Dear Fellow Floridian,

The loss and devastation caused by Hurricane Ian has forever changed communities across our state and the lives of so many Florida families. In my conversations with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 4 Administrator Gracia Szczech, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman this week, I thanked them again for their work to help Florida families and businesses impacted by Ian, reiterated my outstanding requests for additional support and made clear my expectations that the Biden administration will keep every needed resource deployed to help those in need.

I’ve talked to so many small businesses, from restaurant owners in Goodland to chocolatiers in St. Augustine, who are fighting to survive. Keeping our small businesses open and farmers operating is critical to the recovery of Florida families and our communities and must remain a top priority.

As we work to get communities back on their feet, I won’t stop fighting to make sure that the federal government keeps showing up. Florida is strong, and our state will recover. With the help of neighbors, community partners and local, state and federal resources, we will rebuild stronger than ever.

Sincerely, 

Rick Scott

United States Senator

Read more HERE.

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See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Florida was hit hard by Hurricane Ian, but with the help of neighbors, friends and state and federal resources, local businesses are quickly reopening and our state is recovering.

Sen. Rick Scott Shares Updated Federal Resources Guide for Florida Families Recovering from Major Hurricane Ian

Senator Rick Scott shared an update of actions he has taken over the last month in response to Hurricane Ian and issued an updated guide to federal resources available for Florida families and businesses working to recover from the devastation. This week, Senator Scott spoke with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to reiterate the critical need for his agency to approve the State of Florida’s request for a USDA disaster declaration and get much needed resources to Florida’s farmers. He also again spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Gracia Szczech and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman to discuss the ongoing federal response to Hurricane Ian. Senator Scott continues visiting and speaking with mayors, law enforcement, community, faith and business leaders, utilities and federal officials to ensure Florida’s families and communities are getting every resource needed to recover from Ian.

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

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Ft. Myers’ Road to Recovery

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Help Lee County Recover

Lee County is beginning to open up for business, click HERE to see who’s open for business and support folks as they rebuild their businesses. 

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Sen. Rick Scott to FEMA & SBA: Robust Federal Response to Hurricane Ian is Critical to Ensuring a Full Recovery for Florida Families & Businesses

Senator Rick Scott again spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Gracia Szczech and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman to discuss the ongoing federal response to Hurricane Ian. Senator Scott continues speaking with mayors, law enforcement, business and community and faith leaders, utilities and federal officials to ensure Florida’s families and communities are getting every resource needed to respond to and recover from the devastation Ian caused across the state. Earlier today, Senator Scott also spoke with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to reiterate the critical need for his agency to approve the State of Florida’s request for a USDA disaster declaration and get much needed resources to Florida’s farmers.

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott and Colleagues to USDA: Send Relief Supplies to Florida Farmers Affected by Hurricane Ian

Senator Rick Scott led his colleagues in a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that USDA expedite all available resources to ensure Florida’s farmers and ranchers can recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Senator Marco Rubio and Representatives Kat Cammack, Greg Steube, María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez and Vern Buchanan also signed the letter.

Read the full letter HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Slams Joe Biden’s Economic Lies on National Debt After Spending Billions in Taxpayer Dollars

Senator Rick Scott issued the following statement after President Joe Biden delivered a speech spewing lie after lie about his disastrous economic record and ignoring the real consequences of his radical tax and spend agenda that’s caused the U.S. debt to rise above $31,000,000,000,000. Senator Scott also released a weekly update on his actions to address America’s debt crisis and rising inflation. Since being elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Scott has urged government accountability to the American taxpayer and released multiple proposals to rein in the reckless government spending that’s fueling the inflation crisis currently crushing American families with skyrocketing prices.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Joe Biden’s disgusting attempts to gaslight the American people and feed them lies about his failed economic agenda have reached a new level of insanity. He pretends to care about the economy and American families in scripted White House speeches, but his actions show that he couldn’t care less about the pain he’s causing. Americans are SICK AND TIRED of it. Biden hasn’t reduced deficits…everyone knows that U.S. debt is racing higher under his tax and spend agenda. Everyone knows that their retirement accounts are bleeding thanks to his failed economic policies. Everyone knows that he actually hasn’t done a thing to fix the problems facing hardworking Americans – problems HE CREATED. Families in Florida and all across our country can see through the lies and it’s time for the press to step up, stop giving this failed president a free pass and hold his administration accountable. I have been fighting to stop Biden and the Democrats from blowing money and making inflation even worse, and I won’t stop.”

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

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Sen. Rick Scott: Xi’s Power Grab Exposes Communist China’s Desire for World Domination

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following Xi Jinping’s address to the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress and ahead of Xi’s re-election to a third term as the President of Communist China later this week.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Xi Jinping’s re-election is a sham and the entire world knows it. Democracy does not exist in Communist China and his rhetoric concerning a forceful takeover of Taiwan, while unsurprising, cannot be ignored. General Secretary Xi does not want peace and under his leadership, the Chinese Communist Party has chosen to be America’s enemy. We must recognize that above all, Xi wants conformity and submission from every nation and every people, from the oppressed Uyghurs in Xinjiang, to the self-governing people of Taiwan and Hong Kong, to global superpowers including the United States. We must resolutely reject his tyranny and take action NOW to isolate Communist China by decoupling all American business from this dangerous regime and re-shoring, near-shoring, and friend-shoring our supply chains. Significant investments in naval, air power and cybersecurity, along with strengthened economic and military partnerships with India, Japan, South Korea and Australia are vital to containing Xi and protecting our security and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific. I urge President Biden to immediately support these necessary actions and make clear to the world that the United States will never bow to Communist China’s evil.”

