Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly fast-tracked more than $11 million in federal funds to fix a Florida pier located near the reported home of a top adviser, after a wealthy past political donor reached out to her for help.
The allegations come amid complaints the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow to respond to recent disasters like flooding in central Texas, thanks in part to reported policies like Noem personally needing to sign off on expenses over $100,000.
Nonetheless, Noem reportedly leapt to intervene and fix a historic pier in Naples, Florida, a scenic and wealthy enclave on the Gulf Coast, that has been damaged since 2022’s Hurricane Ian.
After months of delays, some of which local officials pinned on Trump administration cuts to government offices, the mayor of Naples, Teresa Heitmann, reportedly reached out in August to Dr. Sinan Gursoy for help.
Gursoy, a cardiologist, had introduced the mayor to Noem at a previous political event in Naples, a popular stop for Republican fundraisers, she told ProPublica.
“FEMA is holding us up,” Heitmann wrote in a text message to Gursoy obtained by the outlet. “Kristi Noem could put some fire under the FEMA employees slacking.”
The cardiologist allegedly had his own ties to the DHS secretary, having reportedly donated at least $25,000 to her 2022 campaign for governor of South Dakota, and appeared on a planning document as a member of the South Dakota delegation to the 2024 Republican National Convention.
The Independent has contacted Gursoy for comment.
Corey Lewandowski, a top Noem aid, also appears to own a home near the Naples pier, according to the ProPublica. Media reports have suggested Noem and Lewandowski have been romantically linked, which they both deny.
Action soon raced forward on the pier project.
“Per leadership instruction, pushing project immediately,” a FEMA official said, according to records obtained by ProPublica.
Noem visited the site in late August, her Instagram shows. In Naples, she dined with Gursoy, according to the mayor.
“This has nothing to do with politics: Secretary Noem also visited Ruidoso, NM, at the request of a Democrat governor and has been integral in supporting and speeding up their recovery efforts,” the Department of Homeland Security said in response to the report.
Lewandowski told ProPublica he was not involved in the pier project and not in Naples during Noem’s visit.
Last month, a group of FEMA employees warned in an open letter that Trump administration cuts and staff changes at the agency were leaving America unprepared for disasters.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter read.
