'Florida is not safe': Activists say Ron DeSantis is unfit to handle hurricane response | US News

Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican governor, is back in the spotlight as he updates residents on the arrival of Hurricane Milton, warning that it could be one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the state.

DeSantis, who dropped out of his presidential campaign in January, is responsible as governor for implementing Florida's emergency plan by coordinating agencies, mobilizing resources and urging residents to follow evacuation orders.

It's a role he can't play because of his record on the climate crisis, Florida activists say.

“Florida is not safe with DeSantis at the helm of our state government,” said Matthew Grocholske, 20, campaign strategy director for the Orlando, Fla., chapter of the youth-led Sunrise Movement.

Less than two weeks after the devastation caused by deadly Hurricane Helene, the state is bracing for Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm.

Florida environmentalists say DeSantis' policies of promoting fossil fuels, suppressing carbon-free energy and ignoring global warming have fueled the climate crisis that has exacerbated such hurricanes. DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DeSantis on Wednesday urged millions of Floridians along Milton's expected path to evacuate. “We are getting ready and prepared for a big blow,” he said.

Hurricanes – including Helene – are becoming increasingly dangerous due to the climate crisis, which is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels. Climate advocates say DeSantis' policies and rhetoric have fueled this crisis.

“When it comes to our climate crisis, Ron DeSantis is by far the worst governor in Florida history,” said Delaney Reynolds, 25, a doctoral candidate in climate resilience at the University of Miami and lead plaintiff in a youth-led climate lawsuit against him in 2018 State government.

DeSantis' opposition to climate action began early in his career. A day after taking office in 2013, the then-congressman voted against a measure proposed after Hurricane Sandy to guarantee people their ability to collect federal flood insurance claims.

During his run for governor in 2018, he promised to protect Florida's Everglades and waterways. Although he admitted that “human activities contribute to changes in the environment,” he also said, “I am not a person who is concerned with global warming.” More recently, he has gone even further, describing climate change as ” woke up.”

There is ample evidence that warmer ocean temperatures trigger stronger storms, and preliminary studies show that global warming made Helene's strength far more likely.

Still When Florida was hit by record-breaking rainfall last June, DeSantis strongly denied any possible connection to the climate crisis.

“This is clearly not unprecedented,” he said at a news conference at the time. “I think the difference is that compared to 50 to 100 years ago and now, there's just a lot more development, so these types of events can have a lot more impact.”

In August, the DeSantis administration sparked an outcry over its so-called “Great Outdoors Initiative,” which included plans to pave over thousands of acres of land in nine state parks and build 350-room hotels, golf courses and pickleball courts. In May, the governor made headlines when he signed a law striking most references to climate change from state law. The policy, which took effect July 1, restructured the state's energy policy to eliminate goals promoting wind and solar power and instead focused on strengthening energy infrastructure against “natural and man-made threats.” .

“We are restoring sanity to our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of radical green zealots,” DeSantis wrote on X.

While running for president in the 2024 Republican primary, DeSantis also promised to increase domestic oil and gas production and fend off electric vehicle mandates, measures that climate experts warned would have driven up greenhouse gas emissions.

His promises matched his state policy. DeSantis reportedly quietly helped craft a ban on wind energy infrastructure in Florida last legislative session. And he also signed a sweeping energy omnibus bill intended to boost the gas industry and raise barriers to purchasing electric vehicles.

“The Florida we loved as children is disappearing with every storm, and DeSantis is ignoring that,” Yoca said Arditi Rocha, Executive director of the Orlando-based nonprofit Cleo Institute, which promotes climate education. “We are losing the places that define us as Floridians, and DeSantis is moving us in that direction by ignoring this crisis in his own backyard for political gain.”

Last year, DeSantis rejected federal aid for energy efficiency, electrification and carbon emissions reductions. In 2022, he vetoed a $5 million allocation from the state budget for a hurricane shelter in a northeast Florida city and banned the state pension fund from making investment decisions that take the climate crisis into account. And last year, he passed a bill banning Florida cities from pursuing 100% clean energy goals. Such measures would have exacerbated the climate crisis that is driving hurricanes like Milton and Helene, Grocholske said.

“The catastrophic magnitude of this hurricane is directly attributable to the actions of our state government,” Grocholske said. “It is clear that the (DeSantis) administration poses one of the greatest threats to climate justice our state has faced in its history.”

What's astonishing is that while DeSantis is attacking climate efforts, he is also supporting environmental protection and says he is taking his cue from conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt. This year alone, he announced funding to restore the Everglades, combat harmful algae blooms and direct proceeds from a tribal agreement to fund flood control and water quality improvements.

Arditi-Rocha said her organization “welcomes” DeSantis’ conservation efforts, noting that some of them could help protect the health of important carbon sinks. But those moves can't offset his pro-fossil fuel policies, she said.

“Climate change is a deluge of data, and DeSantis is coming with towels,” she said. “He keeps putting on more towels without turning off the tap, without getting to the root of the problem.”

DeSantis often describes his conservation initiatives as economically beneficial. But by increasing carbon emissions, it is costing the state money and lives, Reynolds said.

“Frankly, he should be given a special honor because he so blatantly, consistently and consciously fails to address the cause of our climate crisis,” she said. “What he did will tragically cause untold billions, if not trillions, in damage to our state for generations to come.”