DeSantis Should Build on Environmental Record by Confronting Realities of Climate Change

In honor of Earth Day last month, it was refreshing to see Governor Ron DeSantis announce $750 million for the environmental needs of the Sunshine State. Furthermore, he signed into law SB 1638, which would appropriate $100 million to the Florida Wildlife Corridor from Seminole Gaming Compact revenue for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, designating $100 million to support the corridor.

The latest environmental efforts by DeSantis to use gambling proceeds to clean up lakes, combat invasive species, and study/identify ways to combat harmful algae blooms and red tide is a welcome sign of his engagement, steps in the right direction for a state which is ground zero for climate change.

However, the contrast between DeSantis’ actions and those in the Florida legislature actively seeking to erase any mention of climate change from state laws is stark, reflecting a troubling trend of prioritizing political posturing over confronting reality. Floridians know: refusing to say, climate change does not make it any less real.

For a state like Florida, where the impacts of climate change are keenly felt—from rising sea levels to increasingly severe weather events—acknowledging the role of climate change is a matter of critical importance for effective policy making. Ignoring the root cause of some of our greatest issues only serves to exacerbate the challenges facing our people, our environment, and our communities.

Residents of the Sunshine State have a front-row seat to the effects of climate change. From harmful red tide to invasive algae blooms to the threat of increasingly damaging hurricanes, climate change impacts are keenly present along the coastline. Not to mention, all the bipartisan goodwill behind the restoration of the Everglades will be for naught if we don’t talk about the elephant in the room. Our own backyards are in jeopardy.

The challenge to DeSantis is to rise above partisan divides and confront the realities of climate change with honesty and urgency.

This shouldn’t feel like a new posture to him. Six years ago, he campaigned on a platform that included addressing climate change and environmental conservation. He called himself a “Teddy Roosevelt Conservationist,” and drew attention to Florida’s red tide problems. Now is the time for the bold leadership he promised and to bring us together—older generations and younger, Democrat and Republican, inland and coastal residents, east and west coasts—to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

As Floridians continue to grapple with the impacts of climate change, we deserve leadership that is unafraid to speak truth to power and take decisive action. Governor DeSantis has an opportunity to set himself apart from the mold by embracing the scientific consensus on climate change and championing bold, proactive measures to protect Florida’s economy, environment, and communities for generations to come.

But first, we all have to be willing to call it what it is: climate change.

Originally written for and published on The Invading Sea.