In Florida’s Gubernatorial Race, a Choice Between New Climate Policy or the Status Quo
I keep coming back to that House record detail. Two people who sat in the same chamber, likely voting on the same weather and disaster bills, yet they’ve landed on opposite sides of what a governor should do about a warming planet. That split tells you everything about how polarized this issue has become, even in a state where the ocean is literally encroaching on the streets.
What worries me is the status quo candidate’s quiet inertia. It may be more dangerous than outright denial. The coastline crumbles even without calling climate change a hoax. Simply declining to update the state’s energy roadmap is enough. Meanwhile, the alternative candidate offers a chance to restore something like the old bipartisan climate compact Florida had a decade ago. That program had real teeth, and it lapsed.
I’d want to know what specific policies they’re proposing for storm hardening, solar permitting, and the insurance market, because those are the places where ballots actually meet saltwater. Whether Florida plans for the tide or pays for it is a decision the next governor can make, even though they can’t stop the tide itself. Given the stakes, I’m surprised this race isn’t getting more national attention.