MIAMI — Every hurricane season in Florida comes with uncertainty but there’s a surprising new source of questions this year surrounding the federal agency that responds to disasters and has historically helped pay for often massive cleanup and recovery costs.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, already down thousands of employees under cuts directed by the Trump administration, is also under new marching orders to slash federal spending on disaster responses, leaving bigger shares of the bills to state and local governments.
Republican state leaders — starting with Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott — have dismissed serious concerns over the FEMA overhaul, arguing that Florida has always directed response in the immediate wake of the storms.
“On the core prep, response and