Florida has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the agency was recently exposed for allegedly directing hurricane relief workers to avoid the homes of supporters of President-elect Donald Trump.
According to a Thursday press release, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the South District of Florida, claiming that FEMA Director Deanne Criswell and Marn’i Washington, a former FEMA supervisor who was fired for directing relief workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump,” engaged in a “conspiracy to discriminate against Florida hurricane victims.”
The Daily Wire reported that the Florida lawsuit against FEMA comes after whistleblowers notified the outlet that they were instructed by FEMA to skip surveying the damage of homes with Trump yard signs and flags in Lake Placid, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
The lawsuit states, “While the facts will continue to come out over the weeks and months, it is already clear that Defendant Washington conspired with senior FEMA officials, as well as those carrying out her orders, to violate the civil rights of Florida citizen.”
The lawsuit also references an interview Washington recently had with Roland Martin, where she claimed that her instructions to avoid “politically hostile” homes was in according with FEMA policy and was not an “isolated” incident, despite FEMA’s previous claims.
The lawsuit adds, “Defendant Washington says that similar conduct occurred in North Carolina and throughout areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. And she represents that senior FEMA officials claiming not to know that the agency was discriminating against Trump supporters are promoting a ‘lie.'”
READ MORE: Video: FEMA exposed for ‘colossal event’ of avoiding homes with Trump signs
In Thursday’s press release, Moody explained that he was filing the lawsuit in order to discover “how far this political discrimination reaches” and to ensure that all Americans who are impacted by major storms, such as Hurricane Milton, receive the aid they need, “regardless of their political affiliation.”
The Florida attorney general’s lawsuit is seeking damages for the defendants and asking for the court to declare that FEMA “conspired to interfere” with the civil rights of Florida residents who support Trump.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his support for the lawsuit on Thursday, saying, “It’s unacceptable for the federal government to discriminate against Floridians who voted for Trump, and especially egregious in the aftermath of a hurricane. I’m supportive of this legal action by the Attorney General’s Office, and I have instructed state agencies to likewise take any action necessary to investigate and ensure those who engaged in this behavior are held accountable.”
