A few isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. High near 90F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Isolated thunderstorms in the evening, mainly cloudy overnight with a few showers. Low 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Updated: June 14, 2024 @ 12:30 am
I heard an interesting interview on WUSF radio. It was with a meteorologist in Miami where he works as a television weatherman. He said that some in his line of work get death threats if they even mention terms such as “climate change” or “sea level rise.”
He was quick to add that this doesn’t happen in Miami where viewers are extremely concerned about such matters. But in other parts of the country terms like that have become highly politicized. Why? I have no idea.
However, this brings me to the latest act by our governor, Ron DeSantis. He recently ordered terms like “climate change” to be taken out of all official state documents. Why? Again, I have no idea.
I can recall when he was first elected, he surprised a lot of nay-sayers with his strong support for environmental efforts in Florida. I remember a front-page headline in the Tampa Bay Times asking “Who IS this guy?” I have no idea what happened to that version of the governor, because in Florida the environment is something we all take very seriously.
Our state is basically a big sandbar dangling down from Georgia and Alabama. It’s surrounded by water on three sides. The state’s economy depends on tourism, agriculture and fishing. All three are quite environmentally sensitive. Red tide, frosts and storms can harm all three. In my mind these are the issues the governor should be addressing full-throated.
Which brings me to another puzzler. Federal environmental regulators are considering allowing a local company, Mosaic, to test its phosphate waste as an ingredient in road construction. Mosaic would like to blend 1,200 tons of its mildly radioactive waste byproduct into future state roads. What could possibly go wrong with that? Such roads would emit radium-226, potentially a cancer-causing radioactive gas.
Can you imagine the potential threat that could pose to our waterways and orange groves? I’m not a scientist, and maybe I’m missing something here, but this sounds like the most boneheaded thing I’ve heard since the governor decided to use my tax dollars to fly migrant workers to Martha’s Vineyard!
The official state motto of Florida is “In God We Trust.” The question is, can he trust us to take care of His environment?
Chris Core is a former Washington, D.C. radio and television personality who now lives in Pass-a-Grille. He is a winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism.
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