DISASTER DRAMA

DeSantis Aides Beef With Relief Workers Who Claim He Halted Operations for Photo Op

Relief workers claimed they were stopped by troopers, who told them their “hands were tied” ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ arrival in Arcadia, Florida.

Representatives for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have vigorously denied claims that the he made relief workers pause their rescue operations for several hours on Sunday afternoon so he could have a photo op in Arcadia, despite TV interviews with those present saying otherwise. The infuriated workers told ABC Action News that they’d been leading relief mission for days since Hurricane Ian made landfall last week but a state trooper made them stop because DeSantis was en route. The trooper allegedly told the workers that his “hands were tied.” The incident has since spurred a dispute between DeSantis and Florida Democrats over what really happened. Karla Hernández, the running mate for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, accused DeSantis of calling good Samaritans liars. Christina Pushaw, rapid response director for DeSantis’ campaign, called the whole story “disinformation,” pointing to a statement from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office that said operations “stayed rolling the entire time.”