TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As California deals with the devastation of Tropical Storm Hilary, Gov. Ron DeSantis is willing to lend his expertise in helping communities recover from major storms.
"In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake -- we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can," DeSantis wrote in a Saturday morning post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Florida governor has years of experience coordinating the state's response to storm preparation and recovery, most recently with Hurricane Ian. In addition to cleanup and emergency relief, DeSantis worked with state officials to distribute funding for beach erosion projects, housing assistance and structural repair.
In the wake of Hurricane Ian, we also saw DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, and President Joe Biden put politics aside to work on how to best support hurricane-ravaged communities in Florida.
DeSantis' post appears to put a pause on the public back-and-forth with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In June, Newsom publicly defended his state's economy, touted Biden's accomplishments, and criticized DeSantis' treatment of migrants during an interview on Fox News host Sean Hannity's show. He also challenged DeSantis to a public debate.
DeSantis accepted that invitation earlier this month and even suggested Florida had already won its debate with California, referring to data showing that California's population had been decreasing since 2020.
For now, Newsom is focused on coordinating recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California from the coast to inland mountains and deserts.
The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year's worth of rain on some areas, washing out roadways and leaving several people stranded.
Southern California got another surprise Sunday afternoon as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 hit near Ojai, about 80 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
And even as the storm weakens, the threat of more flooding and mudslides remains.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.