| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | | Presented by |  | | | PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off this Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
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FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell discusses Hurricane Helene during a Sept. 26 press briefing at the White House. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Friday. FEMA is probably the most talked about institution every time there’s a natural disaster, and this time’s no different. There’s almost too much news to choose from. To address Hurricanes Helene and Milton, FEMA has spent half of its disaster fund just days into its fiscal year. Members of the Florida delegation are agitating for a return to Washington to replenish the money. And it’s a target ahead of the election, with former President Donald Trump slamming the agency with falsehoods while the White House rushes in to do damage control. One thing that’s clear is that a lot of people misunderstand the agency’s role in a natural disaster. To help explain it all, Playbook turned to Craig Fugate, who not only used to run Florida’s emergency division, but also led FEMA. Here’s the bottom line: Florida’s state government is in charge of hurricane recovery, which it coordinates alongside local officials, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has been reiterating at numerous TV news appearances. And FEMA is there to help — but so are several other federal agencies. “There are a lot of programs,” Fugate said. “And I think the tendency is we use ‘FEMA’ as a verb to talk about disaster response in federal assistance, but you really need to go through the federal catalog.” Here’s a quick snapshot into how the agency works after a storm. FEMA deploys people to be on the ground to help states with efforts such as search-and-rescue or getting power running. With the last two storms in particular, Florida asked for a waiver to quicken debris removal. FEMA also pays for disaster survivors to stay at hotels. And it gives grants to low-income people who don’t have property or flood insurance to help pay for emergency home repairs. The initial $750 people received from FEMA in the wake of Helene’s Appalachia destruction was intended to speed up getting cash into people’s hands for basic necessities, given that officials had trouble getting to the treacherous area quickly, Fugate explained. Once on the ground, FEMA workers are able to help people sign up for the various financial assistance programs they qualify for, but the bulk of the immediate response disaster victims see comes from local officials. FEMA, however, isn’t the only agency giving financial assistance to victims of natural disasters. The Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners with no property insurance, for people who have the means to pay them back. It’s this SBA fund that has President Joe Biden concerned, he told reporters on Thursday when he argued for Congress coming back to Washington early. “The Congress should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately, and they're going to have to come back after the election as well,” Biden said, predicting building would take a long time and “several billion dollars.” As for FEMA, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that the agency had enough funds for immediate needs, but wanted Congress to allocate more after they return. For Florida, one of the biggest concerns Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has been talking about comes from another pot of money, through the Department of Agriculture. That financial assistance goes to farmers, ranchers and rural communities hit by hurricanes. Scott recently asked the agency to consider approving the money as block grants, so that the state could have flexibility on how to spend the money, and reiterated the request to Biden when they met following Helene and again on Thursday. A few other agencies are also part of hurricane recovery, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which gives states flexible grants toward rebuilding affordable housing. And the Department of Transportation has an emergency fund to help pay for repairs to federal highways and bridges that run through states. Members of Florida’s congressional delegation have asked House Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene lawmakers as soon as possible to help replenish some of the funding, but the speaker reiterated on Thursday that it wasn’t going to happen until after the election. Florida is just beginning to assess the damage and how much it’ll cost. Either way, Fugate pointed out that a lot of different programs would need to be evaluated in the days, weeks and months ahead to figure out if the federal government had enough money. “FEMA was not designed to make states whole after disasters,” he said. “There's a lot of other federal programs that have authority.” Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the campaign reporting that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Uber: How does Uber expand transit access in Florida?
