Orlando Shooting Latest: FEMA Fires Back About Florida Aid, Loretta Lynch

As victims of the worst mass shooting in American history continue to recover in an Orlando hospital, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is finding itself explaining why it turned down a $5 million request for emergency aid from the State of Florida.

In the wake of the June 12 terror attack, Gov. Rick Scott made an emergency declaration for Orange County. Scott’s $5 million request under the federal Stafford Act was meant to offset costs associated with emergency response efforts, law enforcement response, emergency medical care, social services and counseling services for the victims.

The 1988 Stafford Act is designed to provide assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency following a major disaster or emergency.

See also: Florida Gov. Blasts President Obama's Orlando Response

While FEMA denied the emergency declaration request Monday, "the federal government, however, will allocate $253,000 to help pay for overtime for first responders,” the governor’s office noted in a media release.

Scott took to social media and his state website Monday to blast the federal government’s decision to deny the request for emergency aid in the wake of Omar Mateen’s rampage at the Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Bar, a popular gay bar.

“It is incredibly disappointing that the Obama Administration denied our request for an Emergency Declaration,” Scott said in a media release. “Last week, a terrorist killed 49 people, and wounded many others, which was the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. It is unthinkable that President Obama does not define this as an emergency.”

Rafael Lemaitre, FEMA’s director of public affairs, wrote to Patch late Monday night to offer insights on the denial. Lemaitre pointed out that there have been no emergency declaration requests from other state governors in the wake of other recent mass shooting incidents, including Newtown, Conn., San Bernardino, Calif., and Virginia Tech.

“The only instance in which this administration has received a terrorist-related request for a federal state of emergency was the Boston marathon bombing, which was an ongoing incident at the time of the request,” Lemaitre said. “It is extremely uncommon to make a specific request like this for an event that is not ongoing.”

Lemaitre also pointed out that the Orlando area has been awarded about $66 million in FEMA grants since 2003. “These dollars have assisted Orlando in strengthening its ability to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies,” he said.

According to Lemaitre, the grants FEMA has approved for Florida and the Orlando area in the past and some of the purchases made include:

• State Homeland Security Grants - $11 million in funding in both 2015 and 2016 for the State of Florida
• The bomb-detection robot used in the June 12 response was purchased with 2009 State Homeland Security Program funding
• An Urban Area Security Initiative grant for the Orlando Urban Area that provided $44,502,842 between 2003 and 2013
• A $1 million Urban Area Security Initiative grant provided in 2014 specifically for the Orlando Urban Area

Lemaitre also pointed out the armored personnel carrier vehicle used in response to the Pulse shooting was purchased with 2004 UASI funds.

FEMA also helped the Orlando area prepare for an attack, such as the one that unfolded June 12, Lemaitre said. A Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series, coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the National Counterterrorism Center and the FBI, was conducted in September 2014, he said. Nearly 300 federal, state, local and private-sector participants took place in that exercise, he said.

The state has 30 days to appeal the federal government’s denial. It is unclear if Scott intends to pursue an appeal.

Emergency declarations aside, the federal government is continuing to lead the investigation into Mateen’s actions and what motivated him to perpetrate the Orlando attack.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI released redacted transcripts of Mateen’s conversations with an Orlando 911 operator and hostage negotiators. Strong criticism erupted in the wake of the release because Mateen’s pledges of allegiance to ISIS had been redacted.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in interviews on various news channels on Sunday that the purpose of redacting the transcripts was to not re-victimize those that lived through the attack.

See also: Orlando Shooter's 911 Call Transcripts Released

That explanation didn’t sit well with many. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan took to Twitter to demand a reversal in the administration’s decision to “censor the #Orlando shooter’s 911 transcript.”

“Selectively editing this transcript is preposterous,” Ryan wrote. “We know the shooter was a radical Islamist extremist inspired by ISIS. We also know he intentionally targeted the LGBT community. The administration should release the full, unredacted transcript so the public is clear-eyed about who did this, and why.”

By Monday afternoon, an unredacted transcript of Mateen's conversations with authorities was released.

Lynch is expected to pay a visit to Orlando on Tuesday. She will be updated on the investigation and is expected to speak with survivors during her visit.

As authorities continue to investigate Mateen’s background, 18 of his victims remained hospitalized at Orlando Regional Medical Center. As of Monday, 14 survivors were listed in stable condition at the trauma center and four remained critical, the hospital reported on Twitter.

The FBI is still asking for anyone with information about Mateen to contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI or by going online to tips.fbi.gov.

Photo courtesy of the City of Orlando Facebook page