A press conference held at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Titusville on Thursday served as the latest stop for U.S. Senator Rick Scott’s annual Hurricane Preparedness Tour. With the 2026 hurricane season rapidly approaching, Scott met with local leaders and emergency organizations to outline readiness strategies and underscore the absolute necessity of cooperating with local evacuation mandates.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, local public officials, and representatives from the Red Cross joined the senator to discuss local logistics and emphasize the hazards of trying to ride out major storms.
“As we approach hurricane season you’ve got to have a plan and get an evacuation route,” Senator Rick Scott said. “When local officials tell you to evacuate, you have to get out. Do not take a chance. You can rebuild homes, but you can’t rebuild your life. No one up here can save your life – you have to save your own. If you don’t evacuate during a storm no one can come get you, it’s too dangerous. Do everything you can do right now to be prepared, and as your Senator, I will do my part to keep Florida families safe.”
The press conference also highlighted available resources for residents, pointing families toward a dedicated setup guide at www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-preparedness to organize supply lists and map out safe routes before any severe weather develops.
On the legislative front, the conference touched on ongoing federal efforts aimed at disaster recovery and financial relief. Last month, the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act—a bipartisan piece of legislation backed by Scott—passed the House of Representatives unanimously. Scott is currently working to advance the bill through the Senate. The legislation is designed to give families faster access to tax relief following major natural disasters, reducing the administrative delays that often slow down personal rebuilding efforts.
This current push follows a string of disaster-related bills passed during the previous congressional session. These include the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which extended financial relief to Florida communities hit by a succession of major storms—including Hurricanes Helene, Debby, Milton, Ian, Nicole, Fiona, and Idalia—and the FISHES Act, which altered the federal regulatory process to speed up the distribution of disaster relief funds to Florida’s commercial fisheries.
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