Read more HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott, Rubio and Rep. Waltz Urge Congressional Leadership to Protect Florida’s Waters & Gulf Test Range

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Mike Waltz, along with other members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, to urge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to prohibit energy exploration and development east of the Military Mission Line in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Florida’s Gulf Test Range, located in the Gulf of Mexico, is one of the United States military’s most important testing and training areas, and has been protected by various policies and regulations since 1983. Although Congress codified protections in 2006, Democrats are hoping to change this with a provision to strip previous protections and open the door to the construction of offshore wind turbines in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Read the full letter HERE and more from Senator Marco Rubio’s office HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott & Marco Rubio Lead Florida Delegation in Urging Commerce Department to Declare Disaster in Response to Hurricane Ian

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio in leading bipartisan members of the Florida congressional delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo supporting the State of Florida’s request to declare a federal fishery resource disaster. This would provide assistance to fishing and seafood businesses that have been disrupted and/or destroyed by the storm.

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Celebrates Supporting Families of the Fallen Act Becoming Law

Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act, a bill to increase service members’ life insurance benefit coverage, was signed into law by President Biden. The legislation increases the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) coverage amount from $400,000 to $500,000. SGLI and VGLI coverage amounts had not previously been updated since 2005. Senator Scott is an original co-sponsor of the bill, which was introduced by Senator Tommy Tuberville.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Getting the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act signed into law is a huge win for Florida’s military families. The Sunshine State is home to 21 military bases, three unified commands, nearly 70,000 active duty personnel and 1.5 million veterans. As a Navy veteran and the son of a World War II veteran, I understand the personal sacrifice our veterans, military members and families make to defend our freedom, and I’ll never stop fighting to make sure they have the benefits they have earned and so rightly deserve.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott to Guatemalan President Giammattei: Thank You for Standing for Freedom and Democracy in Venezuela

Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after a call with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. During their call, Senator Scott and President Giammattei discussed the shared commitment between the United States and Guatemala to support democracy and freedom in Latin America. Last week, during the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) held in Lima, Peru, Guatemala was one of the few countries that voted against a motion to remove the envoy of Juan Guaidó, the democratically-elected leader of Venezuela, from the Regional Forum for Political and Economic Issues.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It was great to speak with President Giammattei today and thank him for standing up for the legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, and against the brutally oppressive Maduro dictatorship. The leaders of freedom-loving countries across the world must unite and work together in defense of human rights, freedom and democracy and stand with the people of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua that are being oppressed and are suffering at the hands of Castro, Díaz-Canel, Maduro and Ortega. It is incredibly disappointing to see so many members of the OAS fail to stand for democratic values and the oppressed Venezuelan people. I am grateful that the government of Guatemala showed courage and its commitment to freedom in supporting Juan Guaidó, and I look forward to continuing to work with President Giammattei to support democracy throughout Latin America.”

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

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Sen. Rick Scott Demands Answers After Biden Admin Gives Taxpayer-Funded Intellectual Property to Communist China

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geraldine Richmond demanding answers after alarming reports that the DOE allowed an innovative battery technology, developed using millions of American taxpayer dollars, to be transferred to a Chinese company. Even more troubling, DOE reportedly allowed this license transfer to a Communist Chinese company while several American companies have been unable to receive authorization from the agency to manufacture the batteries domestically.

Read the full letters HERE and HERE. Read more HERE.

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Fox News: Florida Republicans rip ‘disgusting’ Dem push for ‘equity’ rules at FEMA

Breitbart: Rick Scott Demands Action on Electric Vehicles Transformed into Ticking Time Bombs by Hurricane Ian

Newsmax: Florida GOP Sens. Rubio, Scott Seek Help for Farmers Impacted by Ian

The Hill: Florida lawmakers press Commerce secretary to help fishing, seafood firms hurt by Hurricane Ian

E&E News: Why 6 flooded EVs burst into flames after Hurricane Ian

Florida Daily: Florida Delegation Wants Commerce Department to Declare Fishery Disaster After Hurricane Ian

Florida Daily: Florida Republicans Urge Congressional Leaders to Keep Wind Turbines Out of the Eastern Gulf

Florida Daily: Marco Rubio, Rick Scott Sound the Alarm on Xi Jinping

The Floridian: Rick Scott Commends the Passage of the ‘Supporting Families of the Fallen Act’

Sen. Scott’s Team in Miami

This week, members of Senator Scott’s team hosted mobile office hours at the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce. 

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Sen. Scott’s Team in Wauchula

Senator Scott’s team also hosted mobile office hours in Wauchula, where they helped constituents navigate federal agencies and apply for disaster assistance to recover from Hurricane Ian. 

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Sen. Scott’s Team in Naples

Additionally, Senator Scott’s team hosted mobile office hours in Naples after Hurricane Ian to assist constituents looking for federal disaster assistance to rebuild their homes and businesses. 

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Click HERE to find a mobile office hours location near you.