WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott was joined by Senator Marco Rubio and Representatives Byron Donalds, Scott Franklin, Bill Posey, Anna Paulina-Luna and Jenniffer González-Colón in a letter again urging President Biden to support their Hurricane Tax Relief Act and encourage its passage, which would provide disaster-loss tax relief to families impacted by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona in 51 Florida counties and Puerto Rico. Senator Scott previously led his colleagues in a letter to President Biden in April that has yet to receive a response or action from the administration.

The Hurricane Tax Relief Act would make Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona qualified disasters for purposes of enhanced disaster casualty loss tax relief. This bill modifies the deduction for personal casualty losses in the hurricane disaster areas, waiving the requirements for impacted taxpayers to itemize deductions and to have losses that exceed 10% of adjusted gross income. Congress previously extended this tax relief for Hurricanes Irma, Wilma, Dorian, and Michael, among others.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

August 4, 2023

The Honorable Joe Biden
President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden:

This week marks four months of silence since this Congressional delegation wrote to you urging your direct support for millions of Floridians suffering after one of the worst natural disasters in history. More than ten months ago, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida, devastating so many communities, families and businesses throughout the state. With assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA) and countless organizations, in concert with state and local officials, Floridians have worked incredibly hard to recover over the past year, but there’s so much more work to do.

As families in Florida and Puerto Rico keep working to fully rebuild their lives, homes and communities, Congress must take the same important action it has after previous storms to provide tax relief for families in impacted areas. The last thing families should have to worry about as they recover from devastating storms like Ian, Nicole and Fiona is a big tax bill.

 In March, we introduced legislation, the Hurricane Tax Relief Act, which would provide disaster-loss tax relief to families in 51 Florida counties and Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona by designating these catastrophic storms as qualified disasters for purposes of enhanced disaster casualty loss tax relief. This good bill would also modify the deduction for personal casualty losses in the hurricane disaster areas.

Your silence on this critical issue speaks volumes to Floridians and their families. Past Congresses and administrations have supported such relief for Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Irma and Wilma, among others, in a bipartisan manner with overwhelming support, and now must do the same for those impacted by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona. This can and should be done as soon as possible and without controversy, as it has been done many times before.

Once again, we strongly urge you to issue a statement in support of this legislation. This critical bill will provide relief to the hardworking families who have been impacted by these devastating storms. We look forward to your immediate support.

Sincerely,

###