DeSantis announces $9.5 million for Hurricane Milton recovery efforts · The Floridian

After major hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida’s Gulf Coast less than two weeks apart, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the state will provide $9.5 million to boost storm recovery.

More than half of the investment, US$5.5 million, will go towards emergency repairs to the piers, with US$3.5 million used for “immediate security and access control needs” and US$500,000 for plans to strengthen port infrastructure for any future hurricanes.

“To minimize impacts to Floridians and ensure that the Vanity Seaport returns to full and efficient operations as quickly as possible, I announce today that the State of Florida will provide $9.5 million to…help repair the affected infrastructure”, said the governor. DeSantis said at a news conference in Palmetto on Monday afternoon.

He emphasized the importance of keeping important ports like the Port of Tampa Bay, which was hit by Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night, open, especially in terms of replenishing depleted fuel supplies.

Additionally, he said, the state will also provide “subject matter experts and skilled workers” from the Florida Department of Transportation, expedite permits for rebuilding port infrastructure, and deploy the Florida National Guard to “reestablish perimeter security” and help with repairs.

Florida ports have become a major part of the political debate after 45,000 longshoremen from Texas to Maine went on strike five days after Hurricane Helene hit Big Bend as a Category 4 storm. DeSantis called the strike “unacceptable.” after the storm, pointing out the need to keep supply chains intact after a huge storm and threatened to send in the National Guard if the strike continued.

When the longshoremen reached a tentative agreement on October 4, agreeing to suspend their strike until January 15 to renegotiate their contracts, some DeSantis allies (and perhaps DeSantis himself) credited the Florida governor with suspending the strike.

If the strike had continued after Helene and through Milton, which occurred last week, the situation could have been even more dire. At least 23 Floridians died in the storm and more than 4 million lost power. Since then, the state has worked to restore more than 3.8 million accounts, meaning “97% of the state is electrified and operational,” DeSantis said.

As of 3 p.m., just over 352,000 Floridians were still without power, the majority of whom live in Hillsborough County (more than 150,000 do not have electricity).