Every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida. On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to connect to Brightline, extending their reach far beyond the tracks. Learn more about how Uber is working with transit agencies in Florida and across the country. | | | |  | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | |  The destroyed roof of the Tropicana Dome is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. | Gerald Herbert/AP | IN MEMORIAM — At least 16 people died during Hurricane Milton, reports the Tampa Bay Times. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT — “Heavy-hit Florida may have avoided ‘worst case scenario’ from Hurricane Milton,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Milton weakened to a Category 3 storm before it made landfall on Wednesday night near Sarasota, and its path resulted in the vulnerable Tampa Bay region located north of the landfall being spared from a wave of water that had initially been predicted. ‘The storm did bring much destruction and damage,’ Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Thursday from the state emergency operations center. ‘The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario.’” DISPUTING CLIMATE CHANGE — “‘It is hurricane season’: DeSantis pushes back on climate’s role in fueling stronger storms,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “DeSantis, during a media briefing in Port St. Lucie on Thursday, pushed back against those who blame stronger hurricanes on a warming planet. He’s previously voiced skepticism about climate change and signed legislation earlier this year to remove climate goals from state statutes. … ‘There is precedent for all this in history,” DeSantis said. “It is hurricane season. You are going to have tropical weather.’” RESILIENCY FACTOR — “Hurricanes are a growing threat. But Florida is more prepared,” reports The New York Time’s Patricia Mazzei and Audra D. S. Burch. “Florida has learned to prepare for much of the damage that hurricanes can inflict. The state’s strong building code, which has made newer construction remarkably resistant to even fierce storms, most likely had a mitigating effect as Milton swept through.” NOT UNUSUAL — “Why monster hurricanes like Milton are happening in the Gulf. It’s not geoengineering,” reports Miami Herald’s Denise Hruby.”Florida has actually had worse luck. In 2004, four hurricanes slammed the state in just six weeks between August and September. Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne killed more than 100 people and caused some $50 billion in combined damages. Storms forming around the same time also isn’t unusual — in 2005, for example, Hurricane Katrina, the deadliest to hit the U.S. this century, with 1,392 deaths, formed at the same time as Rita and Wilma, which also reached Cat 5 status.” TRANSIT REOPENINGS — “Florida transportation hubs restarting after Hurricane Milton,” reports POLITICO’s Sam Ogozalek and Oriana Pawlyk. “On social media, Tampa International Airport posted photos of cleanup underway, with debris strewn across runways and hangars. The airport said it’s aiming for a reopening plan later Thursday. DeSantis said the Tampa airport is repairing ‘minimal damage’ and should be open no later than Friday. Southwest Florida International Airport in the Ft. Myers area said it is still assessing when its operations will begin on Friday.” EARLY ESTIMATE — “Ratings firm says Milton losses will further weaken ‘precarious position’ of Florida insurance market,” reports Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Insurance analysis firm Fitch Ratings said on Thursday that losses from Hurricane Milton will further weaken the ‘precarious position’ of Florida’s property insurance market and possibly lead to [rising] of premiums for policyholders next year … Fitch’s report estimated that Milton caused $30 billion to $50 billion in insured losses, making it the most expensive for insurers since 2022’s Hurricane Ian, which caused $60 billion in losses. Combined with 2024’s previous storms, Milton will push industry-insured losses to more than $100 billion for the fifth straight year, the report said.” BEFORE LANDFALL — “Hurricane Milton tornado rips through Florida retirement community, with multiple deaths,” reports NBC News’ David K. Li. “Five people died in St. Lucie County, on Florida’s east coast, and more than one of those fatalities came at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, a neighborhood designed for residents 55 and older, county spokesman Erick Gill said. … There had been no orders to evacuate that area ‘because it was well ahead of the actual impact that we were expecting to receive from Hurricane Milton,’ according to Gill.” TROPICANA CLEANUP — “Rays start assessing damage, viability of Tropicana Field,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin. “The first step will be to have an operations crew survey the stadium and work in collaboration with St. Petersburg police to secure the building. Most visible was the shredding of the roof, which was caused by the high winds on Wednesday night. Only a few panels of the roof — made of ‘6 acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass’ and supported by cables connected by struts, and built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph, per the team — remained intact Thursday, with remnants seen on the field.” TRUMP CHIMES IN — Former President Donald Trump released a video on social media Thursday saying he and his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, were “deeply saddened by the devastation.” He noted he too was a Florida resident and that “we love it so much,” and praised Gov. Ron DeSantis, his former rival in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race. “Your governor is doing an excellent job,” he said. “I have been talking to him and watching. Ron is doing a really great job we are proud of him.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | | 
