DeSantis Orders Probe After FEMA Allegedly Avoided Trump Supporters’ Homes

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, accompanied by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, holds a news conference at a fuel depot in Plant City, Fla., on Oct. 12, 2024. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Nov. 8 that he has ordered an investigation into reports indicating that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief workers neglected storm-affected supporters of President-elect Donald Trump while assessing damage from Hurricane Milton.

According to screenshots of internal messages published by The Daily Wire, a FEMA official instructed relief workers who were identifying residents eligible for federal aid in Lake Placid, both orally and via internal messages, that it was best practice to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”

One image shows that a relief worker uploaded a photo of a property with a Trump flag with a note stating, “Trump sign no entry per leadership.” Other notes stated, “Per leadership no stop Trump flag,” “Trump sign,” and “Trump sign, no contact per leadership.”

Relief workers reportedly skipped at least 20 homes starting in late October in a district that voted 70 percent for Trump. The Epoch Times has not independently verified these claims.

Responding to the report, DeSantis called the FEMA supervisor’s message “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”

DeSantis said that he has directed Florida’s Division of Emergency Management to look into “the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”

“New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired,” he added.

The Epoch Times contacted FEMA for comment.

A spokesperson for the agency told The Daily Wire that the supervisor who sent the messages, Marn’i Washington, is not actively working for the agency pending an investigation. The agency said it was horrified and deeply disturbed by Washington’s actions.

“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Washington didn’t have the authority to tell relief workers to avoid the homes of Trump supporters, the spokesperson said. The agency said it is taking the matter very seriously and is contacting the residents who may have been overlooked to remedy the situation.

FEMA said that to date, it has helped more than 365,000 Floridian households affected by recent hurricanes Helene and Milton and has provided more than $898 million in direct assistance to survivors.

“We are horrified that this took place and, therefore, have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels,“ the FEMA spokesperson said. ”Helping people is what we do best and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.”

The news spread on social media, prompting responses and action from elected officials in Congress.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) verified the report’s claims, saying his office had confirmed its substance with FEMA.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who represents Florida’s 13th district and is a member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, wrote to FEMA head Deanne Criswell.

“It is completely unacceptable that a FEMA official was allowed to exploit Hurricane Milton to further their political beliefs at a time when Americans were struggling due to the damage caused by the storm,” Luna wrote. “The opportunity to apply for federal aid through FEMA should never be used to discriminate against an individual.”

Luna asked Criswell to respond by Nov. 25 with information about when the agency became aware of Washington’s guidance, how guidance sent to workers is approved, how long FEMA’s investigation will take, and what steps are being taken to hold Washington accountable.