Miami Beach Official Blasts Florida’s Inaction On Climate Change

The Miami Beach city commissioner on Friday lamented the lack of support the southern, coastal city has received from the Florida legislature in addressing the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.

“We send our lobbyists to Tallahassee and beg for every little bit we can…but we’re not getting help from anybody else,” Commissioner Michael Grieco said at a sea level rise summit, according to Fusion. “Some people in Tallahassee don’t want to deal with realities.”

Grieco’s comments follow reports that the Florida government has banned state officials from using terms like “climate change” in official communications. Gov. Rick Scott (R) will not acknowledge whether he believes human activity has contributed to climate change.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine told Fusion that the governor’s office has actually been helpful as the city plans the installation of pumps to mitigate flooding from high tides and heavy rains. According to Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales, the governor’s office has been more helpful than the Florida legislature.

Amid reports on the Florida government’s failure to address climate change, Miami Vice Mayor Walter Harris is pushing for South Florida to secede from the rest of the state.

“North Florida is completely indifferent, if not completely oblivious to it,” Harris told TPM last week. “You’ve got a governor who refuses to even use the term ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change,’ much less rising sea levels.”