New Florida legislative leaders emphasize coastal resiliency, sidestep climate change – Action News Jax

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s new House Speaker and Senate President are promising to do extra to fortify the state’s coastlines within the aftermath of the one two punch of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

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But environmental teams argue Republican lawmakers are leaving out a key piece of the puzzle: Climate change.

When Gov. Ron DeSantis took workplace, he was praised for utilizing the time period climate change.

It was a significant shift from the Rick Scott administration, which refused to make use of the time period in any respect.

Read: Jacksonville’s Republican mayor splits with Florida Republican lawmakers on ‘resign to run’

But now there are indicators ‘climate change’ might as soon as once more be changing into a unclean phrase within the Florida Republican Party.

This week, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) sidestepped utilizing the phrase when requested about environmental teams’ name for a particular committee on climate change to be convened.

“It doesn’t matter what you call it. We call it resiliency. You know, it’s just another one of those things where there’s all kinds of terms,” mentioned Passidomo.

UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder mentioned the selection of phrases might be tied to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rumored presidential ambitions.

Read: Florida special legislative session on property taxes and Ian recovery set for mid-December

“If you want to run for President and navigate a Republican Primary, you can’t be seen as having gone over to the dark ‘woke’ left side of climate change and you need to think about this in other more Republican friendly terms,” mentioned Binder.

On the House facet, Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) is convening a particular committee on hurricane resiliency and restoration.

He introduced the committee will concentrate on beefing up the constructing code and bettering coastal infrastructure like sea partitions.

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“Florida is getting better and better at hurricanes, and I promise you I have great confidence and optimism that our ability as people to innovate and to strengthen our resiliency will outstrip anything that climate change sends our way,” mentioned Renner.

But environmental teams like Florida Conservation Voters argue Renner’s strategy doesn’t deal with root causes behind the state’s coastal woes.

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“It is not enough to react to elements of the climate crisis in a piecemeal way. We must call the issues out by name and work proactively and holistically to address them,” mentioned FCV Executive Director Aliki Moncrief in an emailed assertion.