Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has angrily denied repots that he interrupted Hurricane Ian relief efforts for a staged photo op.
But video shared by a Democratic activist of Mr DeSantis’ visit on Sunday afternoon to areas of DeSoto County affected by the devastating hurricane which has killed more than 100 people suggests otherwise.
Volunteers in the town of Arcadia had been using their own boats to ferry essential items such as food, medicine and diapers to stranded Floridians since Hurricane Ian made landfall last Wednesday, ABC Action News reported.
But the good samaritans became frustrated when they were forced to pause operations for several hours ahead of a visit by the governor.
A clip posted to Twitter by Democratic Governors Association communications staffer Sam Newton showed volunteers arguing with Mr DeSantis’ security staff over why they had to suspend operations.
“It’s because the governor’s here,” one of Mr DeSantis’ team tells a volunteer.
When asked about the incident at a press conference, Mr DeSantis said it was a “categorical lie”.
“I don’t know why we’re worried about the silly issues when we’ve got people to help, OK. I was the first one to show up in Desoto and help those people,” Mr DeSantis told a press conference on Sunday.
“They were appreciative that we were, there weren’t stopping anything. They had distributed a bunch of water and food and whatnot. There was nobody even in line at the time. So it’s a total lie, and it’s just dumb, but I don’t have time for that.”
Responding to the ABC Action News article, Mr DeSantis’ political aide Christina Pushaw said she had reported it for disinformation.
According to a press release, Mr DeSantis visited DeSoto County to provide updates on the hurricane response effort, survey impacted areas, distribute hot meals, and meet with survivors.
As the official death toll passed 100 on Monday, officials in Florida and North Carolina are continuing to search for missing and stranded victims.
Nearly 600,000 residents in Florida remained without power.
