How did we get here?
🌪️ Hurricane Milton: A Rapid Rise
Hurricane Milton, which landed as a Cat 3, after swelling to a monster Cat 5, has now weakened to a Category 2 storm and is moving past Florida. We’ve somewhat been spared—if you can call 100 mph winds and intense flooding being spared.
Rapid intensification like this is becoming more common due to climate change, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy for storms to grow quickly. As the temperature rises one degree, the ability of the air to accept moisture rises by 7 percent and it rises exponentially, not linearly. Meteorologists are sounding the alarm, astonished by the storm's rapid escalation. Florida is facing yet another catastrophic storm, following so soon after Helene, with almost no time for recovery.
The streets are still littered with debris—flooded household furniture, shattered appliances, and scattered belongings—and the state is once again scrambling to get ready, trying to secure what they can and brace themselves against the impending chaos and destruction.
How did we get here? Why is Florida so disastrously unprepared, storm after storm, despite the clear warning signs?
🏛️ Florida's Path to Vulnerability: Focus on Bad Actors
The current situation is the culmination of years of negligence, denial, and political maneuvering. Let’s dive into the real reasons why Florida finds itself in such a precarious position—one where a storm like Milton can arrive and instantly turn into a full-scale disaster. The politics and decisions that led us here are not a matter of happenstance but deliberate actions by bad actors and poor leadership.
Florida's leadership, especially under Governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, has had a record of obstructing, balking at, and avoiding any meaningful climate mitigation when it comes to addressing climate change. Their policies have often prioritized corporate interests over the health and safety of Floridians, leaving the state vulnerable to the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.
Rick Scott (Governor 2011-2019)
Ban on "Climate Change" Language (2015): Under Rick Scott's administration, state employees were reportedly instructed not to use terms like "climate change," "global warming," or "sea-level rise" in official communications. This unofficial ban stifled the discussion of climate issues within state agencies and prevented productive dialogue.
Reduced Funding for Environmental Programs: Scott significantly cut funding for the South Florida Water Management District, which plays a critical role in flood control and Everglades restoration. These cuts limited the state’s ability to manage rising waters and increased climate resilience.
Withdrawal from Regional Climate Initiatives: Scott pulled Florida out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cooperative effort among states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This effectively reduced Florida’s engagement with other states on climate mitigation.
Refusal to Acknowledge Climate Science: Scott's infamous response to questions about climate change was often "I am not a scientist." This response was widely criticized as dismissive of the urgency and consensus around climate science and hindered state-level initiatives to address climate issues.
Lack of Climate Resiliency Planning: Scott's administration did not prioritize climate adaptation planning or any statewide strategy for dealing with rising sea levels, even though Florida is among the most vulnerable states to sea-level rise and extreme weather.
Ron DeSantis (Governor 2019-present)
Mixed Messages on Climate Change: While DeSantis has occasionally acknowledged environmental challenges, his administration has still faced criticism for not explicitly addressing climate change as a systemic crisis. He has rarely used the terms "climate change" or "global warming," preferring to frame issues like sea-level rise in less politically charged language.
Focus on Water Quality, Not Climate: DeSantis prioritized water quality issues, such as algal blooms, red tide, and Everglades restoration, but these actions, while important, were often narrowly framed as water management issues without acknowledging their connections to climate change.
Resistance to Statewide Renewable Energy Standards: Under DeSantis, Florida has continued to lack a statewide renewable energy mandate or a comprehensive policy for reducing carbon emissions, leaving renewable energy progress largely to municipalities and utilities.
Fossil Fuel Investments: Florida’s pension funds have continued to hold substantial investments in fossil fuel companies, despite calls for divestment. This indirectly supports continued fossil fuel development rather than encouraging renewable energy growth.
Preemption of Local Climate Policies: DeSantis supported state laws that prevent local governments from banning natural gas infrastructure. This preemption stymied efforts by cities to transition away from fossil fuels and hindered municipal initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Lack of Carbon Reduction Goals: Unlike many states that have adopted ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions, Florida under DeSantis has not established binding targets to limit greenhouse gases or a statewide framework to move towards a carbon-neutral economy.
