Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference Saturday morning to discuss Hurricane Milton and related relief efforts.
The press conference was held at 11 a.m. at Plant City Stadium in Plant City. A recording be viewed in full at the bottom of this page.
Gov. DeSantis spoke alongside Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie and Major General John D. Haas, adjutant general of Florida.
The governor and director provided updates on fuel distribution sites and available reserves, a federal disaster declaration approved by the Biden administration, and continued fatalities due to storm-related water hazards, among other things.
Here's what you need to know.
Fuel assistance
Gov. DeSantis said the state has opened free fuel distribution sites in three counties. Those are in Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
The governor said the state is working on opening additional locations, including the "heart of Tampa," a second location in Pinellas County, Sarasota County and more — depending on demand.
DeSantis said the state has inserted 400,000 gallons of diesel and 500,000 gallons of regular gasoline into the supply chain.
"Although we've done fuel support in the past, we've never done it to this scale," DeSantis said. "And that is on top of the amount of fuel we've provided directly to service stations."
The state still has 1.8 million gallons of diesel fuel and 1 million gallons of regular gasoline on hand, DeSantis said. Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Guthrie added separately that over 37 million gallons of fuel are being offloaded from Tampa ports and will be immediately available to distribution lines.
Disaster declaration approved
FEMA announced Saturday that the Biden administration approved a major federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Milton-related effects.
Assistance can include low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from Hurricane Milton.
Officials urged residents and business owners to begin applying but emphasized the need, if applicable, to separate damages from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“If you cross them over, that’s going to lead to additional bureaucratic — what we call — requests for information,” director Guthrie said. “Keep them specific. Talk Helene damage, talk Milton damage.”
Potential federal assistance may not end there, either. State officials formally requested four additional FEMA programs.
"They're already working [on] these letters," Guthrie said.
Those programs are transitional sheltering assistance, clean-and-sanitize assistance, non-congregate sheltering, and direct temporary housing.
Guthrie said the state will provide more information on these programs once they're approved, which they expect all to be.
Hazardous conditions
Gov. DeSantis said about 1,000 people have been rescued from floodwaters and other water hazards, but rescuers still encounter related fatalities.
"We have continued to see, unfortunately, some fatalities as a result of things like downed power lines," he said. "So, please, continue to exercise caution as you recover from the storm."
DeSantis emphasized the importance of ladder and generator safety and said when it comes to clearing property, there are organizations that can provide assistance, including Hope Florida.
Guthrie said urban search-and-rescue teams are finishing up operations. He added that if you still cannot find a loved one, to contact the American Red Cross, which "is best at that."
Power outages, restorations
Gov. DeSantis said power had been restored to 2.4 million customers across the state and that 1.6 million remained without power as of Saturday morning.
Friday was the first full day of restoration efforts, he said, and he anticipated efforts to pick up momentum. "I think you're going to see a very productive weekend for [power companies]," he said.
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