Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis does not expect to join President Biden when the president visits his storm-ravaged home state Saturday, his spokesman said Friday.
The apparent snub comes even as Floridans are seeking federal infusions worth billions to recover from massive destruction in the path of Hurricane Idalia – and after the president said he would meet with DeSantis when asked about it.
A DeSantis spokesman said DeSantis, who is a top Republican presidential contender, has ‘no plans’ to meet Biden.
That comes despite the president responding ‘yes’ when asked Friday if he planned to meet with DeSantis, who has seen his poll numbers decline but is still running second to former President Donald Trump in GOP presidential polling.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ‘no plans’ to meet President Biden, who is visiting Florida Saturday afternoon
‘We don’t have any plans for the Governor to meet with the President tomorrow,’ said spokesman Jeremy Redfern.
‘In these rural communities, and so soon, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.’
He made the statement, which was confirmed by DailyMail.com, just as the White House was making preparations for a trip.
Biden has made multiple phone calls to DeSantis, and the White House has staged regular briefings by security officials. It is the kind of federal-state collaboration that presidents and governors usually to put forward to display cooperation in a recovery situation.
President Biden heads to Florida Saturday to view storm damage. In Florida UBS bank estimated that insurance claims would amount to a staggering $10 billion
DeSantis is tending to storm recovery even as he runs a presidential campaign, where his poll numbers have sagged
Storm recovery costs could hit $20 billion
Biden and DeSantis did meet in June 2021 following the collapse of the Surfside condominium.
NBC first reported on DeSantis’ latest plans.
Biden himself often cites the security footprint issue when weighing visits – including his chaotic visit to tour wildfire damage in Hawaii. But with Biden going, there will already be a substantial Secret Service and security presence in place.
Biden phoned DeSantis Thursday to tell him he would make a major disaster declaration. He ordered all federal resources to help with the response, according to the White House.
Idalia made landfall Wednesday near Keaton Beach with winds of about 125 mph and a six-foot storm surge.
The scale of the damage was becoming clear on Friday. Some 28,000 residents were told they could be without power for two weeks after the storm brought down power lines and left a trail of destruction.
But it could have been worse. It took a late turn away from the state capital Tallahassee, and its population of 200,000 people.
Instead it hit less populated coastal regions.
Even so, in Florida UBS bank estimated that insurance claims would amount to about $10 billion.
Other estimates suggested the final cost could be more than $20 billion in Florida alone.
If DeSantis does stay away from Biden, he may avoid a repeat of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who famously ‘hugged’ President Barack Obama during his 2016 trip to view storm damage from Hurricane Sandy.
Christie is among DeSantis’ 2024 rivals, in a race where former President Donald Trump is the undisputed poll leader.