Ron DeSantis also signed a bill in May 2024 that further weakened environmental regulations. The bill made it easier for developers to build in areas previously designated as protected wetlands, directly undermining efforts to mitigate the impacts of flooding and rising sea levels. This action exemplifies the prioritization of short-term economic gains over long-term environmental safety.
While DeSantis has taken some steps in resilience planning—like the creation of the Chief Resilience Officer role and proposing funding for climate adaptation projects—these efforts largely focus on the symptoms of climate change (like flooding) rather than the root causes. The actions taken fall short of comprehensive climate mitigation strategies, such as emission reduction targets or transition plans for renewable energy, making Florida's response largely reactive rather than proactive.
Florida Legislature
Legislative Climate Apathy: The Florida state legislature, dominated by Republicans for decades, has played a huge role in climate inaction. They continuously refused to pass laws that would set renewable energy standards or support comprehensive climate adaptation and mitigation policies. Bills aimed at increasing energy efficiency or mandating renewable energy often never made it out of committee. Legislative leadership has prioritized development and deregulation over environmental sustainability.
Prohibition of Local Bans on Gas Infrastructure: Florida legislators passed HB 919 in 2021, which prohibits cities from banning natural gas infrastructure in new buildings. This law preempts local governments from transitioning to cleaner energy, ensuring Florida remains dependent on fossil fuels. Municipalities like Miami and Orlando, trying to reduce emissions, were effectively hamstrung by this measure.
Subsidies and Tax Breaks for Fossil Fuels: Lawmakers have supported tax incentives for the oil and gas industry, giving fossil fuel companies operating in Florida an economic edge. This preferential treatment kept the state reliant on fossil fuels instead of shifting incentives to solar or wind energy.
Utilities and Their Lobbyists
Florida Power & Light (FPL) and Other Utilities: Florida utilities, particularly FPL, have lobbied hard to limit solar energy expansion in the state. In 2016, they backed a misleading anti-solar amendment—Amendment 1—presented to voters under the guise of expanding solar but which, in reality, would have limited rooftop solar growth. Their influence has kept utility-owned power generation fossil-fuel heavy, rather than decentralized and renewable-focused.
Lobbying Against Net Metering: Utilities have also lobbied to roll back net metering, which compensates homeowners for the solar power they feed back into the grid. This directly disincentivizes residents from installing solar panels, making it harder for regular Floridians to be part of the solution. In 2022, a bill was introduced to gut the state’s net metering policies, effectively killing financial incentives for home solar adoption. DeSantis eventually vetoed it, but the pressure from utilities was loud and clear.
Fossil Fuel Dominance: The state's major utility companies have consistently invested in natural gas infrastructure, positioning it as a "bridge fuel," instead of committing to a rapid transition to renewable energy sources. They’ve spent millions lobbying against renewable energy standards that would hurt their profits.
Developers and Real Estate Interests
Real Estate Lobby's Relentless Push: The real estate industry, one of Florida's most powerful economic engines, has aggressively lobbied for unrestricted coastal development, often dismissing the risks of sea-level rise and climate impacts. This unchecked development puts more people in vulnerable areas while destroying wetlands that act as natural buffers against flooding. Real estate interests have routinely pushed for lax zoning laws, allowing housing and infrastructure in areas highly prone to climate risks.
Building in Vulnerable Areas: The Florida Chamber of Commerce, developers, and real estate moguls have pushed to build more housing and commercial properties in flood-prone areas, prioritizing short-term gains over long-term sustainability. They are happy to rake in profits from beachfront property developments while ignoring future flood risks—essentially building castles on quicksand and profiting as the state sinks.
Federal Inaction Under Scott and DeSantis
Scott as Senator: After becoming a U.S. senator, Rick Scott continued to downplay climate change, often focusing instead on economic growth at the expense of environmental protection. He voted against federal climate initiatives and opposed measures to reduce carbon emissions, ensuring Florida’s vulnerability was further entrenched at the federal level.
