Environmental Leaders Condemn Ron DeSantis’ Leadership as Governor

St. Petersburg, FL – Sierra Club Florida condemned the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, who has continuously failed Florida’s environment, residents, economy, and democracy throughout his tenure as Governor. Just six months into his second term, DeSantis presided over one of the most egregious legislative sessions in recent memory, while forcing his constituents to bear the cost. 

In his time as Governor, Ron DeSantis hasn’t lived up to his rhetoric on the environment. He has failed on a number of campaign promises, ignored the advice of his own experts, and at times signed legislation in direct opposition to his commitments, including:

• Disregarding the recommendations of his own Blue-Green Algae Task Force
• Failing to commit the land and resources needed for Everglades restoration
• Signing legislation to force Florida into a continued fossil fuel future by restricting the local freedom of municipalities to move toward a cleaner and healthier renewable energy future through investments in wind and solar
• Failing to adequately address the threat posed by Piney Point and the other 24 radioactive “gypstacks” in the state
• Focusing on expensive, misleading “resilience” projects rather than long-term solutions that address the actual causes of climate change
• Making Florida unaffordable by refusing to address the insurance crisis while accepting millions in campaign donations from the insurance industry
• Signing legislation to make it harder for residents to take legal action against toxic burning practices of Florida’s sugar industry
• Banning ESG (environmental social governance) from the state’s financial sector, contradicting his own resiliency plan and locking local governments out of a trillion-dollar bond market for environmental projects

Emily Gorman, Sierra Club Florida Director said, “Sierra Club Florida has consistently graded Governor DeSantis’ environmental record with “F’s” for good reason. Rather than prioritizing the wellbeing of our people and environment, the Governor and his administration have focused on culture war signaling and spending taxpayer dollars on political stunts that harm real people. DeSantis’ constant mismanagement and lack of leadership have had a devastating impact on our state, and should serve as a stark warning of his lack of fitness for any office.” 

ABOUT SIERRA CLUB FLORIDA: Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is the oldest and largest environmental advocacy organization in the nation. The Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club boasts over 240,000 members and supporters committed to exploring, enjoying, and protecting the wild places of the earth. To learn more about Sierra Club Florida, click here.