In a letter to Scott Monday, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate said the emergency declaration was the wrong course of action for Florida to take as it tries to recoup the costs associated with the response to and investigation of the massacre that left 49 dead plus the shooter.
“Because your request did not demonstrate how the emergency response associated with this situation is beyond the capability of the state and affected local governments or identify any direct federal assistance needed to save lives or protect property, an emergency declaration is not appropriate for this incident,” Fugate wrote.
The Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and FEMA have other programs that could be of use, Fugate said. Scott’s office had already announced that it had been approved for a $253,000 federal grant to pay for law enforcement overtime.
Scott said he was disappointed his request had been denied.
“Last week, a terrorist killed 49 people, and wounded many others, which was the deadliest shooting in U.S. history,” Scott said in a news release. “It is unthinkable that President Obama does not define this as an emergency.”
Scott’s calendar was updated late Monday to reflect a 5:45 p.m. phone call with Fugate. The press release lamenting the denial was issued shortly after.
Federal emergency declarations have been approved for areas recovering from natural disasters such as floods, storms and fires. It provides the affected cities, states or counties with supplemental federal dollars up to $5 million, which is what Scott requested.
A records check found that no such requests for emergency declarations have been made after other mass shootings prior to Orlando.
Tia Mitchell: (850) 933-1321
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