Lack of Federal Advocacy: DeSantis, as governor, has been inconsistent when dealing with the federal government on climate issues. While he requested federal funds for hurricane recovery, there has been a lack of active push or advocacy from the state to address broader climate policies on the national level.
Business and Industry Interests:
Profiting Off Destruction
Big Sugar has had a tight grip on Florida's environmental policies for years, directly impacting the state's ability to respond to and mitigate climate change. The sugar industry’s runoff has fueled harmful algal blooms, leading to toxic waterways, killing fish, and affecting both people’s livelihoods and ecosystems. Instead of addressing the pollution or investing in environmentally friendly farming practices, political leaders have catered to sugar lobbyists, dismissing the long-term impacts on both the environment and public health.
Everglades Restoration Stalled: The polluted runoff from sugarcane fields has affected the Everglades, which is not only a biodiversity hotspot but also a natural flood barrier for South Florida. Restoring the Everglades would help alleviate the effects of climate change, but Big Sugar, with its deep pockets and influence, has continually stalled efforts. This has directly contributed to increased flooding risks and a diminishing natural defense against storm surges.
Sugar Industry Influence: Both Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis have avoided taking significant actions against Big Sugar, choosing instead to keep corporate donors happy while sacrificing the health of Floridians and the resilience of natural landscapes.
📉 A State Left Behind: Consequences of Inaction
The inaction on climate change in Florida isn’t just about the governors—it's about a web of powerful interests working together. Politicians, utilities, developers, and big business have all contributed to keeping the state in a reactive, vulnerable position. Instead of looking ahead and making changes to mitigate the worst effects, they’ve all stuck to an outdated, exploitative playbook that prioritizes short-term profit over long-term sustainability.
Florida's unique vulnerability to climate change—rising sea levels, increased hurricane intensity, extreme heat—demands forward-thinking leadership, but what we've seen instead is complacency, inaction, and active obstruction. They’ve dismissed science, prioritized developers, and locked the state into fossil fuel dependency, leaving Floridians to deal with the consequences.
Loss of Life from Hurricanes and Inadequate Response
Since Rick Scott took office in 2011, Florida has faced numerous major hurricanes. What have we seen time and time again? A disturbing lack of comprehensive preparation and evacuation planning for the most vulnerable—leading to chaos, tragic losses, and entirely preventable deaths.
List of Major Hurricanes Since Scott’s Term:
Hurricane Irma (2017): Irma killed at least 92 Floridians directly or indirectly, including seniors in nursing homes when the power went out. After Irma, the tragic deaths of residents at Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Center—where the facility lost air conditioning—highlighted the utter failure to safeguard vulnerable populations. Rick Scott, the governor at the time, refused to acknowledge broader climate threats, even as people died from inadequate planning.
Hurricane Michael (2018): One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S., Michael caused 16 deaths in Florida and wreaked havoc on the Panhandle. Scott's reaction was, again, reactive instead of proactive—relying on disaster relief rather than investing in infrastructure that could withstand such storms or creating robust evacuation routes for residents. Many residents had no warning and no means to leave in time.
Hurricane Dorian (2019): Though Dorian’s path largely avoided the Florida coast, the scramble and confusion around potential evacuations underscored how poor the planning remains. People who attempted to leave faced severely crowded highways, and many others had nowhere to go, reflecting a complete lack of preparedness for mass evacuations.
Hurricane Sally (2020): Flooding and infrastructure damage were severe, yet plans to mitigate floodwaters were inadequate, with the state lacking resilient systems to protect against the ever-increasing number of these events.
Hurricane Elsa (2021) and Hurricane Ian (2022): Once again, evacuations were chaotic, with limited shelters, crowded escape routes, and no safe plan for low-income residents or elderly populations who couldn’t afford to just pack up and leave. Hurricane Ian alone resulted in over 140 deaths, largely due to Florida’s inadequate response plan and outdated infrastructure. Vulnerable Floridians were left to fend for themselves in areas that experienced devastating storm surges.
Vulnerable Populations Left Behind
For low-income residents, the elderly, and people without cars, Florida’s evacuation plans are almost a cruel joke.
