Biden surveys hurricane’s toll from the sky and ground in Florida. DeSantis won’t see him

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

LIVE OAK, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden got a look from the sky at Hurricane Idalia’s impact across a swath of Florida before setting out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent from his schedule was any interaction with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican president candidate who suggested a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts. Biden’s federal disaster chief says her team and the governor’s team “worked collectively” to settle on the area that Biden would visit. The mayor of Live Oak, which is about 80 miles east of the capital Tallahassee, thanked the president and first lady Jill Biden for coming to their community and “showing us that we’re important to you.”