PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott visited Pinellas County Emergency Operations Center to receive a briefing on Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts and survey damage with Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton, local law enforcement leaders and emergency management officials. Senator Scott has been in constant contact with local leaders, law enforcement and emergency management officials in communities throughout the state that are impacted by Hurricane Helene to ensure they have the needed resources as they respond to the storm and help Floridians recover.

Senator Rick Scott said, “I want to thank Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton, the emergency management officials, law enforcement and first responders here in Pinellas County. Category 4 Hurricane Helene was a monster and the storm surge we saw in this region of Florida is unprecedented. Even though the storm has passed, I want to emphasize the importance of listening to law enforcement on when it is safe to return to your homes. Pinellas County experienced intense rain and storm surge that has brought power outages and damage to many folks’ homes. There are still many downed power lines and hazards, like standing water, that can harm you—so stay vigilant. Your local leaders are on top of it this morning, and have already dispatched first responders to start getting everyone the help they need. I am here to emphasize to Floridians that I'm fighting like hell as their partner at the federal level to make sure Florida gets resources and will continue working with FEMA on Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts. If there is one thing I know, it is that Floridians are resilient and we will get through this together.”

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This week, Senator Scott has had daily calls with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and been in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to receive the latest updates on Hurricane Helene. Prior to Helene's landfall, Senator Scott received briefings from law enforcement and emergency management officials in Bay County, Franklin County, Taylor County and Levy County. See more HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Earlier this morning, Senator Scott was in Pasco County to receive a briefing on the area’s recovery and response. Read more HERE.

On Monday, Senator Scott and Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for potentially impacted Florida counties. Following receipt of this letter, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the State of Florida on Tuesday afternoon.

Senator Scott encourages all Floridians to visit his website at https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-season-resources for information and resources on Hurricane Helene response and recovery. See the latest on Hurricane Helene from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov or @NHC_Atlantic on X, formerly known as Twitter, and from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT.

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