Gov. Ron DeSantis Refuses To Take Calls From VP Kamala Harris As Florida Braces For Hurricane Milton

Pick up the phone, DeSantis!

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is refusing to answer phone calls from Vice President Kamala Harris as the Sunshine State braces for Hurricane Milton’s abrasive impact, NBC News reported.

DeSantis’ team said they feel her calls are politically motivated and sources claim that is the reason the governor refuses to take the calls. “Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” a close aide to DeSantis said.

While Florida braces for Milton’s impact, some areas of the state are still living through the devastation left behind from Hurricane Helene in late September 2024. The team behind the failed presidential hopeful says the governor hasn’t spoken to President Joe Biden since Helene hit, however the reason behind that lands on DeSantis being on a plane at the time the call came through.

Biden made his way to north Florida in early October 2024 to survey the storm damage, but DeSantis was holding a previously scheduled press conference in a different part of the state, causing the two leaders to miss each other.

However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Oct. 7 that the ball is in DeSantis’ court, according to ABC News. The first step for federal assistance is answering the phone. “If you have the president and you have the vice president reaching out to offer up assistance provided to your constituents, the people who live in your state, to make sure we are doing everything that we need to do from federal response — and we’re reaching out, offering our support, that’s where … it is up to [DeSantis] if he wants to respond to us or not,” Jean-Pierre said.

Despite the lack of communication between federal and state leaders, the press secretary said all the necessary teams are in place and ready for Milton’s landfall.

Milton has been labeled as a Category 5 hurricane, and residents are being urged to evacuate while there is still time. “Time is going to start running out very, very soon,” DeSantis said during a press conference. Over 50 counties on Florida’s west coast have been placed under state of emergency orders, with others under evacuation orders such as Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota.

Before Milton greets Florida’s shores, scheduled for Oct. 9 or Oct. 10., Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state to guarantee federal assistance to begin supplementing local efforts.

While DeSantis claims he has Helene’s aftermath “handled,” other state governors such as Georgia and South Carolina Republican Govs. Brian Kemp and Henry McMaster have praised the response from federal agencies. Kemp thanked the Biden Administration for the assistance, while McMaster labeled the response as “superb.”

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