Exclusive | Residents of storm-ravaged town where FEMA skipped Trump supporters houses confirm they never heard from disaster agency until now
LAKE PLACID, Florida — Residents of this small Florida community at the center of a scandal over FEMA relief workers skipping the homes of Trump supporters say they never saw any workers from the federal agency — even after riding out two hurricanes and getting hit by a tornado.But on Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was out in full force, going door-to-door to make sure everyone was getting what they needed.Lake Placid, a community of 2,360 around 85 miles east of Sarasota, received minor damage from hurricanes Milton and Helene, but last month at least one tornado ripped through the area, decimating homes in Tropical Harbor Estates, a 55-and-up mobile home neighborhood.Approximately 30 homes were badly damaged and there was one injury reported.“I heard nothing from FEMA before this week,” said Stu Randal, who had a Trump sign displayed in his yard.“I wondered where they were, and we didn’t have a lot of damage, but we should have at least gotten a visit.”He stopped short of blaming the agency’s no-show on politics, but emphatically restated, “they should have been here by now.”FEMA has been embroiled in controversy since the discriminatory practice came to light, resulting in the firing of supervisor Marn’i Washington.
She later said on a podcast that the agency’s practice of avoiding “hostile” homes in recovery efforts was not only commonplace, but “colossal.”A source at FEMA told the Post the Washington’s claims were in line with what she understood to be unofficial practice at the agency — avoiding homes of Trump supporters and majority white neighborhoods in the name of DEI — and that it’s been going on for years.Lake Placid is 47% white and 42% Hispanic.Highlands County, where Lake Placid is located, voted 70% for Trump in the election.
Republican lawmakers whose states were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton have pledged to launch investigations to get to the bottom of whether the agency was p...