Milton’s October surprise

State of Emergency

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A Florida congresswoman criticized Biden. Then, Milton hit.

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Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna , a Republican representing many of the areas hit hard by Hurricane Milton, won her seat in 2022 on the strength of an endorsement from former president Donald Trump. Since taking office, Luna has taken what could mildly be called a combative approach to the Biden administration on disaster issues. Not only did she vote last month against additional funding for FEMA’s disaster relief fund, she has also fought the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to loosen its rules for restoring the ever-eroding sand on St. Petersburg beaches; at one point, Luna suggested that the corps “needs to be defunded.”

But that was before the storm, when the federal government was just a bogeyman off in the distance. With Milton approaching, Luna changed her tune: She found her district in desperate need of financial assistance and resources from the Biden administration, which has far more money for disaster response than the state of Florida or any local government. As the storm neared landfall, she tweeted a plea to the Biden administration, saying, “We need FEMA DOLLARS FREE’D UP.” Earlier this week, she praised the administration’s response to the hurricane, telling Fox News that Biden called her directly and met with her in person.

There’s one more potential reason for Luna’s about-face: She won her seat in 2022 with just 53 percent of the vote, and she’s facing a tough contest this fall against a Democrat who is focused on kitchen-table issues like insurance and housing costs. Last week, Luna’s challenger joined dozens of other Democrats in calling on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to reconvene Congress and pass additional disaster relief funding, and slammed Luna for voting against FEMA money in September. Luna joined the calls for Congress to reconvene, bucking the leadership of her own party. “This needs to happen,” she tweeted. “Speaker Johnson, call us back.”

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Extreme weather 101: Your guide to staying prepared and informed

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