No Comprehensive Evacuation Plan: There’s been no real effort to build wide-scale evacuation plans for vulnerable residents. When hurricanes hit, it’s every person for themselves—leading to packed highways, gas shortages, and people left stranded in flood-prone areas. The state’s failure to secure gas and propane stockpiles means that those who can evacuate are often left in hours-long lines, hoping they can fill their tanks in time.
Lack of Resilient Shelters: Florida has no system in place to provide safe, accessible shelters for all its citizens. Nursing homes, low-income housing, and those without mobility are left without options as storms bear down. This isn’t just negligence; it’s disdain for people without the means to leave, a callous disregard for human life.
Failure to Implement Bus and Rail Evacuation Systems: The lack of public transit options during mandatory evacuations shows a glaring flaw in Florida’s emergency planning. There should be a fleet of buses and other resources to help move people out of harm’s way, but that simply doesn’t exist.
Crowded Highways and Chaos During Evacuations
Florida’s evacuation infrastructure is appallingly insufficient.
Packed and Crowded Highways: Interstate I-75 and I-95 become scenes of chaos whenever evacuation orders are issued. There’s no coordinated effort to manage traffic flow efficiently or ensure residents can leave safely. This leaves people stuck in their cars, facing down oncoming storms, exposed to extreme weather on crowded roads.
No Prioritized Exit Strategies: There’s no system to prioritize the most at-risk populations, nor are there designated routes that would allow emergency services and vulnerable residents to get out first. This failure directly puts lives at risk and leads to preventable tragedies.
No Resilience or Secured Gas and Propane Stockpiles
The lack of planning and foresight extends beyond evacuation routes—Florida consistently fails to secure essential resources for a resilient response.
Gas Shortages During Emergencies: During nearly every hurricane, gas stations run dry as panicked residents try to fill their tanks. The state should have ensured stockpiles of fuel specifically for emergency use, but instead, people have been left in the lurch, sitting in gas lines or running out entirely as they attempt to flee impending disasters.Propane and Emergency Power Failures: Many communities rely on propane for emergency power, yet Florida lacks any organized effort to secure supplies. As a result, people end up with empty tanks and no power after a storm, further endangering lives in extreme heat or flooded areas.
Other Failures to Address Climate Change
No Comprehensive Climate Plan: Despite facing hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, and rising sea levels, Florida still has no comprehensive climate action plan. DeSantis’ nods to "resilience" have been half-hearted, focusing on Band-Aids for problems like flooding without addressing the root causes: emissions reduction and sustainable planning.
Poor Infrastructure: Florida’s aging infrastructure is another weak link. Power lines above ground are easily knocked out by storms, leading to extended blackouts, and outdated sewage systems overflow into waterways. There’s been no major push to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure that could better withstand these increasing extreme events.
Draining Wetlands: Wetlands act as nature’s flood buffers, but developers have drained and destroyed them with almost no pushback from state leaders. Scott and DeSantis both have catered to real estate developers, letting them build on wetlands, which not only puts people in harm’s way but also removes a natural defense against storm surges and flooding.
Summary: A Legacy of Neglect, Profiteering, and Disaster
From Rick Scott to Ron DeSantis, and through the influence of the Florida legislature, Big Sugar, real estate developers, and utility companies, the state’s leadership has continuously chosen the short-term gains of a few over the health and safety of millions. Their disregard for comprehensive evacuation planning, resilient infrastructure, and climate action has led to unnecessary deaths, economic devastation, and an ongoing failure to protect Florida’s most vulnerable residents.
There are no excuses—just a lack of will and an absence of empathy. Florida isn’t just unprepared; it's been actively left to fend for itself by those who are supposed to protect it, and those failures have cost people their lives, their homes, and their futures.
Real Estate Meltdown in 2008
Florida was ground zero for the real estate collapse in 2008. The state's rapid overdevelopment and speculative real estate bubble burst in a spectacular way, dragging thousands of homeowners down with it.
Overdevelopment and Reckless Loans: During the housing boom, developers built endlessly, and banks handed out subprime mortgages like candy. Florida’s lack of regulation led to rampant speculation, and soon, countless Floridians found themselves underwater on homes they couldn’t afford.
