Treasure Island mayor sends letter to President Donald Trump about FEMA rules
Treasure Island mayor sends President Trump letter
FOX 13's Evyn Moon reports on Treasure Island Mayor John Doctor's letter directly to President Donald Trump asking for the Island to receive disaster relief similar to that of North Carolina and California. Doctor cites FEMA’s bureaucracy as an obstacle to helping residents.
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Treasure Island’s recovery from recent hurricanes has hit a roadblock, and Mayor John Doctor is taking a bold step to speed up the process.
What they're saying:
In a letter sent this week directly to President Donald Trump, the mayor is asking for disaster relief similar to that provided in North Carolina and California, citing FEMA’s bureaucracy as an obstacle.
"I don’t know if I’ll hear back from Trump, but I’m hoping his staff is at least briefing him," Doctor said. "One hundred and twenty days, nearly four months [since Hurricane Helene], and we don’t have all the permits out the door yet. That’s sad."

Pictured: Treasure Island Mayor John Doctor.
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The mayor’s letter read, in part:
"The residents of Treasure Island, Florida simply want to return to their homes after two back-to-back hurricanes, and need building permits to do so … FEMA, federal regulations and bureaucracy stand in our residents' way… I respectfully ask that you extend the help clearing the FEMA bureaucracy to us in Florida."
Treasure Island residents like Chris Clark agree, believing the mayor’s direct plea to the president could bring much-needed attention to their slow process.

"The mayor has been disappointed in what he’s seeing," Clark said. "He went out on a limb here to go straight to the president… I think the letter was to say, 'Hey, we have a lot of damage down here too, can you put us in the mix?’"
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The backstory:
This call for action comes just days after Trump criticized FEMA’s efforts, announcing plans to overhaul or potentially eliminate the agency. Doctor agreed, saying: "I like the idea of no FEMA. Every state does their own."
The other side:
But not all agree with this approach.

"It would bankrupt any state that has the storms like we’ve experienced in Florida," said Rep. Lindsay Cross, who represents Pinellas County. "The estimated damages of the three hurricanes we had this year, Debby, Helene and Milton — the combined price tag is over $220 billion. That’s about double what our state budget is."
Big picture view:
Doctor remains focused on one goal: Accelerating recovery for his community.
"People are really hurt, they’re angry, it’s all those things," Doctor said. "We used to have — and we will once again have — a very happy city."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evyn Moon, who interviewed Treasure Island's mayor, a resident and Rep. Lindsay Cross.
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