Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing claims that he staged a backdrop during a press event after Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing accusations of faking a debris backdrop for a press event regarding Hurricane Milton recovery efforts.

A clip posted online on Sunday shows pieces of debris being added to a pile behind the podium where DeSantis was set to make his address in Treasure Island. It is unclear whether the governor set up in front of an existing pile or why the debris was being moved.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the governor had been caught “adding debris behind [the] podium” before his news conference.

“Ron has no shame—he’s spent weeks accusing everyone else of politicizing this disaster while ordering workers to window dress his press conference,” Fried said.

  • NateNate60@lemmy.world
    1371·
    2 months ago

    He is “accused” of piling debris behind his podium but there’s literally video evidence of exactly that happening.

    • Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world
      692·
      2 months ago

      Typically when you’re clearing debris, you pile into one central location so it can get loaded into trucks and hauled off. I’m sure ole Meat Ball Ron wanted a dramatic backdrop. More than one thing can be true.

      • Steve@communick.newsEnglish
        211·
        2 months ago

        This is most likely. It would’ve been easier to simply setup the stage where they were already collecting the debris to be hauled away.

      • brbposting@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        13·
        2 months ago

        After watching, I sure hope the simplest explanation is true and no resources were being wasted. Not one single extra step taken for any photo ops.

        I hope.

        • Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world
          7·
          2 months ago

          I take it all back. They’re for sure just hucking shit out the back of the truck to make a big dumb pile for shit stain to wack off in front of.

          Sign

          I just…I don’t…

          My only real hope for this world is that everyone will get what they deserve.

          • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            2 months ago

            Yeah i was with you until i saw the debris right next to a perfectly clear road where you would normally not ever leave a like of debris lol

    • otp@sh.itjust.works
      61·
      2 months ago

      Well maybe someone just happened to be moving it out of the way from somewhere else, and just happened to decide that right there was a perfect spot??? /s lol

  • wjrii@lemmy.worldEnglish
    22·
    2 months ago

    Man, I wish that sweetening photo ops for political gain was the worst ting about Ron DeSantis.

    • ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world
      11·
      2 months ago

      Honestly, I don’t even feel it’s that bad to do. Is it a naturally occurring pile, no, but unless he’s taking perfectly good stuff from unscathed buildings, it’s still hurricane debris. The only problem in my eyes is that the effort spent piling debris could have been used to actually restore the location. So, I’m with the folks who say he should have found a place they were already piling stuff as part of the cleanup mission.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    211·
    2 months ago

    When you’re so lazy you can’t just find a pile of debris in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane…

    • Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Playing devils advocate here. Most of the actual piles were in front of people’s homes. Maybe they didn’t what to film people’s personal property.

      As someone in the area who has seen the aftermath of both storms first hand, the scene they created here doesn’t really do justice to the actual destruction that was present there.