Florida Sens. Rubio, Scott support 'major disaster declaration' request from DeSantis

Florida's U.S. senators – Marco Rubio and Rick Scott – on Thursday sent a letter to President Joe Biden, asking him to approve Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' request for a "major disaster declaration" in response to the storms and tornadoes that swept through north Florida on May 10.

“In light of the extraordinary scope of the destruction and the extent of outstanding clean-up and recovery efforts, federal assistance is needed to ensure Floridians fully recover," wrote Rubio and Scott, both Republicans.

"As such, we urge you to approve the State of Florida’s request ..., which will provide the assistance necessary to ensure the safety of our state,” they added.

A major disaster declaration is a formal statement from the president that a disaster or emergency has "surpassed the ability of state and local governments to respond" and clears the way for financial and other help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

Severe weather affected 10 Florida counties, including Tallahassee and Leon County, for which DeSantis asked for "individual assistance," which includes households and individuals.

Leon County "experienced 115 miles per hour winds and the resulting damage. (The) county estimates 500 power poles to be broken, 91 damaged transformers, and one substation offline. Unfortunately, the state has confirmed two lives were lost," the letter says.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rubio, Scott back Florida disaster declaration request from DeSantis