Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Newsmax on Tuesday that he doesn't know what Vice President Kamala Harris is talking about when she says that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn't taking her phone calls ahead of Hurricane Milton.
During an appearance on "Wake Up America," Suarez said that DeSantis is focused on preparing for the massive Category 4 storm — expected to make landfall on the state's west coast Wednesday night — instead of taking the phone calls that Harris claims she made and the governor says she didn't.
"He's been omnipresent throughout this entire event and throughout all the events that have happened in this hurricane season," Suarez said. "He is someone who's focused on making sure that the state has what it needs. He is focused on making sure that the messages that our residents need to hear in Florida are being heard. So, I really don't know what she's talking about.
"It's ironic that she's claiming that he's playing political games when she's precisely doing the exact same thing that she's claiming that he's doing," he continued. "He has just been — you have him there on the screen — he's been in press conference after press conference making sure that the state is ready, that Tampanians are ready, that everyone has the resources that they need. Look, we don't have time for this nonsense. This hurricane is coming quickly and it's going to be devastating and we need to be focused on that."
To that end, Suarez said the number one thing Floridians should be doing as they make their storm preparations is listening to the directives of authorities.
"If they're telling them to evacuate, they must evacuate," the mayor said. "These storms are incredibly intense. We just saw what the last storm did, particularly up through North Carolina, so they have a devastating impact. The storm surge is projected to be over 10 feet, somewhere between 10 and 15 feet. That is cataclysmic in many ways. And so, you know, we have to be prepared. We have to listen to the authorities. You have to have an evacuation plan.
"Please socialize that evacuation plan with your family members and with your neighbors so that they know where you are in the event that communication goes down, they know how to get a hold of you," he continued. "You need to have a backup plan for communication if cell phone towers go down as well. So, those are the things that I think are the most important things that people need to do."
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Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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