FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden reviewed the devastation of hurricane-ravaged Florida Wednesday, vowing to harness the power of the federal government to help rebuild as he comforted local residents alongside Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential foe in 2024.
Biden hailed DeSantis’ handling of the storm’s recovery as the pair – who fought over pandemic protocols and migration as the governor mulls a presidential bid – put politics aside for a few days . The state is struggling to recover from the wreckage of Hurricane Ian, which tore through southwest Florida last week and left dozens dead.
“Today we have one job and one job, and that’s to make sure the people of Florida get everything they need to make a full and complete recovery,” Biden said in a community that has bore the brunt of Ian’s assault. He warned that the rebuilding effort will take months or years.
“It’s going to take a long time, hopefully without a hitch on the way,” he said as DeSantis stood behind him, his hands clasped as he squinted into the glaring sunlight. “Later, after the television cameras have moved away, we will still be here with you.”
The days after Ian landed in Florida brought about a temporary detente between Biden and DeSantis, who had spoken on the phone at least three times to coordinate recovery efforts. They spent part of Wednesday meeting with locals and, for Biden, absorbing the full extent of Ian’s devastation.
After Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived earlier at Fisherman’s Wharf — where homes and businesses lay in ruins amid debris and mud — DeSantis reached out to the president for a shake. Next to them as they talked was a boat that the storm had lifted in a cafe
The solidarity, however fleeting, continued Wednesday afternoon when DeSantis officially welcomed Biden to his state and praised the collaboration with officials on the ground and the federal government in Washington.
“We are reducing bureaucracy and that from local government, state government, all the way to the president. We appreciate the team effort,” DeSantis said.
Biden said DeSantis did a “good job” when asked by reporters to assess the governor’s handling of recovery efforts.
“We have very different political philosophies…but we’ve worked hand in hand,” Biden said. “On things related to the management of this crisis, we have been completely blocked. There was no difference.
The scale of the devastation Biden witnessed was immense. The presidential motorcade leads through trees shorn by the wind, some uprooted, others with branches pulled back by the storm. The fields beside the highway were still flooded, forming stagnant lagoons.
Shop and restaurant signs were blown off; crumbling mattresses piled up in the neighborhood streets, a building was knocked on its side like a chess piece. An armada of laborers and repair trucks struggled to recover.
Hurricane Ian resulted in the deaths of at least 98 people, including 89 in Florida, and many people are still waiting for power to be restored. Ian’s 150mph winds and last week’s punishing storm surge knocked out power for 2.6 million in Florida. Many people are still unable to get food and water, although DeSantis said power has been restored to more than 97% of the state.
A month before the midterm elections, the crisis united political rivals around a common cause at least for a while.
Biden and DeSantis have had a host of differences in recent years over how to deal with COVID-19, immigration policy and more. In recent weeks, they have sparred over the governor’s decision to put migrants on planes or buses to Democratic strongholds, a practice Biden called “reckless.”
Along with DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott has also been one of Biden’s most prominent Republican critics. He, Republican Senator Marco Rubio and other state and local officials joined the president and governor. Rubio, like DeSantis, is eligible for re-election in November.
Jeff Rioux, a general contractor in Fort Myers and a registered Republican, said as he cleaned floors and ripped out soaked drywall from his flooded home that he welcomed Biden’s visit.
“The world needs to see what happened here. He’s going to get help here,” Rioux said of the national attention. “At some point, you have to put politics aside. People are suffering here. It’s not right or left, it’s America after all. »
Biden resorted to profanity at one point, but only in a seemingly joking comment picked up by a microphone and prompting widespread comments on social media.
As Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy thanked Biden for coming, the president said at one point in the brief conversation, “Nobody f—— with a Biden,” and appeared to offer the mayor some advice. .
“That’s exactly it, that’s exactly it,” Murphy said with a laugh. “Very well, good to see you.”
Before the storm hit, the president intended to visit the cities of Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in Florida to highlight his efforts to strengthen Social Security and Medicaid. Biden has accused Scott of wanting to end both programs by proposing that federal laws expire every five years, although the Florida senator has said he wants to preserve the programs.
The hurricane changed the purpose and tone of Biden’s first trip to Florida this year, which took place in an area devastated by winds and rising waters. Boats, including huge yachts, capsized and were thrown inland.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters on Air Force One that the cost of reconstruction will be significant: “It will definitely be in the billions and possibly one of the costliest disasters we’ve seen. since many years.”
The White House’s message of bipartisan unity in times of crisis marked a difference from Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, who at times threatened to withhold aid from Democratic states who criticized him, including governors. Gavin Newsom from California and Andrew Cuomo from New York.
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Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bobby Caina Calvan and Curt Anderson in Fort Myers, Zeke Miller in Washington, and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed.
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For more AP coverage of Hurricane Ian: apnews.com/hub/hurricanes