Foreclosure Crisis: By 2009, Florida led the nation in foreclosures. Homeowners were being thrown out left and right. The impact was devastating, not just economically but mentally and emotionally for families who lost everything. The lack of oversight—a “just let the market do its thing” attitude—allowed banks and developers to run amok, and regular people paid the price.
Chinese Drywall Scandal: During the building boom, contractors turned to imported Chinese drywall, which was found to emit toxic sulfur gases that corroded wires and caused health issues, from respiratory problems to skin irritation. The state was ill-prepared to handle the fallout; homeowners were stuck with uninhabitable properties and no real recourse. Homes that should have been safe became money pits full of mold and toxic fumes.
Mold Nightmare: With cheap construction came mold—an epidemic that hit many of the newly built homes as corners were cut, and regulations ignored. Florida’s climate made it worse, and once the housing market tanked, many properties were left empty, festering with mold and further devaluing neighborhoods.
Election Chaos and Political Context:
Florida had a chance—back in 2000—to pivot, to elect someone who wanted to take climate change seriously, who would have set a tone of urgency and action. Instead, the 2000 election was stolen, and the path we took was one of denial, profit-driven policies, and a failure to safeguard the people who call Florida home. And here we are today, facing rising seas, deadlier storms, and infrastructure that just isn't ready—all while the same old players get richer, and the rest of the state scrambles.
The Brooks Brothers Riot and Election Theft in 2000
The 2000 presidential election was one of Florida’s most notorious fiascos. What happened in Florida that year wasn't just election chaos—it was orchestrated theft.
Let's call out the bad actors:
James A. Baker III played a significant part during the 2000 presidential election recount in Florida, which was pivotal in determining the outcome between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Baker was brought in as a key advisor to lead the legal strategy for George W. Bush. His role was crucial in shaping the Republican legal response, ensuring the recount was halted, and ultimately leading to the Supreme Court decision that effectively handed the presidency to Bush.
Brooks Brothers Riot: During the recount in Miami-Dade County, a group of well-dressed, seemingly outraged "protesters" stormed the elections office, banging on doors and intimidating election officials. This was called the Brooks Brothers Riot because of the polished, corporate attire of these so-called rioters. It wasn’t a grassroots uprising—it was a manufactured mob, largely made up of Republican operatives flown in to disrupt the recount.
Roger Stone: The riot had Roger Stone's fingerprints all over it. Stone—a long-time GOP strategist and dirty trickster—was instrumental in organizing the riot. This was not an organic expression of democratic frustration; it was a staged political coup meant to halt the recount and secure the presidency for George W. Bush.
Brett Kavanaugh: Yes, that’s right—the same Brett Kavanaugh who would later go on to become a Supreme Court Justice was part of Bush’s legal team in Florida. He worked behind the scenes to ensure the recount was stymied and the election certified in Bush’s favor. His role in suppressing the recount is a stark reminder of how political players often maneuver behind the curtain before stepping into the limelight.
The Supreme Court: Let’s not forget that the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in with Bush v. Gore, essentially handing Bush the presidency. This controversial decision halted the recount, ignoring the voices of countless Floridians whose votes were not fully counted. The fact that the conservative-leaning court stepped in with a decision that so blatantly benefited their political allies was a travesty for democracy.
Climate Consequences: Gore vs. Bush
Now, imagine what could have been different. Al Gore, a staunch advocate for addressing climate change, would have pushed for massive climate science initiatives and policies that may have set the U.S. on a different course entirely.
Gore’s Climate Vision: Gore was talking about renewable energy, carbon taxes, and emission reduction long before it was mainstream. If he had taken office, we would have seen early action against greenhouse gases, increased investment in renewable technologies, and national initiatives to deal with climate risks—long before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina or the growing frequency of climate disasters. Gore’s defeat wasn’t just political—it was a climate catastrophe that reverberated globally.
