Florida's attorney general is suing officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a supervisor directed workers helping hurricane survivors not to go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump.
Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the legal action Thursday against FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and the supervisor.
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"Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – caught withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support President Trump. I am taking swift legal action to find out how far this political discrimination reaches and to make sure all Americans who fall victim to devastating storms are served, regardless of their political affiliation," Moody said in a statement.
Moody said that according to whistleblowers, at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags in Lake Placid, Florida "were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance."
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Criswell confirmed Saturday that the supervisor had been fired and vowed to do whatever she can to make sure it never happens again.
"This is a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation," Criswell said. “This was reprehensible."
FEMA workers have been in the state helping residents recover from Hurricane Milton, which devastated many Florida communities last month.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called it "targeted discrimination” of Florida residents who support Trump and said he directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to begin an investigation into the matter.
