Two hurricanes stir up voter backlash to Florida Republicans’ climate denialism

Destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton bring climate crisis to top of mind, especially for young voters

The climate emergency was already a hot-button political issue in Florida long before devastating back-to-back hurricanes named Helene and Milton barreled into the state in recent weeks.

Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor who considers global warming “leftwing stuff”, angered environmental advocates by signing a bill in May scrubbing the words “climate change” from state statutes and in effect committing Florida to a fossil fuel-burning future.

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