According to a new report, the office of Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis reportedly stated on Friday that he does not plan to meet with Vice President Joe Biden during the latter’s trip to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia.
DeSantis believes that a meeting would hinder recovery efforts.
“In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts,” DeSantis’s press secretary said.
Wednesday, the Category 3 hurricane made landfall in Florida before advancing through Georgia and the Carolinas.
Biden and the First Lady are scheduled to visit Florida on Saturday to meet with storm-affected residents.
Following a speech on Friday, Biden announced that he would meet with Florida’s governor while in the state.
The president stated that he spoke with Governor DeSantis on Tuesday and assured him that he would provide the state with all the assistance required for recovery efforts.
Biden and DeSantis first met in 2022 when Hurricane Ian struck the state of Florida and met again in 2021 after the Surfside condo collapsed.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Overtakes Trump in Key Straw Poll of Younger Republicans]
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