Live Updates: President Biden delivers more than $600M for Hurricane Milton victims

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Standing in front of a storm-battered home outside Sunset Park in St. Pete Beach, President Joe Biden on Sunday announced $612 million in new investments in projects to support recovery from Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The funds, disbursed through the U.S. Department of Energy, include $47 million to Florida Power & Light and $47 million to Gainesville Regional Utilities.

Biden said the funds would go toward makings electric grids more resilient and could help reduce the frequency and duration of power outages “while extreme weather events become more frequent.”

Biden said he spoke to business owners and residents in St. Pete Beach, and empathized with what it’s like to lose a home, recalling when his home was struck by lightning and he lost possessions including family photos and his daughter’s drawings.

“Small business owners here and homeowners have taken a real beating in the back-to-back storms, and they’re heartbroken and exhausted and their expenses piling up,” he said.

Biden said more than 250,000 Floridians signed up for FEMA assistance Saturday after the major disaster declaration, a historic number. He said response to the “cataclysmic” disasters would be “a whole government effort,” with assistance from state, local and federal authorities, including FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense.

Biden said so far FEMA has delivered 1.2 million meals, 300,000 liters of water and 2 million gallons of fuel, and installed 100 satellite terminals to restore communications. He said 10 disaster sites have opened across the state and expects to open more. He said he would work with state and local agencies to help prioritize debris removal.

St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila said FEMA resources have been a “lifeline” in the aftermath of the storms.

“We have been beaten, we have been battered, but we will not be broken,” he said. “We are resilient and we will rebuild.”

Biden stood alongside leaders from both parties during the day, including Sen. Rick Scott., U.S. reps Kathy Castor and Anna Paulina Luna, Tampa and St. Petersburg mayors Jane Castor and Ken Welch. He was joined by Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, but did not meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was expected to host his own press conference in Treasure Island hours later.

- Divya Kumar, Tampa Bay Times

Trash and debris pickup updates

Regular trash pickup will resume for Manatee County, Bradenton and Palmetto residents on Monday.

Storm debris pickup is also underway.

Bradenton officials are asking residents to separate debris into four piles at the curb: appliances, plant debris, construction debris (roofing material, metal, drywall, etc.) and electronics.

Debris should not be bagged.

Manatee County officials are asking residents to separate debris into three piles at the curb: appliances, construction debris and plant debris.

Again, debris should not be bagged.

- Ryan Ballogg

Florida opens more free-gas depots

A second free fuel distribution site opened Sunday in the Bradenton area as gas availability remains a concern for Manatee County residents after Hurricane Milton.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday held a press conference in Bradenton to announce the opening of a gas distribution site at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road. That site is open daily, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering residents 10 gallons of gas for free.

Additionally, DeSantis noted more full-service temporary fuel depots would open Sunday as early as 7 a.m. in Port Charlotte and Pinellas, Hillsborough and Sarasota counties.

“We’ve taken on a fuel mission,” DeSantis said. “We have the fuel, it’s en route.”

On Sunday morning, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced plans to launch a second site at New College, 500 College Drive, Sarasota. That site will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

As of Sunday afternoon, the fuel distribution sites are only providing gas to the vehicles in line — not portable gas tanks, according to a statement from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Additional fuel distribution sites are available at the following locations:

  • Central Lot – Parking Lot, 800 First Ave S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • Suncoast Technical College - North Port Branch, 4445 Career Lane, North Port, FL 34289 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • East Bay Raceway, 6311 Burts Road, Tampa, FL 33619 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • South Florida State College – Desoto Center, 2251 NE Turner Ave., Arcadia, FL 34266 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • Plant City Stadium, 1810 S Park Road, Plant City, FL 33563 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • Charlotte Sports Park, 2300 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte, FL 33948 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

  • St. Pete College Tarpon Springs, 600 E. Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

Residents visiting these distribution sites will need to bring their patience, to. The Bradenton Police Department shared a video on social media early Sunday morning showing off a line of over 100 vehicles waiting for gas at Tom Bennett Park.

- Ryan Callihan

More gas shipments coming

Gas could become more widely available in Bradenton, Sarasota and other parts of Southwest Florida affected by Hurricane Milton after the power flipped back on at SeaPort Manatee.

The port on the east side of Tampa Bay began sending tankers full of fuel from its terminals Sunday morning, according to a news release. As of 12:30 p.m., more than 40 tankers have hit the road to deliver gas.

“SeaPort Manatee is a critical gateway for supplying fuel stations throughout our region and beyond, with a flow of nearly 400 million gallons a year,” Carlos Buqueras, SeaPort Manatee’s executive director, said in a news release.

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who serves as chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority, said local gas stations should begin receiving fuel quickly.

“I’m hoping by this afternoon, we’ll have more electricity and more stations open,” Van Ostenbridge said.

- Ryan Callihan

Bradenton resumes free water distribution

The City of Bradenton will hand out free water to residents Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at the 13th AV Dream Center, 922 24th St. E.

A valid ID showing Bradenton residence is required.

The city’s drinking water has had an off taste and smell since Hurricane Helene because salty storm surge entered the city’s main source of drinking water at the Evers Reservoir.

City officials said that tap water is being treated and meets “primary drinking standards.” But they have continued to offer free water to residents while the unpleasant taste lingers.

- Ryan Ballogg

Power returning to Manatee and Sarasota

Power is steadily returning to Manatee and Sarasota counties in southwest Florida, but the electrical grid won’t get to 95 percent restoration until the end of next week, FPL said.

As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, about 22% of customers in Manatee County, or 56,500, remained without power, according to Find Energy. That’s a significant decrease from 80% on Thursday, the first day after Hurricane Milton slammed the Gulf Coast Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm packing 120 mph winds.

Just under 55,000 of those affected in Manatee are customers of Florida Power & Light, the Juno Beach-based utility in Palm Beach County. The remaining 1,500 are served by Peace River Electric.

In neighboring Sarasota County — where Hurricane Milton made landfall, slamming into Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota — about 16.5% of FPL customers, or 50,100, are still without power, a substantial decrease from Friday’s 46%.

FPL says it aims to restore 95% of power to Manatee and Sarasota counties by Wednesday, Oct. 16.

The utility did not indicate when the remaining 5 percent in the two counties would have their power restored.

Only two other counties are experiencing more power outages than Manatee: Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The company’s timeline also said 95 percent of its customers in Brevard and Desoto would regain power by Sunday, and Charlotte, DeSoto, Flagler, Indian River, Seminole and Volusia counties would have their power restored by Tuesday, Oct. 15. Brevard, Flagler, Indian River and Volusia counties are on the state’s East Coast.

By end-of-day Sunday, FPL says it aims for 90% of its customers to have power restored.

READ MORE:Which Florida counties are still without power after Hurricane Milton? Take a look

- Jay Weaver