St. Petersburg, FL - President Joe Biden visited St. Petersburg on Sunday to survey the damage following Hurricane Milton.
Sunday's trip marks President Biden's second visit to Florida in two weeks, as Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted the area.
During an aerial survey of the damage in St. Petersburg, Biden told reporters, "Thankfully, the storm’s impact was not as cataclysmic as we had predicted."
However, Biden acknowledged that for some residents, the consequences were indeed disastrous, leaving them "heartbroken and exhausted" with mounting expenses.
The president also praised local officials for their resilience and dedication in the aftermath of the storms.
During Sunday’s press conference, President Biden also announced over $612 million in funding for projects aimed at bolstering the resilience of the electric grid, including $94 million earmarked for Florida.
Specifically, $47 million will go to Gainesville Regional Utilities, and another $47 million will support a partnership between Switched Source and Florida Power and Light.
The funds are part of the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, a long-term infrastructure program to provide improvements to the grid to withstand extreme weather events.
The president's trip included bipartisan moments, as he was joined by Florida Republicans Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.