DeSantis speaks with Biden as Florida braces for Idalia to strike as major hurricane

President Joe Biden spoke with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday morning as Florida’s Gulf Coast braces for a potentially devastating hurricane.

In the call, Biden told DeSantis that he had approved an emergency declaration ahead of the storm’s expected landfall this week, according to a statement released by the White House. At the same time, FEMA has already pre-deployed personnel in anticipation of the storm.

The emergency declaration allows FEMA to quickly coordinate disaster-relief efforts and deploy resources to Florida.

The announcement came as the National Hurricane Center released its latest forecast for Tropical Storm Idalia showing the storm making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday morning.

Over the weekend, DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for 33 counties, spanning from Lee County in Southwest Florida to Franklin County in the panhandle. He has also mobilized 1,100 members of the state National Guard. At a Monday morning press conference, he said that evacuation orders will be issued for several Gulf Coast counties.

The impending storm is bearing down on Florida at a crucial moment for DeSantis, who’s seeking the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. His poll numbers have slid in the months since he launched his campaign, and he’s working to make inroads in key early voting states, most notably Iowa.

He was previously scheduled to attend U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan’s annual Faith & Freedom BBQin South Carolina on Monday, but scrapped those plans amid challenges at home. His wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, will attend the South Carolina barbeque in his place.

Biden also spoke to DeSantis about a racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville over the weekend that left three Black people dead, according to the White House.

DeSantis traveled to the city on Sunday where he pledged financial resources for the victims’ families and to ramp up security at Edward Waters University, a historically Black university in Jacksonville.

DeSantis and Biden have long had an icy relationship, yet they’ve shown a willingness to set aside their differences during past hurricanes. The two met last year in the wake of Hurricane Ian, where they emphasized their cooperation during a joint appearance.

“Mr. President, welcome to Florida,” DeSantis said at the time. “We appreciate working together across various levels of government.”