Bush and the Fossil Fuel Industry: Instead, we got George W. Bush, who was all about big oil and fossil fuels. He rolled back climate policies, withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, and kept America chained to oil and coal for another eight critical years. The environmental cost of those eight years can’t be overstated—it's why we are where we are today, with so much ground to make up.
The Scoundrels and the Aftermath
Roger Stone: This master of political dirty tricks wasn't just involved in 2000—he has a decades-long career of meddling in politics, always seeking personal gain at the expense of integrity. His work helped secure the Bush presidency, and his fingerprints would be seen in later political schemes as well.
Rick Scott: Fast-forward to Rick Scott, who, as governor, actively refused to acknowledge climate change. After the real estate collapse, Scott continued to court developers and push deregulation, making rebuilding faster but not better. The state doubled down on its problems—more cheap development, more unsustainable building in vulnerable areas.
Ron DeSantis: DeSantis, while at least acknowledging the word "resilience," still hasn’t pushed the kind of transformative climate policy needed. He continues the tradition of ignoring systemic problems in favor of piecemeal, politically palatable projects.
And then there was TRUMP
Donald Trump: The Absurdist-in-Chief of Climate Denial
When it comes to Trump and Florida, we’re talking about a combination of arrogance, willful ignorance, and outright lies. His influence over Florida politics and the national climate scene was catastrophic—especially for a state as vulnerable as Florida.
Trump’s War on Climate Science
Climate Science Denial: Trump dismissed climate science at every turn, famously calling it a "hoax". He was the guy who rolled back every climate policy he could find. Any progress made on emissions reduction or federal-level climate action was ground to a halt. For a state like Florida, which is literally losing its coastlines and facing billion-dollar hurricane damages, having a president in climate denial was a recipe for disaster.
Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement: In 2017, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the international effort to limit global temperature rise. This action sent the message that America didn't care about climate change, putting the world—and vulnerable states like Florida—on a worse trajectory.
Flood Insurance and Deregulation: Florida relies heavily on federal flood insurance because private insurers don’t want to touch the risk. Instead of addressing the broken flood insurance system or pushing for climate resilience, Trump’s focus was deregulation. His administration even talked about making it easier for real estate development in flood-prone areas—putting profits ahead of future safety and creating a nightmare scenario for future hurricanes and storm surges.
The Sharpie Incident: Hurricane Dorian (2019)
And then there was Sharpiegate—the absurd peak of his mismanagement of disaster response.
Hurricane Dorian & The Magic Marker: In 2019, when Hurricane Dorian was threatening the southeastern U.S., Trump insisted Alabama was in the storm's path, despite the National Weather Service saying otherwise. Rather than admit a mistake, Trump used a Sharpie to alter an official weather map to include Alabama. It was petty, dangerous, and demonstrated his absolute disregard for the truth. Florida was in the actual path, but instead of clear communication, people got a ridiculous, childish attempt to save face. In moments like these, it was obvious that public safety was less important to Trump than his own ego.
Politicizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): After the Sharpie incident, NOAA officials were pressured to back up Trump’s false statements. The National Weather Service, which plays a crucial role in keeping Floridians informed during hurricanes, was being politically compromised to support Trump’s ego, putting lives at risk.
Scientists vs. Trump:
Oh, and I remember the scramble in 2016—those were dark days for climate science, weren’t they? When Trump got elected, there was this sense of doom hanging over everyone who knew how much damage a climate-denying administration could do. And the scientists knew it too. They started downloading the data, stashing away every bit of climate research they could before it could be erased or altered by the new regime. It was like something out of a dystopian thriller—data guerrillas, fighting to preserve the truth.
Downloading Data Before Erasure: Scientists, environmentalists, and advocates were working feverishly—like archivists in a crumbling library—downloading public climate data from federal websites before it was potentially wiped away or compromised. It was an organized, urgent effort, and they saved terabytes of information that could have been lost forever. Climate scientists and coders worked around the clock, because they knew that once Trump and his fossil-fuel-loving crew got in, those numbers could be scrubbed, repressed, or spun into denialist propaganda.
