Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against FEMA officials on Thursday, claiming they discriminated against hurricane victims who displayed support for President Donald Trump. The lawsuit arises from reports indicating that FEMA workers were instructed to avoid homes with Trump signs during relief efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, allegedly skipping at least 20 homes in Lake Placid.
Moody’s legal action seeks punitive damages and accountability for what she describes as a violation of civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3).
“Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – caught withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support President Trump,” Moody said in a statement. “I am taking swift legal action to find out how far this political discrimination reaches and to make sure all Americans who fall victim to devastating storms are served, regardless of their political affiliation.”
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FEMA has acknowledged that a supervisor, identified as Marn’i Washington, directed workers to ignore politically affiliated homes and has since fired her. However, Washington claims that her instructions were in keeping with FEMA’s broader policies.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly supported Moody’s initiative, labeling the alleged conduct as egregious in the context of disaster recovery.
“While FEMA fired Washington and called the behavior ‘reprehensible,’ Washington insists that the agency is using her as a ‘scapegoat,’ and stated that similar conduct occurred in North Carolina and throughout other areas affected by Helene and Milton,” DeSantis said. “The complaint states: ‘While the facts will continue to come out over the weeks and months, it is already clear that Defendant Washington conspired with senior FEMA officials to violate the civil rights of Florida citizens.'”
The lawsuit aims to investigate the extent of this political bias in FEMA’s disaster response protocol.
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