Fort Myers - Tuesday October 11, 2022: On the campaign trail, apart from the destruction and loss of life caused by the storm, the aftermath of Hurricane Ian has been fueling Governor DeSantis’ re-election prospects, as well as boosting his image on the national stage.
During a news conference Tuesday in Fort Myers the Governor announced a temporary fix to the Sanibel causeway which was severed in three locations by Hurricane Ian. With the causeway in the background, as he was speaking, and seemingly on cue, a convoy of utility vehicles began to cross over the island.
"Any minute now, 200 bucket trucks, 150 line and pick-up trucks towing 50 trailers, two tractor trailers, other first responders. They are actually going to be able to cross Sanibel Causeway and drive onto the island," said DeSantis. "Are they going? There you go guys, right behind us, ahead of schedule.”
Who needs to campaign when hurricane relief efforts provide the opportunity for near daily news conferences with the Governor taking center stage announcing the latest relief package or recovery effort.
“I think statewide now, other than the barrier islands," said the Governor. "I think you basically have a thousand people that are without power in the entire state of Florida.”
DeSantis is already well ahead of his gubernatorial rival Charlies Crist. A recent Mason-Dixon pollwhich found 52% of respondents likely to vote for him, with only 42% favoring Crist. As the Mason-Dixon pollsters observed, disasters are a test of leadership, and it will be interesting to see the next poll to see if DeSantis passed the test.