Biden to visit Florida as state recovers from Hurricane Milton

President Joe Biden will visit Florida on Sunday as the state recovers from another hurricane.

It's unclear whether the president will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the trip. The pair previously said they have been working together to make sure Floridians have the resources they need they need to recover from Hurricane Milton.

More than a dozen deaths due to the storm have been reported. All but three of the deaths occurred inland or on the state's Atlantic coast, miles from where Milton made landfall south of Tampa. At least six people died in tornadoes, including at a mobile home community in St. Lucie County, about two hours north of Miami.

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"We're now in the period where you have fatalities that are preventable," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday. "We've had fatalities because we've had interactions with downed power lines in water. We have hazards that are still there."

Across Florida, thousands of homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed and more than 2 million people remain without power.

In Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, many roads are still flooding and water rescues are ongoing.

In the badly hit area of Pinellas County, officials said they've rescued more than 16,000 people and 140 animals.

In St. Petersburg, streets are still blocked off downtown after a crane crashed into a building. Crews are also doing damage assessment on Tropicana Field, which had its roof blown off during the hurricane.

While recovery efforts continue, there are glimmers of life returning to normal. Airports in Tampa and Orlando began more normal operations on Friday. Orlando's major theme parks, include Disney World and Universal Studios, also opened on Friday.

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