RAINCHECK

Ron DeSantis ‘Has Not Yet Called’ Fort Lauderdale Mayor After Historic Flooding

Schools are closed, water rescues are underway, and abandoned cars lined the streets after Fort Lauderdale was devastated by flooding on Wednesday.

Schools are closed, water rescues are underway, and abandoned cars line the streets after Fort Lauderdale was devastated by flooding on Wednesday. It was the rainiest day in the city’s history, one that weather experts called a “1-in 1,000 year rainfall event.” But Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to check in with the city’s mayor. At a press conference Thursday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, a Democrat, was aked if he’d received a call from the governor. “Governor DeSantis has not yet called,” Trantalis said. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m sure he’s very interested in what’s going on here, and we’re happy to work with his office... I’m not sure the governor himself needs to be involved, but the state agencies have been very helpful in working with us to be ready to take on this challenge.” In a statement, DeSantis’s deputy press secretary said that Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, “has been proactively reaching out to the city and county on behalf of the DeSantis Administration.”