President Biden on Saturday saw from the sky Hurricane Idalia's impact across a swath of Florida before he set out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent was Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who declined to join Biden after he suggested that the Democrat's presence could hinder disaster response efforts. Asked about his rival's absence, Biden said he was not disappointed by the turn of events but welcomed the presence of Rick Scott, one of the state's two Republican senators. The president pledged the federal government's total support for Floridians, the AP reports.
"I'm here today to deliver a clear message to the people of Florida and throughout the Southeast," Biden said after the walking tour. He spoke outdoors near a church that had parts of its sheet metal roof peeled back by Idalia's powerful winds and a home half-crushed by a fallen tree. "As I've told your governor, if there's anything your state needs, I'm ready to mobilize that support," he continued, "anything they need related to these storms. Your nation has your back, and we'll be with you until the job is done." Earlier, the mayor of Live Oak, which is about 80 miles east of Tallahassee, the state capital, thanked Biden and first lady Jill Biden for coming and "showing us that we're important to you."
"Everybody thinks Florida is rich, but this is not one of the richest counties in the state, and there are people who are suffering," said Frank Davis, adding he knew of no loss of life or serious injury. At Suwannee Pineview Elementary School, where the Bidens were briefed on the storm damage, local officials offered praise for early disaster declarations by the White House and the quick flow of federal aid. "What the federal government is doing ... is a big deal," Scott said. (More Hurricane Idalia stories.)
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