Florida’s first climate czar is leaving to go work with Trump on homeland security
After less than six months, Florida’s first chief resilience officer, the person tasked with helping the state survive climate change, is leaving.
Julia Nesheiwat, Florida’s Chief Resilience Officer, has been hired as a homeland security advisor for President Donald Trump, as Politico first reported and two sources familiar with the appointment confirmed with the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.
Nesheiwat has an extensive military background. Before she took the job in Florida, she was the deputy special envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department. She served two tours — in Afghanistan and Iraq — as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer and had a seat on the U.S. Presidential Commission on Intelligence Capabilities Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
She was hired by Gov. Ron DeSantis in her role for Florida in August. In her short time with the governor’s office, Nesheiwat met with officials in charge of sea level rise adaptation across the state and told them she was developing an adaptation plan for Florida.
Nesheiwat told the Tampa Bay Times she wanted to unite the regional efforts and make the state a “one-stop shop” for best practices. She imagined Florida one day being a national leader, with a thriving technology industry built around flood modeling and risk management.
It’s unclear how she will hand off those plans or what advice she has given the governor.
Nesheiwat said she provided a report to DeSantis around the beginning of January. The Times asked for a copy of that report on Jan. 7. A governor’s office employee said the records were compiled by Jan. 15, but DeSantis’ open government staff has not yet provided the report, saying it’s undergoing legal review.
The Legislature this session has signaled early approval for a number of bills that concern climate change. One would have made Nesheiwat’s position permanent in an Office of Resiliency under the governor. The same bill would set up a state sea level rise task force.
CJ Reynolds, director of resilience and engagement at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, said she hopes the state launches a national search to find someone qualified for the job.
“I think that Gov. DeSantis has committed to these larger initiatives and he’s going to look for a person who has tremendous background like Julia did,” she said. “It’s going to be a short-term setback is what I would hope.”
Times/Herald Tallahassee staff writer Emily L. Mahoney and Miami Herald staff writer Monique O. Madan contributed to this report.
