‘No Time to Waste’: DeSantis Blasted for Going on Fox News as Biden and Miami Mayor Urge Him to Request State of Emergency

Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis is taking time to pose for the cameras and talk to Fox News in the wake of the stunning partial building collapse that more than 12 hours later has left 99 people missing, and feared dead.

DeSantis reportedly added an interview with far right Fox News host Mark Levin to his calendar for Thursday.

.@GovRonDeSantis just added an interview with @marklevinshow to his public calendar, which is not generally the venue for discussing things like condo collapses or other life threatening emergencies pic.twitter.com/RfBrNvZ7s0

— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) June 24, 2021

President Joe Biden during a news conference announcing a bipartisan agreement on, appropriately, an infrastructure bill on-camera Thursday afternoon urged the Florida Republican governor to ask for a declaration of a state of emergency, but DeSantis has yet to do so – nor has he declared a state of emergency himself for the Surfside disaster. President Biden appears to have ordered FEMA to Florida to assess the situation, which is the most they are allowed to do until the governor acts.

FEMA is on the ground in Florida to assist with the partial collapse of a condo in Surfside, Florida.

Pres. Biden says he is ready to declare a state of emergency over the collapse if Gov. Ron DeSantis wants him to. https://t.co/J89hUE34A4

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) June 24, 2021

Also urging DeSantis to request a state of emergency declaration is Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who says “there is no time to waste.”

I just signed a declaration of local state of emergency that will immediately begin to allocate the necessary resources we need here on the ground. I urge @GovRonDeSantis to do the same at the state level. pic.twitter.com/SmezKHAqi9

— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) June 24, 2021

At this moment it is critical that @GovRonDeSantis declare a state of emergency for the building collapse in Surfside so the federal government can allocate resources we desperately need. I have asked the Governor to do this immediately – there is no time to waste.

— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) June 24, 2021

Apparently DeSantis believes there is, and many are blasting the likely 2024 GOP presidential hopeful.

A high-rise condo building collapsed in Miami-Dade and 99 people are unaccounted for but Ron Desantis is instead going on the far right Mark Levin show instead of addressing this crisis. This is what happens when we have a governor who only cares about his own political career. https://t.co/MDEIaMLByq

— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 24, 2021

Governor DeSantis cannot wait any longer. Each passing minute is critical to those impacted in Surfside today.

Miami needs federal resources. There is no time to waste. https://t.co/WlgKUoEz5X

— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) June 24, 2021

Media strategy for @GovRonDeSantis while Miami goes through a tragedy:

❌ Answer questions from local reporters
❌ Immediately declare a state of emergency
✅ Book time with a right-wing nutjob https://t.co/eCczz2UblQ

— Abel Iraola (@miamiabel) June 24, 2021

Desantis sent Floridacops to the border but won’t order a state of emergency for Surfside.

What an unconscionable decision that is.

— Logan Rubenstein 🍊 (@loganrub_17) June 24, 2021

time for this partisan political bullshit but not enough time in his day to ask President Biden for federal assistance. performative clown. https://t.co/kFUczLLCUm

— SouthernMom® (@MauraLeeLang) June 24, 2021

Thank you, @MayorDaniella, @POTUS, our first responders & everyone working to help the victims through this devastating tragedy. https://t.co/HLfE8i40iI

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) June 24, 2021