Watch Senator Scott’s Remarks Courtesy of Live Now Fox HERE

LITHIA, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott visited Lithia to receive a briefing from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, County Administrator Bonnie Wise, Fire Chief Jason Dougherty, Hillsborough County officials and local emergency management leaders regarding response and recovery efforts. Senator Scott has been in constant contact with federal officials, local leaders, law enforcement and emergency management officials in communities throughout the state that are impacted by Hurricane Milton to ensure they have the needed resources as they respond to the storm and help Floridians recover. Senator Scott is urging those in need of assistance with a federal agency, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), or any other federal issue while recovering from Hurricane Milton, to contact his office HERE.

Yesterday, Senator Scott was in Punta Gorda, in Charlotte County, and Fort Myers, in Lee County, to survey damage and receive briefings from local law enforcement and emergency management officials. See more HERE and HERE.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Tampa and surrounding communities, like Lithia, have been absolutely devastated by flooding as Alafia River continues to rise and rescues are ongoing thanks to the heroic work of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Hillsborough Fire Rescue. I spoke to President Biden yesterday about the response and recovery and what’s needed to make sure our local and state government has the support they need. I told President Biden that I am completely focused on making sure that FEMA, SBA, HUD and USDA are fully funded for disaster recovery and asked him to expedite damage assessments so we can start working on this immediately. I stressed the same thing during my calls yesterday with FEMA Administrator Criswell and SBA Administrator Guzman. The federal government needs to have boots on the ground until Florida is fully recovered. Also, I’ve demanded that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer immediately reconvene the Senate once damage assessments are done so we can fully fund the disaster response efforts of these agencies and others responding to this disaster with a clean disaster supplemental appropriations bill and common sense disaster relief legislation like my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act.

"As lifesaving work continues in Hillsborough County and across our state, the number one thing I want to reiterate today is that everyone must stay vigilant and stay safe. You can't recover if you lose your life by taking risks after this storm. Floridians are strong, we are resilient. We will recover and we will rebuild even stronger. I have nine offices around the state, so please, if you need any help with a federal agency, go to www.rickscott.senate.gov.”

MORE…

Ahead of Milton’s landfall, Senator Scott has had daily calls with the NHC to receive the latest updates on Hurricane Milton and traveled along Florida’s Gulf Coast to receive briefings from sheriffs, local law enforcement leaders and emergency management officials in Hillsborough County, Sarasota County and Lee County, urging families to stay safe and prepared. Senator Scott has been in constant contact with state leaders, mayors, sheriffs and police chiefs, emergency management officials and energy companies in communities throughout the state that were expecting impacts from Hurricane Milton to ensure they have the needed resources to respond to the storm. Senator Scott has also spoken and written to federal officials, including FEMA Region 4 Administrator Robert Samaan and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ensure Florida has much-needed access to federal resources.

This week, Senators Scott and Marco Rubio have written letters to President Joe Biden in support of the State of Florida’s and the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s requests for pre-landfall emergency declarations ahead of Hurricane Milton. Both requests were approved by President Biden following his receipt of Senators Scott and Rubio’s letters. Senators Scott and Rubio also sent a letter to President Biden urging the direction of federal agencies to expedite plans to respond to potential obstructions at the Port of Tampa Bay, which receives more than 40 percent of Florida’s petroleum products. In their letter, the senators emphasized that this action by the federal government is crucial to expedite all requested measures to protect Florida’s economy and ensure a swift recovery. 

Senator Scott encourages all Floridians to visit his website at www.rickscott.senate.gov/contact/casework for information or help with federal agencies like FEMA and the SBA, following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, or more on response efforts from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT.

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