Florida settles suit accusing former FEMA head of discrimination against Trump supporters

Attorney General James Uthmeier settled a suit Monday accusing the former Federal Emergency Management Agency head and a FEMA supervisor of discrimination against supporters of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during disaster relief efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The suit came in November, after the supervisor advised relief workers in Florida to avoid houses displaying yard signs favoring Trump in Lake Placid, in Highlands County. Uthmeier agreed to drop the suit in exchange for an apologetic letter on behalf of the federal government, according to the notice of dismissal filed Monday.

“The United States and Ms. Criswell regret the actions giving rise to this case and agree with the State of Florida that those actions never should have occurred,” the letter states. “We are also hopeful that, in light of all we have provided, the State of Florida and its people can be confident that FEMA is striving to avoid a repeat of the events giving rise to this case and that the agency is committed to the fair, compassionate, and even-handed delivery of services.”

The letter from the U.S. Department of Justice also states that FEMA commits to providing political-discrimination training for employees.

Deanne Criswell, the former FEMA head, didn’t admit wrongdoing, and the letter directs responsibility to Marn’i Washington, the supervisor. As part of the settlement, Criswell and the state agreed to pay their own attorney fees, and Uthmeier also dropped the claims against Washington.

Former Attorney General Ashley Moody, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the U.S. Senate, originally sought nominal and punitive damages from Criswell and Washington.

Criswell announced on Nov. 9 that the agency had fired Washington and called her behavior a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles. Moody’s complaint cited multiple interviews in which Washington said the message she sent to the relief workers, which the Daily Wire published, lacked context and that her supervisors knew about and encouraged her decision to avoid the homes of Trump supporters.

In a letter to the federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Washington wrote that she had received numerous death threats and that she didn’t have knowledge of the suit for months.

“The effort for scapegoating at my expense has methodically been implemented to the point that all of my inquiries and fair treatment throughout this process has been negated and intentionally delayed,” Washington wrote to U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks.

Uthmeier’s office did not immediately respond to Florida Phoenix’s request for comment.