The Supreme Court of Florida is seen in Tallahassee, Florida, Jan. 11, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ‘NO CLEAR LEGAL RIGHT’ — “Florida Supreme Court rejects lawsuit against DeSantis administration over abortion measure,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “The court, in a unanimous opinion, concluded that Palm Beach county attorney Adam Richardson could not use the ‘extraordinary’ path of taking his case directly to the state’s highest court over a dispute over the administration’s handling of the abortion rights initiative. … Richardson contended that the administration ‘acted in excess of their legal authority’ and asserted they were interfering in the election in violation of state law. DeSantis has defended the government’s ongoing campaigning against the amendment and said AHCA was ‘telling the truth.’” ORAL ARGUMENTS — “Federal judges question Florida’s drag show law,” reports News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam. “Melissa Stewart, an attorney who represents Hamburger Mary’s, told the panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during Wednesday’s hearing that the law ‘employs broad undefined terms like lewd conduct and lewd exposure’ and ‘makes compliance practically impossible.’ Judges Robin Rosenbaum and Nancy Abudu grilled Nate Forrester, a lawyer for the state, about the law. ‘Where is the definition of lewd in this provision or anywhere in the Florida statutes, because it seems your brief talks a lot about obscenity. Where is lewd?’ Abudu asked. Forrester said that the word has a ‘longstanding history’ in state law.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | MIAMI OR VEGAS — “The Latino battleground you Haven’t heard about,” reports Adrian Carrasquillo in POLITICO. “When Univision suggested Miami — where the network has its headquarters — as the venue for both town halls, the Trump campaign welcomed the prospect. A Univision official joked that when the Trump campaign was approached with the idea, the tenor of the answer was: ‘A Univision town hall? Sure, if it’s in Miami and the audience is full of Cubans.’ The Harris campaign, on the other hand, quickly knocked down the idea of a town hall in a heavily Cuban American city where Trump has robust support.” ELECTING GEN Z — “Taking on Brian Mast: Why this 25-year-old is running for U.S. Congress,” reports Stet News’ Joel Engelhardt. “[Democrat Thomas] Witkop isn’t just running against [Brian] Mast, he’s attacking the decorated Afghan war veteran on one of his perceived strengths: the environment. … Through the end of July, Mast had outraised Witkop $1.8 million to $85,000 although Witkop expects to top $200,000 in the next filing. On Wednesday, Witkop received The Palm Beach Post’s editorial endorsement, raising his profile.” BIG BUCKS — “Alina Garcia nears $500K raised for Miami-Dade SOE job — 4 times more than her Dem foe,” reports Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner. “Between Aug. 16 and Sept. 20, the last date from which state and county campaign finance data was available Thursday, [Alina] Garcia collected about $60,000 between her campaign account and political committee, Florida Always First. Between when she won her House seat in November 2022 and Sept. 20, Garcia — a longtime GOP operative — amassed more than $492,000. She had about $426,000 left Sept. 21, part of it carry-over funds from her House campaign. Last period, Garcia received close to 50 personal checks, including $1,000 from Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett and lawyer Tania Cruz-Giménez, the daughter-in-law of Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez.”
| | | | A message from Uber: Expanding transit access in Florida
Did you know that every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida?
Key stat: On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to reach these stations—extending Brightline’s reach far beyond the tracks.
From MiamiCentral to Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, Uber is making it easier for Floridians to access public transit.
Learn more about how Uber partners with transit agencies to improve access to public transportation. | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — “A hurricane scientist logged a final flight as NOAA released his ashes into Milton’s eye,” by The Associated Press. — ”Hundreds of pets adopted, fostered after shelter's plea for help went viral,” reports the Palm Beach Post. — Tiffany Trump is pregnant. BIRTHDAYS: Joni Branch with the Florida Education Association … (Saturday) State Sen. Lauren Book … state Sen. Shevrin Jones … former Rep. Joe Garcia. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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