National Parks as a Symbol of Resistance: The National Park Service became this unexpected symbol of resistance. When Trump ordered agencies to stay quiet, refusing to acknowledge the reality of climate change, the National Park Service wasn’t having it. The NPS had posted a tweet about the true size of Trump’s inauguration crowd, and when they got backlash from above, it seemed like the floodgates of rebellion opened. Enter accounts like @AltUSNatParkService and alt_NPS—rogue Twitter accounts run by employees and supporters who wanted to speak the truth, defy the administration, and stand up for science.
Alt Accounts and the Resisters: After Trump's election, there were all these "alt" accounts popping up—Alt-EPA, Alt-DOI (Department of Interior), Alt-USDA—people were refusing to be silenced. The scientists and park rangers went rogue to keep the truth alive. These accounts were lifelines of information, resistance against censorship. The Trump administration tried to stifle climate science, shut down communication channels, and put climate change on the back burner. The resisters on Twitter were like an underground network of truth-tellers, using every bit of visibility they could to let the public know what was at stake.
Defiance Against a Climate-Denying Administration
Trump’s election in 2016 put a lot of fear in the hearts of anyone concerned about the planet. It wasn't just about stopping climate initiatives—it was about erasing climate change from the government’s priorities altogether, even pretending it didn't exist. There was a clear, methodical attempt to silence agencies that were supposed to speak truth to power when it came to the climate.
Gag Orders on Federal Employees: Trump’s administration issued gag orders on federal employees from agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NOAA, and National Parks. They were trying to control the narrative, suppress scientific discussion about climate change, and shape what information the public got to see.
Deleting Climate Mentions: Mentions of climate change were scrubbed from federal websites. The administration wanted to make the problem disappear—if they didn’t say it, maybe the public would forget it. Deleting data, changing terminology, pushing "resilience" instead of mitigation—it was all part of the game plan to avoid acknowledging the massive storm brewing, both literally and figuratively.
The Consequence: Knowledge Under Siege
The data scramble was an act of defiance—a frantic attempt to protect years of taxpayer-funded research from being buried. Climate scientists feared that the data needed to understand the future of our world was about to be shoved into a black hole, and they were right to be scared.
Preserving the Science: Universities, nonprofits, and even concerned citizens stepped in. Data rescue parties were organized—meetups where people would come together and save government datasets on their laptops. There was a sense that this information was more fragile than anyone had imagined. The University of Pennsylvania spearheaded the "DataRefuge" project to back up climate information before it vanished.
What Was at Risk: This wasn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet—it was about losing the science behind rising sea levels, temperature increases, hurricane intensities, and the models that forecast our future. Without these datasets, local governments, cities, and states like Florida would have been left in the dark, unable to plan for storms like Milton, for the very real impacts of climate change.
Back to Milton: Unheeded Lessons
And here we are now—with Hurricane Milton barreling in right on the heels of Helene, and once again, Florida is about to face the consequences of a complete failure in leadership and preparation. The trash-strewn streets, the crowded highways, the insufficient shelters for those who can’t leave—it’s all a testament to decades of neglect, to leaders who prioritized profits and power over the safety and future of their citizens.
The resistance back in 2016 was all about keeping the truth alive, saving the data and the science that might have helped Florida better prepare. And now, with storm after storm battering the state, we can see how much damage was done when those voices were silenced, when the people who could have led the charge on climate action were ignored.
It didn’t have to be this way. The warnings were there, the data was there, the people who wanted to fight for change were there. But instead of heeding those warnings, Florida’s leaders, from Bush to Scott to DeSantis, backed by Trump and his climate-denying, reality-twisting administration, have left the state—and its people—vulnerable. The trash in the streets is a literal metaphor for the garbage policies that have failed Floridians, over and over again.
Instead of addressing the reality, right-wing talk shows are screaming that the weather is being seeded, that sinister forces want to take the land for lithium mines. The lies spread like wildfire, giving people a narrative to latch onto while ignoring the hard truths of climate science. Outsiders make up rumors at will, feeding the paranoia. People get angrier, more desperate—they want someone to blame. But there’s no conspiracy big enough to explain away this mess, just a chain of human greed and willful ignorance.