Hurricane season is knocking on Florida’s door.
The Governor isn’t taking any chances.
And Ron DeSantis just warned Floridians to prepare for another rough hurricane season.
DeSantis delivers tough hurricane warning in Jupiter
Standing before shelves of generators at a Home Depot in Jupiter, Florida, DeSantis didn’t mince words about the upcoming hurricane season that officially begins June 1.
“You just have to prepare and plan that we are going to have impacts,” DeSantis said. “If you plan and it doesn’t happen, you’re never going to have regrets. If you don’t plan and it happens, you’re going to immediately be saying, ‘Why didn’t I do this?'”
The Governor and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie appeared together in what both men joked they hope is their only joint appearance this summer.
“I really hope this is the only time you see me and Kevin Guthrie this summer,” DeSantis said. “That would be great. We can pray for that.”
But the weather forecasters aren’t giving much hope for a quiet season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, with only a 10% chance it will be quieter than average.
NOAA is forecasting 13 to 19 named storms, with six to ten becoming hurricanes and three to five reaching major hurricane status with winds exceeding 110 mph.
After last year’s punishing season, which included Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton hammering Florida, residents are understandably weary.
“We do deserve a little bit of a break,” DeSantis quipped.
State ready but Legislature drops the ball on hurricane tax holiday
DeSantis took the opportunity to blast state lawmakers for failing to pass a budget before hurricane season, leaving Floridians without the customary tax holiday on hurricane supplies.
“We usually do the hurricane tax preparedness holidays the first two weeks of hurricane season, and then we do two weeks at kind of the height of hurricane season. But they haven’t even done the budget yet, so we don’t have any of the tax holidays in place,” DeSantis said.
The Governor has been at odds with the Republican-controlled Legislature all year, despite his party holding a supermajority in both chambers.
The lawmakers’ failure to pass a budget means other hurricane preparedness initiatives are also on hold.
“At least get the people on the waitlist who were already approved for repairs. Let them do it and make the repairs so that all this will be done in advance of this hurricane season,” DeSantis said, referring to the My Safe Florida Home program that helps homeowners prepare for storms.
Florida preparing for potential FEMA pullback
With the new Trump administration promising major changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, DeSantis emphasized that Florida is prepared to handle storms with or without federal assistance.
“You hear these different things. I know the media is trying to make an issue of FEMA, this or that. Just know, in Florida, our preparations and our immediate response always assumes FEMA wouldn’t be there for us,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa.
Former state emergency management director and current U.S. Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, has raised alarms about changes at FEMA, claiming the agency has been “decimated in ways we won’t know until it happens.”
“They’re not paying vendors. You know what happens when we don’t pay vendors? They can’t pay subcontractors. They’re not going to be ready to perform in hurricane season,” Moskowitz warned, adding that FEMA has lost 30 percent of its workforce.
What Floridians need to do right now
Florida emergency officials are urging residents to follow these five steps to prepare for hurricane season:
- Know your home. If it was built before 2004, it likely doesn’t meet current Florida building codes.
- Know your zone. Determine if you live in a storm surge or flood zone.
- Make a plan for everyone in your family, including pets. Build a disaster supply kit with essentials like water, food, flashlights, batteries, and power banks to last at least seven days.
- Keep your electric vehicles charged and gas tanks at least halfway full throughout hurricane season.
- Have an evacuation plan. If you need to evacuate, find a hotel or shelter built after 2004.
DeSantis stressed that evacuations don’t have to mean leaving the state – just getting to higher ground, often just a few miles inland.
“If you’re in Palm Beach County, you don’t need to go to Georgia,” DeSantis said. “You can go a little bit inland and you’ll be fine.”
The Governor also reminded pet owners that every Florida county now offers pet-friendly shelter options.
He referenced a dog that was chained to a fence along Interstate 75 ahead of Hurricane Milton last year – an abandoned pet that was rescued by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
“The dog would have died hadn’t (the trooper) done that,” DeSantis said. “Why would you chain a dog up to a fence like that in that situation? It just makes no sense.”
Meanwhile, the state has replenished emergency supplies, including 3.5 million gallons of water, 3.7 million nonperishable meals, and 1.4 million tarps, according to Guthrie.
For more information on hurricane preparedness, Floridians can visit www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare.
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