Biden surveys Pinellas storm damage, pledges funds after Milton, Helene

ST. PETE BEACH — Standing in front of a storm-battered home outside Sunset Park, President Joe Biden announced $612 million in new investments in projects to support recovery from hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The funds, dispersed through the U.S. Department of Energy, include $47 million to Florida Power & Light and $47 million to Gainesville Regional Utilities.

Biden said the funds would go toward makings electric grids more resilient and could help reduce the frequency and duration of power outages “while extreme weather events become more frequent.”

Biden said he spoke to business owners and residents in St. Pete Beach, and empathized with what it’s like to lose a home, recalling when his home was struck by lightning and he lost possessions, including family photos and his daughter’s drawings.

“Small business owners here and homeowners have taken a real beating in the back-to-back storms, and they’re heartbroken and exhausted and their expenses piling up,” he said.

Biden said more than 250,000 Floridians signed up for FEMA assistance Saturday after the major disaster declaration, a historic number. He said response to the “cataclysmic” disasters would be “a whole government effort,” with assistance from state, local and federal authorities, including FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said several projects were already underway, including undergrounding power lines, raising substations that face flooding and installing technology to identify blackouts before they happen. She said the department, along with private utility companies, have so far invested $2.5 billion to improving the infrastructure in the southeast.

“These investments obviously are not going to prevent the next storm, but they certainly will make sure that in the coming years, we can respond and recover from these storms more quickly,” she said.

Biden said so far FEMA has delivered 1.2 million meals, 300,000 liters of water and 2 million gallons of fuel, and installed 100 satellite terminals to restore communications. He said 10 disaster sites have opened across the state and expects to open more. He said he would work with state and local agencies to help prioritize debris removal.

St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila said FEMA resources have been a “lifeline” in the aftermath of the storms.

“We have been beaten, we have been battered, but we will not be broken,” he said. “We are resilient and we will rebuild.”

Pinellas County Commission Chairperson Kathleen Peters said combining the two storms as one national disaster would help in eliminating red tape and expediting recovery.

“This is a storm we’ll never forget, but it’s what’s going to make us so much stronger and better,” she said.

Across Tampa Bay, new signs of recovery surfaced on Sunday, even as some areas were still drying out.

Tree cutters came out to remove fallen oaks and pines that threatened homes. Football fans gathered at the House of Brews in Lutz to watch the Bucs play the Saints, cheering as they ate lunch inside and at outdoor tables.

Utility crews worked under the hot sun to repair downed power lines so families without electricity could get back to a sense of normal. Several continued to run generators in their yards, while a handful brought RV’s and even portable toilets for comfort.

By Sunday evening, Duke Energy reported having 225,000 customers in Pinellas County without service, or about 40% of its clients. In Pasco County, 14,000 Duke customers did not have power, or about 9%. The company anticipated having the majority of power restored to the counties by Tuesday.

Tampa Electric Co. reported having just under 291,000 customers without service, and estimated that nearly all should have power back by Thursday.

Many drivers felt some relief from fuel anxiety as commercial service stations received shipments of fuel from Port Tampa Bay and SeaPort Manatee. At a Sam’s Club in Lutz, a gas line that was hours long on Saturday had dwindled to 15 minutes on Sunday.

Lines remained long at nine state-operated gas distribution sites, where drivers could get up to 10 gallons for free. At a site on First Ave. S in St. Petersburg, blocks-long lines were temporarily cut off so police could address traffic issues — this, after frustrated drivers said they’d been waiting in line for hours.

“I don’t think the news has really prepared people for how long the lines are,” said driver Amanda Smoot as she neared the tanks after four hours in line, much of it with her air conditioning off to conserve fuel.

At a news conference in Treasure Island, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would assist cities and counties with debris removal, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency approving a 100% reimbursement rate in impacted areas for 90 days. Ordinarily, the federal government reimburses 75% of debris removal, DeSantis said, and then the state and the local government have to split the remaining 25% of the cost.

DeSantis said collecting the debris earlier would be more cost-effective because of the federal government’s reimbursement, and said “we should take advantage of that.”

“If you wait, if it takes a year, then you’re not gonna get the bang for the buck,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis’ news conference in Treasure Island was just a few miles from where President Joe Biden spoke earlier in the day. A White House spokesperson said DeSantis was invited to participate in Biden’s tour of Pinellas County, but they received no response, according to a press pool report.

Biden touched down at MacDill Air Force Base on Sunday morning and received an aerial tour of damaged areas, including the ripped roof of Tropicana Field. He met with leaders from both parties during the day, including Sen. Rick Scott., U.S. reps Kathy Castor and Anna Paulina Luna, mayors Jane Castor of Tampa and Ken Welch of St. Petersburg, and Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

Biden thanked first responders and linemen from 43 states who have helped restore power to more than 2 million customers so far.

“In moments like this we come together to take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans,” Biden said.

Times staff writers Romy Ellenbogen, Jeffrey S. Solochek and Jay Cridlin contributed to this report.

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