DeSantis moves Florida backward on climate change

What climate change? Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Wednesday to make climate change a lesser priority on the same day that record heat was baking millions of Floridians. The new law, which takes effect July 1, would boost expansion of natural gas, reduce regulations on gas pipelines and repeal state programs that encourage energy conservation and renewable energy. Florida is already about 74% reliant on natural gas to power electric generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and this legislation will only further concentrate the state’s energy mix while leaving renewable resources behind. One environmental nonprofit rightly called DeSantis’ move “a purposeful act of cognitive dissonance”; few states are as vulnerable as Florida to the deadly and costly impacts of a warming climate. And DeSantis signed the bill on the same day as record-breaking heat struck the state, from Key West and Miami to Tampa and Jacksonville. Nothing to see here, right?

Florida’s mental health. Kudos to Tampa General Hospital for being chosen to house one of four new state-funded behavioral health teaching programs. The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, currently under construction on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa, will help expand psychiatric residencies and workforce development programs across the state. The investment reflects a growing awareness of mental health needs in today’s society and the imperative for improving access to psychiatric care. Florida was ranked 49th in the country for access to mental health care, according to the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report; these new institutes, in other words, can’t come online soon enough. Millions of Floridians live in communities with a shortage of mental health services, and this program will help track recruitment and retention in an effort to plug that services gap. This program will be a vital resource for the Tampa Bay region and another stake in a vital industry. It’s another recognition of how Tampa Bay is leading at the intersection of medicine, academics and workforce development and raising its global profile.

Tampa bridging race. To its credit, the city of Tampa has joined communities nationwide that are confronting their racial legacies. To that end, the newly named 13-member Race Reconciliation Committee has the makeup and mission to transform Tampa into a more just, enriching and racially inclusive city in a multitude of ways. The group is charged with crafting policy recommendations to address the “economic and racial divide,” and over the coming year, it will specifically apply that lens to housing, development, youth services and other critical areas that comprise the fabric of a community. This board has a great opportunity to deliver more than a hum-ho report. With members like historian Fred Hearns, social activist Robin Lockett and Bishop Thomas Scott, a former member of the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission, this group has a wealth of life experience, energy, political chops and connections. It should look to craft a list of practical recommendations to improve race relations in Tampa and expand opportunities. The board has key support in its corner; Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and the City Council are both committed to moving forward. It all starts with giving City Hall a doable agenda.

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