Listen • 3:53
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the media about the cruise industry during a press conference at PortMiami in April. DeSantis faces criticism for failing to do all he could on Florida s biggest environmental threat: climate change.
Brick by brick, the stucco shell of a new flood-resilient public works building is taking shape blocks from the beach, the most visible sign yet of a small community s enormous task staving off the rising sea. This is actually the highest point in the city, Satellite Beach City Manager Courtney Barker said, adding that right next door to the new public works building will be a new fire station.
Listen • 4:04
Environmentalists are urging Governor Ron DeSantis to veto a bill they say would impact local plans to transition fully to renewable energy.
Environmentalists are hoping Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes a proposal that would stop local governments from banning or restricting what fuels utilities can use. They fear it could threaten local clean energy plans.
Zac Cosner, with the environmentalist group, Florida Conservation Voters, says the measure has some problematic language. It bans local governments from taking any action that restricts or has the effect of restricting the fuels utilities can use. Instead, the state would preempt that power Cosner questions what the effect of restricting means.
It s aimed at protecting the state s natural and agricultural lands.
Florida lawmakers are putting $100 million toward Florida Forever under a state budget they reached agreement on Monday night.
They also agreed to put $300 million in federal stimulus funding toward land conservation.
It is the most significant spending on land conservation since voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment in 2014 aimed at restoring funding to historic levels.
Instead land conservation and Florida Forever had received little to no funding in recent years. Lindsay Cross of Florida Conservation Voters says she hopes more spending will follow.
“As we continue to grow, we are losing thousands of acres of natural and agricultural lands each year, but we only are increasing our need for clean water, for food for clean air.”
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Environmentalists are urging Governor Ron DeSantis to veto a bill they say would impact local plans to transition fully to renewable energy.
Environmentalists are hoping Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes a proposal that would stop local governments from banning or restricting what fuels utilities can use. They fear it could threaten local clean energy plans.
Zac Cosner, with the environmentalist group, Florida Conservation Voters, says the measure has some problematic language. It bans local governments from taking any action that restricts or has the effect of restricting the fuels utilities can use. Instead, the state would preempt that power Cosner questions what the effect of restricting means.