While the media has taken to making fun of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' "go-go" boots and the alleged side-eyes he and President Joe Biden exchanged at a recent press conference on Hurricane Ian, the Republican governor claimed he has been leading a historic effort to restore power and stability to the areas most affected by Hurricane Ian that claimed at least 155 lives.
On September 28, the Category 4 hurricane made landfall on Cayo Costa Island at its fiercest, tying with seven other hurricanes for the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to impact the United States and leaving at least 137 people dead.
DeSantis Praised For Hurricane Ian Response
As DeSantis prepares to run for re-election in November and is frequently mentioned as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, the media has closely watched his response to the catastrophe.
After Republican county leaders in Lee County refused to evacuate citizens early, the governor briefly came under fire for the destruction in the severely affected county. DeSantis' rubber rain boots and the way he behaved during a press conference with President Joe Biden were both captured on camera as he surveyed the damage and turned into memes making fun of the Republican, as per Fox News.
Before the Florida governor's race on November 8, the hurricane served as a test for DeSantis, a Republican who was elected in 2018 and is known for his somewhat aggressive political approach.
Democratic representative Charlie Crist is taking on DeSantis in the race. DeSantis won acclaim for appearing to put political politics aside and coordinating relief operations with the White House throughout the effort. According to a new The Economist/YouGov poll that questioned 1,500 American adults from October 1 to 4, voters approved of DeSantis' hurricane response. The poll's margin of error is three percentage points.
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed expressed strong or moderate agreement with DeSantis' response to the hurricane. This showed bipartisan support for the governor, whose administration came under fire for its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and contentious legislation, notably the "Don't Say Gay" bill put into law earlier this year. This included 80% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats.
The majority of Americans, according to the study, are content overall with how the government handled Hurricane Ian. The survey found that 60% of respondents approved of the state government's reaction to the disaster, 60% approved of the federal government's response, and 55% agreed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) reaction.
When visiting the state on Wednesday, President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has been a target of DeSantis, commended him in a show of unity while viewing hurricane devastation. During a press conference, President Joe Biden observed, "What the governor's done is fairly spectacular." "I believe he did a good job,"
The way the storm was handled, meanwhile, has drawn some criticism Lee, County officials came under fire for issuing their evacuation order on September 27 less than one day before the hurricane struck in the region that was severely devastated by the storm.
DeSantis backed the local officials, claiming that they were following the data regarding the predicted path of the storm. Additionally, he claimed that the national regime media wanted the hurricane to hit Florida to further their political goal.
Ron DeSantis's Migrant Surge Response
The Washington Post learns from new state documents that DeSantis' attempt to transport migrants last month may have beyond the scope of a state-designed original program. According to The Post, the state initiative, which began in July, aimed to relocate out of the state of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States.
The state program did not mention the prospect of transporting migrants from Texas, according to records provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and the governor's office.
Additionally, The state documents, Florida paid Vertol Systems, a charter airline with its headquarters in Oregon, $615,000 for the September flights to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. For each of the 50 migrants on board the two aircraft, that comes out to around $12,300.
DeSantis and other state officials were sued by state senator Jason Pizzo (D) for the plan to transport migrants. He claimed that because the migrants were not doing so illegally and that their flight did not start in Florida, the plan violated state law, News Week via MSN reported.
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