TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A FEMA employee was terminated over the weekend after reportedly advising her survivor assistance team not to go to Florida homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump.
In a statement sent out Saturday afternoon, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell confirmed that the employee had been fired, adding that her actions were “reprehensible.”
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“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” Criswell said.
According to FEMA, the matter was referred to the Office of Special Counsel, and officials have been working to ensure similar acts do not happen again.
The agency did not specify which neighborhoods in Florida were being canvassed by the employee’s team. However, the incident comes as relief workers have been aiding those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in several parts of the state.
“I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA, and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct,” Criswell added in her statement.
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FEMA did not provide any additional details on how officials were notified of the employee’s actions, nor the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to social media to comment following initial reports of the alleged misconduct. In a post on X, DeSantis said he had directed state officials to investigate the matter further.
“The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” the governor wrote. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”
