WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared a "major disaster" in Florida, two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis requested that designation because of impacts from the new coronavirus.
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The declaration clears the way for the state to receive federal assistance.
In a letter to Trump on Monday, DeSantis wrote that Florida's "hospitals, medical facilities and first responders are facing challenges rarely experienced before."
He said the state has already spent $208 million on related unemployment assistance, food stamps, disaster loans and mental health counseling.
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Despite the designation, the Republican governor has resisted calls from mostly Democrats to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, calling it "inappropriate."
