TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Climate change will be a lower priority in Florida because of a law signed Wednesday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that also bans electricity-generating wind turbines offshore or near the state’s long coastline , largely disappearing from state laws.
Critics said the measure signed into law by the former Republican presidential candidate ignores the reality of climate change threats in Florida, including forecasts of rising sea levels, extreme heat and flooding, and increasingly severe storms.
It takes effect July 1, according to a news release from the governor’s office, and would also spur natural gas expansion, reduce regulation of gas pipelines in the state and raise protections from bans on gas appliances such as furnaces.
DeSantis, who suspended his presidential campaign in January and later endorsed his bitter rival Donald Trump, called the bill a common-sense approach to energy policy.
“We are restoring sanity to our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of radical green zealots,” DeSantis said in a post on the social media platform X.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Florida already relies on natural gas for about 74% of its electricity generation. Opponents of the bill signed by DeSantis say it removes the word “climate” in nine different places and shifts the state’s energy goals from efficiency and reductions in greenhouse gases blamed for a warming planet.
“This deliberate act of cognitive dissonance is evidence that the governor and the state Legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect the profits of the fossil fuel industry,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, executive director of the nonprofit Cleo Institute, which promotes climate change education and advocacy.
The legislation also eliminates requirements that government agencies hold conferences and meetings in hotels certified by the state Environmental Protection Agency as “environmentally friendly accommodations” and requires government agencies to make fuel efficiency a top priority when purchasing recent vehicles. This also eliminates the requirement that Florida state authorities review a list of “climate-friendly” products before purchasing.
In 2008, legislation to combat climate change and promote renewable energy passed unanimously in both legislative chambers and was signed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist, then a Republican. Former Gov. Rick Scott, now a Republican U.S. Senator, took steps to undo some of those measures after becoming governor in 2011, and this latest bill goes a step further.
The measure signed by DeSantis would also launch a study of petite nuclear reactor technology, expand the operate of hydrogen-powered vehicles and improve the security of the electric grid, according to the governor’s office.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the first name Yoca Arditi-Rocha.
