A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official who instructed Hurricane Milton relief workers to skip homes with Trump signs has been fired from her role, a FEMA spokesman told Fox News, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis investigates the federal agency in related to the controversy.

The FEMA official, who was not named by the agency, instructed workers canvassing Lake Placid in Florida to “avoid homes that advertise Trump” as they determined which residents might qualify for federal aid, according to internal messages first obtained by the Daily Wire.

The Daily Wire reports that government employees said at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were bypassed from late October through November due to “best practice” guidance from the official. The houses were jumped by workers, who wrote messages such as: “Trump signs no entry on management” on a government system at the point of sale.

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Hurricane Helene aftermath photo provided to Fox News Digital by Congresswoman Kat Cammack’s office. (Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack)

On Saturday, FEMA’s administrator of employee misconduct, Deanne Criswell, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the employee had been fired, calling her actions “reprehensible” and a clear violation of FEMA’s core values ​​and principles of helping people regardless of their political affiliation.

“We take seriously our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters. This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel,” Criswell said. “I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”

A FEMA spokesman told Fox News on Friday that it was “deeply disturbed” by the employee’s actions and that it was an “isolated incident.”

“FEMA helps all survivors, regardless of their preferences or political affiliation,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to people who may not have been contacted as a result of this incident,” the carrier said. word, adding that the agency helped more than 365,000 households affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida and provided nearly $900 million in direct assistance to survivors.”

“We are appalled that this has taken place and have therefore taken extreme measures to rectify this situation and ensure that the issue has been addressed at all levels.”

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FEMA agents were ordered not to help homes with Trump signs in Highlands County, a deep red area in south-central Florida that was hit by tornadoes, torrential rain and Category 3 flooding. The hurricane hit in The Sunshine State in October. President-elect Trump won nearly 70 percent of the vote there on Tuesday.

DeSantis snapped federal agency on Friday after learning of the official’s actions and announced that his administration would investigate FEMA over the incident.

“The blatant government hogging by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis wrote on X.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holds a storm preparedness news conference ahead of Hurricane Milton approaching Florida. (Florida Governor’s Office)

“At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination against Floridians who support Donald Trump. New leadership is on the way to DC and I am optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

The U.S. House Oversight Committee and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., also targeted the agency, specifically for failing to fire the official.

He said it comes despite the IRS trying to force whistleblower Gary Shapley out of that agency. Shapley, an IRS supervisory special agent, brought allegations of political influence in the Hunter Biden investigation to Congress along with IRS criminal investigator Joseph Ziegler.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington is pictured on Oct. 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“FEMA didn’t fire this person… But the IRS tried to force IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley for blowing the whistle! We must hold these unelected bureaucrats accountable,” Comer wrote on X.

“FEMA admits this happened, but won’t say whether the bureaucrat responsible was fired,” the House Oversight Committee wrote of X. “Democrats relentlessly defend rules that insulate unelected bureaucrats from accountability and make it nearly impossible to fire bad employees . This is why we need President Trump’s reforms to hold bureaucrats accountable.”

Donald Trump Jr., the son of the president-electalso criticized the agency.

“This is outrageous even to the Democrats in charge and should be criminal,” Trump Jr wrote to X. “These people should be removed from FEMA, Government and society! A full investigation is in order!”

Fox News’ Madison Scarpino contributed to this report