The back-to-back devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2024 exposed something that residents of Manatee and Hillsborough counties already suspected: our disaster preparedness and response systems are not keeping pace with the intensity of modern storms. Homes were flooded, roads were impassable for days, and FEMA assistance was slow, confusing, and inconsistent.
With hurricane season returning every year, the question for Florida's congressional delegation is not whether another major storm will hit — it is whether Washington will be ready when it does.
What Went Wrong — and What the Federal Government Owes Florida
The failures after Helene and Milton were not just logistical. They were structural. FEMA's individual assistance programs have complex eligibility rules that many homeowners cannot navigate without professional help. Disaster loan programs require collateral that displaced families do not have. And the debris removal and rebuilding contracts that should have been moving within days often took weeks to execute due to federal procurement rules.
Meanwhile, the state's ability to fund recovery was hampered by the ongoing insurance crisis — many homeowners had no coverage or had claims denied by insurers who have been fleeing the Florida market. This is where federal and state policy intersect in devastating ways for ordinary families.
What John Peters Will Fight For
John Peters is committed to reforming FEMA so that it actually works for disaster-affected families in the first critical weeks. He supports:
- Streamlining FEMA individual assistance applications
- Reforming the Stafford Act to give states more flexibility in disaster response
- Investing in flood mapping and mitigation infrastructure along the Tampa Bay coastline and the Manatee River watershed
- Passing National Flood Insurance Program reforms that have been stalled in Congress for years
- Ensuring that military installations in the region — including MacDill Air Force Base — are equipped for rapid civilian disaster response coordination
Disaster preparedness is not a partisan issue. Nobody cares whether the helicopter bringing supplies is red or blue. John Peters will work with any member of Congress who is serious about protecting Florida communities from the next storm.