges to barrier islands were washed out and roadways flooded.

This week, around 130 Florida DOT trucks began work on the construction of a temporary bridge to Pine Island off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

On Monday, the governor said the temporary bridge was expected to be completed by the end of the week. But on Wednesday, the Governor announced that the bridge had been completed two days ahead of schedule and traffic was once against flowing to Pine Island.