FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As Hurricane Helene formed and barreled toward the Big Bend, it provided an opportunity for Rick Scott, Florida’s reelection-seeking U.S. senator.

He demonstrated concern for the state’s residents, warned them to protect themselves — and got public attention with less than six weeks until Election Day.

It’s a role and image Scott cultivated during his previous position, the eight years he spent as Florida’s governor, a job that has a far more direct role in ensuring the safety of residents, marshaling of state resources, and directing recovery efforts.

The role of a U.S. senator is far more limited. A lawmaker can help galvanize attention, pressure the federal bureaucracy, and work to get funding for disaster relief. But since Scott was elected the Senate in 2018, he has sought to retain governor-style visibility before and after storms, an approach that contrasts with his senior colleague, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Slightly more than a year ago, for example, Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to put aside partisan differences and join President Joe Biden’s visit to inspect areas affected by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in the Big Bend as a Category 3 storm.

Scott, who is just as fierce a critic of the Democratic president as DeSantis, took a different tack.

Scott was present, next to Biden, filling a government-style role as a prominent official from the state. (DeSantis was at the time a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, so appearing alongside Biden could have been politically damaging for him with his party’s primary voters.)

This week, with the Senate in session in Washington, Scott’s visibility in Florida was more limited.

He posted extensively on social media on the developing storm, and had teleconference briefings Monday and Tuesday with the director of the National Hurricane Center.

On Wednesday, Scott left Washington and returned to Florida.

Scott decamped from the Capitol before the Senate was done with its work for the week. As a result, he didn’t cast a vote on the measure keeping the government operating until December and avoiding a shutdown.

The spending bill didn’t include billions in supplemental disaster funding sought by Democrats and Republicans. Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Alex Wood faulted Scott.

“Floridians won’t get the resources needed to recover from Hurricane Helene because Rick Scott left Washington without lifting a finger to fight for disaster relief funding. Instead of photo ops, Rick Scott should do his job,” Wood said in a statement.

The Republican senator headed to the Panhandle and the Big Bend, stopping throughout the region to meet with local officials, urge residents to evacuate if instructed, and imploring people to plan ahead. Shortly after landing, he was on video on social media talking about the storm.

After multiple stops Wednesday he was in Bronson on Thursday, visiting the Levy County Emergency Operations Center.

“GET PREPARED BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE,” Scott wrote in a statement. “Families all along our Gulf Coast have to take this seriously. Continue to monitor the news and listen to local officials for any evacuation instructions, alerts or warnings. Florida is resilient because we prepare for storms. I cannot stress this enough: preparedness saves lives. We can always rebuild a home, but we can’t rebuild a life.”

He later posted that he heeded his own advice, and moved inland to Ocala.

At all the stops, he wore what had become his trademark attire during disasters and many other occasions: a Navy cap.

Rubio stayed in Washington for Senate business, and wore a suit as he recorded a pre-storm video message to Floridians with the same advice Scott was offering. He won reelection last year and doesn’t face voters again until 2028.

The two senators also asked Biden to approve Florida’s request for an emergency declaration before the Helene’s landfall, something federal lawmakers routinely do to show their attention to their home state’s needs.

Scott wasn’t alone. Elected officials from both parties in areas threatened by Helene were out showing their concern for constituents — helping distribute sandbags, getting briefings from emergency managers, and praying.

Scott’s challenger, former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Florida Democrat, isn’t currently in office, and so does not have the same ability as Scott and other incumbent officials to marshal resources and command attention.

She did post warnings and reposted official messages on social media, including a video reminder for pet owners to make sure they’re prepared.

Scott spokesperson Chris Hartline said via email that the senator was fulfilling his obligations.

Unlike those questioning what he was doing, Hartline said, “Senator Scott’s full focus is on saving lives right now and making sure every Floridian is prepared for Helene.”

If those asking questions or criticizing Scott “want Floridians to be less prepared for a major hurricane, that’s fine. Just say so. It explains why Debbie is playing politics and campaigning in New York City while a major hurricane barrels down on our state. Senator Scott wants Floridians to be more prepared. That’s the job of a U.S. Senator from Florida, something Debbie will never experience,” he said Wednesday.

The Florida Republican Party, in a statement, had a similar complaint. “While Senator Rick Scott was focused on Hurricane Helene headed to our state and the safety of Floridians, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell spent Tuesday night fundraising and hobnobbing in New York City. It’s clear where Debbie’s priorities lie — and it’s not with us.”

Mucarsel-Powell, was in fact in New York early in the week for fundraising, spokesperson Riya Vashi said, but she was back in the state on Wednesday.

She wasn’t the only one tending to political fundraising on Tuesday as the storm was strengthening and moving toward the state. Politico Playbook reported that Scott on Tuesday attended a political fundraiser for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

While immediate needs in a crisis — the forecast, disaster preparations, recovery assistance and government assistance — get outsized attention as a storm approaches and in the aftermath, Democrats see broader context to Scott’s time in office.

The consensus in the scientific community is that climate change is a factor making hurricane season worse, particularly by causing more storms.

“Evidence continues to mount that human-induced climate change is causing hurricanes to grow stronger and more destructive. Hurricanes are producing heavier rain, their storm surges are riding atop higher sea levels, and in many cases they are lingering longer over land, causing increased flooding and infrastructure destruction,” according to SciLine, part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Democrats point to Scott’s record as governor and senator to depict him as a climate change denier at the expense of Florida.

They cite his vote against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided money for projects that could help Florida become more resilient to climate change and extreme weather.

And they consider him a climate change denier. In 2010, The Tampa Bay Times reported, Scott said he hadn’t “been convinced” about global warming. In 2014, The Tampa Tribune reported he met with climate scientists but declined to say if he accepted scientific conclusions about human activity and climate change.

After he visited Florida Keys communities affected by Hurricane Irma in 2017, Politico reported Scott declined to say if he believed human-caused climate change is real. “Clearly our environment changes all the time, and whether that’s cycles we’re going through or whether that’s man-made, I wouldn’t be able to tell you which one it is,” Scott reportedly said at the time.

While Scott was governor in 2015, the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, and subsequently other news organizations, reported that state agencies were ordered not to use the terms “climate change,” “global warming” or “sea-level rise.”

Scott said at the time the terms weren’t banned. “It’s not true,” he said.

Democrats also said Scott has at times voted against funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and funding to strengthen the power grid and pay for flood mitigation projects.

Scott has said the National Flood Insurance Program, relied on by many Floridians, is plagued with problems, and a tax break that would help some people cover the cost. Democrats have offered a different view: “Rick Scott doesn’t care about the millions of Floridians who depend on NFIP to protect their homes — that’s why he voted six times against funding this critical program,” a party spokesperson said in a news release.

The bottom line, Democratic Party spokesperson Wood said via email:

“Rick Scott has failed Florida communities left vulnerable to hurricanes and the worsening effects of climate change. From voting against disaster relief funding, to opposing investments in strengthening Florida’s infrastructure, Scott has turned his back on Floridians whose livelihoods are threatened by extreme weather.”

Hartline, Scott’s spokesperson, said this about the Democrats’ assertions:

“As far as climate change goes, Senator Scott has been clear that taking care of the planet and pursuing economic prosperity are objectives that can and must be pursued simultaneously. Protecting Florida’s environmental treasures is one of the few areas where there’s bipartisan agreement in our state. That’s why he made important investments to take care of the environment and address rising sea levels and other impacts as Governor.”

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