Why climate action in Florida doesn't look like other states

Transcript

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Billions of federal dollars are now available for states to reduce pollution and energy costs, but some states are turning that money down. So in Florida, local governments are making their own plans. Jessica Meszaros with member station WUSF in Tampa reports.

JESSICA MESZAROS, BYLINE: Siri Alexander is a 37-year-old entrepreneur. She has an online store where she sells clothes and soaps to women. Up until recently, Alexander and her 16-year-old daughter didn't have a home. For six months, they were staying with family and friends across the Tampa Bay region.

SIRI ALEXANDER: Not having my own home and my own space - it's hard. It's really hard mentally; physically, as well.

MESZAROS: This started last April, when she rented a two-bedroom apartment in Tampa. Her first electric bill was $300, including a security deposit, but as the electricity bills got higher every month, Alexander started to pay late. In October, Alexander got an electric bill for nearly $1,000, including a second security deposit for being late so many times.

ALEXANDER: I just - I broke, so I decided to give up my apartment, put all my stuff in storage, pack me and my baby up, and we start depending on friends and family.

MESZAROS: Alexander's story is not unique. The Tampa area has some of the highest electricity bills in the country. That's largely due to the state relying heavily on natural gas for energy, and the energy sector in the Tampa region is considered a top emitter for planet-warming pollution. States and local governments earlier this year applied for millions of federal dollars to catalog climate emissions and implement solutions, but a handful of states, including Florida, chose to not opt in. Aubrey Jewett is a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. He's followed the state's politics closely.

AUBREY JEWETT: You have really seen the state of Florida, the governor and our attorney general, either turning down opportunities to take advantage of federal programs or actually suing the federal government in a number of areas.

MESZAROS: And that's not all. This year, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis removed climate change from state policy. He also ended renewable energy goals that were set two years ago, and the governor banned local heat protections for outdoor workers. All these actions were initiated by Florida's Republican-led legislature, but DeSantis did recently accept nearly $350 million for energy efficiency rebates from the federal government. Still, Jewett says, overall, the state doesn't seem interested in reducing carbon emissions to address climate change.

JEWETT: If local governments don't do it, it's probably not going to happen.

MESZAROS: DeSantis' office did not respond to a request for comment. Floridians have been facing record-breaking heat, sea levels rising and stronger storms due to global warming, so now cities and counties are stepping up to fill the gap and create plans to reduce planet-warming pollution - what they call climate action plans. Four regions of Florida, including Tampa and Orlando, have formed a coalition that represents 40% of the state's population.

CARA SERRA: I think there's enough momentum at the local level to make up for what resources the state's not able to provide.

MESZAROS: This is Cara Serra. She's with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, which is part of this coalition of municipalities.

SERRA: The state had to make that decision based on, you know, factors that we might not be privy to, but at the end of the day, we still have a responsibility to our local jurisdictions.

MESZAROS: The group is asking for nearly $200 million, out of the more than $4.5 billion pot available through the nation's first major climate policy. The funds would go toward solar projects and working with local utilities to reduce emissions. That ultimately could lower energy bills for people, including Siri Alexander. Alexander says any planning should start with residents.

ALEXANDER: Because we're the one impacted the most. I think putting those funds towards putting solar panels on apartment complexes and stuff like that would be more fitting.

MESZAROS: States, tribes and local governments will find out how much money they'll get for a variety of projects to draw down emissions sometime this summer.

For NPR News, I'm Jessica Meszaros in Tampa.

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