Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to take a phone call with Vice President Kamala Harris in the past few days about the hurricane response, as the state recovers from Hurricane Helen and confronts Hurricane Milton, a source close to the governor told ABC News.
DeSantis’ team claims the vice president’s outreach is politically motivated, according to the source.
DeSantis’ staff also said the governor has not spoken with President Joe Biden in the past few days.
DeSantis later said he was unaware of the vice president’s outreach.
“No, I didn’t know she called me. I saw it [the report]“But I wasn’t aware of that,” DeSantis said.
The governor also said he had not spoken with Biden but noted he was “grateful” that Biden “agreed to what we asked for.”
In response to DeSantis’ alleged snub, Harris called playing “political games” in a time of crisis “completely responsible” and “selfish.”
“People are in desperate need of support right now and are playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations, this is the height of the emergency. It’s completely irresponsible, and it’s selfish,” Harris told reporters before boarding Air Force One. Monday afternoon.
The governor spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday, and federal officials continue to work with state emergency managers to prepare for Milton’s landfall.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks about Hurricane Helen during a news conference at the Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Florida, September 26, 2024.
Phil Sears – Reuters
DeSantis’ refusal to take Harris’ call was first reported by NBC News.
Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, and officials in Florida are urging residents to evacuate while they still can.
“Time is going to start running out very soon,” DeSantis said in a news conference on Monday.
More than 50 counties along Florida’s west coast are now under emergency orders and several are under evacuation orders, including Charlotte, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota. All evacuation orders are listed on the Florida Department of Emergency Management website.
The storm is expected to weaken, but will remain a major Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall in Florida late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Rescue workers remove debris from Hurricane Helen’s flooding along the Gulf of Mexico before the arrival of Milton, Clearwater Beach, Florida, October 7, 2024.
Chris O’Meara/AP
Before making landfall, Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state to allow federal aid to begin to supplement local efforts.
Officials said flooding was expected and storm surges posed a major threat.
A record storm surge of 8 to 12 feet is expected in the Tampa Bay area, as Floridians continue to clean up 6 to 8 feet of storm surge just brought by Hurricane Helen.
Editor’s Note: The story has been updated.
ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez contributed to this report.
