Gov. Ron DeSantis walks careful line on climate change stance

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in his first week in office made major environmental proposals, declined Friday to discuss what he believes causes climate change, saying he just wants to fix environmental problems plaguing the state.

"I'm not even as concerned as this caused that, or that caused that. If you have water in the streets, you have to find a way to combat that, and we are going to do that," DeSantis told reporters during a news conference.

On paper, his commitment to the environment so far has been strong. He has issued an executive order that seeks $2.5 billion in the next four years to combat red tide and blue-green algae blooms and to restore the Everglades. That's $1 billion more in spending than the previous four years of the last administration, although it's not yet clear exactly where he will get that money.

But DeSantis does not appear too concerned about that. He thinks the Florida Legislature will work with him to get the money because he says the environment is a bipartisan issue that a majority of Floridians want protected.

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"How the Legislature was divided [on this] in the past is probably yesterday," DeSantis said. "I just think that there is this huge majority in Florida who support us getting this right that I think the Legislature is going to listen."

Historically, the Republican-controlled Legislature has been friendly to agricultural interests, including the sugar industry, which DeSantis was critical of on the campaign trail. Big Sugar has been blamed for pumping nutrient pollution that contributes to toxic algae blooms, but sugar farmers cite leaky septic tanks and runoff farther downstream.

"At the end of the day what we have been able to show is that these issues in Florida do not fall on partisan lines," DeSantis said.

His executive order calls for the creation of a Blue-Green Toxic Algae Task Force that will determine the largest and most meaningful nutrient reductions in key bodies of water, as well as make recommendations for regulatory changes.

"I think you have a lot of nutrients put into Lake Okeechobee, then obviously when the Army Corps discharges that water, that is aggravating some of the algae blooms that have caused huge problems in both our coasts," DeSantis said.

Scientists agree that warmer temperatures as a result of climate change are another contributing factor to algae blooms, but DeSantis wants to study how that affects Florida through the appointment of a Chief Science Officer who will prioritize analysis of "emerging environmental concerns most pressing to Floridians."

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Under his executive order, DeSantis also created the Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency, which will be tasked with ensuring all agency actions are aligned with DeSantis' environmental priorities.

On the campaign trail, DeSantis said he did not consider himself a "climate change denier" but he also said he did not want to be labeled a "climate change believer." It was a fine political line he toed to not ruffle the feathers of his conservative base, which often sees the term as toxic.

The phrase "climate change," for example, is not mentioned once in DeSantis' plan, one that has been lauded by both Democrats and Republicans as "bold." His proposal, however, does allude to rising sea levels and his desire to work with local governments to prioritize "flood mitigation."

But when a reporter asked specifically if he agreed with many scientists who say humans are the cause of climate change, DeSantis did not answer and instead took another question.