On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said President Joe Biden should have covered the entire state of Florida in his disaster declaration instead of just nine counties.
“Despite the entire Florida federal delegation asking President Biden to declare all 67 counties a designated disaster area, the president only included nine counties in the declaration he issued today,” Bilirakis noted. “Locally, Hillsborough and Pinellas were included in the order. Individuals or businesses in these counties who sustained losses can begin applying for immediate FEMA assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
“Impacted individuals in counties that were not included are ineligible for FEMA aid at this time,” Bilirakis added. “ I’m working with a bipartisan group of my colleagues and asking once again for the president to amend his disaster declaration. I’ll keep you posted on whether or not he changes his mind and provides relief to all Floridians who experienced damage from Hurricane Ian. Please be assured that I will not stop advocating for the resources our communities need to fully recover. In the meantime, my team and I will be on the ground helping in any way we can.”
