DeSantis calls for investigation after FEMA workers avoid homes

On November 9, 2024By Pranco

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling for an investigation into FEMA after FEMA volunteers reportedly told the publication The Daily Wire that they were ordered by the agency to demolish the homes of President-elect Donald Trump supporter to skip surveying damage in Highlands County after Hurricane Milton.

According to internal text messages reviewed by the publication, workers in Lake Placid avoided about two dozen homes containing the words “promoting Trump.”

Governor DeSantis told x that the Florida Division of Emergency Management would investigate the incident.

The blatant weaponization of the government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.

At my direction, the Emergency Management Division is launching an investigation into the federal… https://t.co/3uFpE62vxb

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 8, 2024

Dozens of Republican lawmakers also weighed in, including Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.

If people needed the most help and career bureaucrats weaponized the federal government against them, that’s a criminal offense. They should be blacklisted so they can never work in government again.

We need to help EVERYONE, regardless of their political leanings, and we certainly expect… https://t.co/zxyObud5Wb

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) November 8, 2024

I just took swift action for the American people, and I demand answers from @FEMA_Deanne about why Americans were discriminated against by their government based on who they support in elections. The findings are abhorrent and we need accountability.

You have until 11/25. pic.twitter.com/Jz2gQVmhpc

— Representative Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) November 9, 2024

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a FEMA spokesperson said the agency is “deeply troubled” after the incident, noting that the official who gave the instruction “was not given any direction to tell teams to avoid these homes.”

FEMA’s full statement to Fox News Digital:

“FEMA helps all survivors, regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken action to remove the employee from his role and are investigating the matter to prevent this. that this would never happen again. The employee who issued these guidelines had no authority and was not instructed to tell teams to avoid these homes. We are reaching out to those who may not have been reached as a result of this incident issue which we take very seriously, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that all survivors receive support from FEMA. To date, we have assisted more than 365,000 households affected by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the state of Florida and provided more than $898. million in direct assistance to survivors. We are shocked that this has occurred and have therefore taken extreme measures to correct this situation and ensured that the issue was addressed at all levels. Helping people is what we do best and our staff across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as necessary.”

This is a development story.