Misinformation consuming time, resources in Milton response

ORANEG COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioner Mike Scott has spent his days since Milton hit responding to one call after the next, assisting his constituents with needs and connecting them to government services.

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His first stop Sunday? Pat Morgan’s house in Tangelo Park, which was hit by a falling tree during the storm.

Scott would make more of these visits if it weren’t for the time he spends battling misinformation about Orange County, FEMA and other agencies spread by a combination of rumors and bad actors.

“That’s like two hours a day, whether it’s a phone call or an email,” Scott said.

Scott listed some of the inaccurate claims he’s dealt with, including;

Read: How to check if you are eligible for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Milton

• FEMA will give people money if their power is out more than 24 hours (not true)
• FEMA payments only take 48 hours to hit bank accounts (not true)
• FEMA payments are loans that need to be repaid (almost all payments don’t need to be paid back)

He also said there are many false claims about what landlords can ask for vs. their tenants, and he’s still checking into procedures when roommates both have to make claims.

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“[Governments] have dedicated websites with accurate information that people can know what they need, how to access it, and when they can expect to see some type of response,” he said. “What I just tell folks, tell folks is, you know, apply, give accurate and truthful information and wait to for a response.”

To the west, Clermont staff said they too had dealt with claims about them, including the (inaccurate) fact that a homeowner needed to obtain a permit to chop up any trees that fell.

Permits, they said, were only needed to cut down a healthy tree.

FEMA has a dedicated web page for dispelling rumors.

Scott said he was working on setting up a physical location for people that need assistance applying, including people who are not as technologically savvy.

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