When it comes to Hurricane Idalia impacting Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis was sure to take some criticism, just by the very nature of him being a Republican and a figure the left loves to hate on. Sure enough, on Wednesday, The New Republic put out a piece titled "DeSantis Rejected $350 Million in Climate Funding Before Hurricane Idalia."
As the piece would frame it, DeSantis appears to have doomed his state because he wouldn't accept money from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Notice how it's framed as a climate change law now:
DeSantis used a line-item veto in June to reject a $5 million federal grant to set up a rebate program for Floridians who retrofit their homes with energy efficient appliances. This in turn meant that Florida couldn’t access the $341 million the Inflation Reduction Act allotted to fund the program. The Sunshine State has until August 2024 to reapply for the money.
The governor also rejected an additional $3 million in IRA funds to help fight pollution, as well as the Solar for All program that helps low-income people get solar panels. The IRA is a major part of Biden’s overall climate agenda and the largest investment to address climate change in U.S. history.
DeSantis’s decision to reject the funds came just before the start of hurricane season, which took a devastating turn Wednesday when Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida. The storm has already knocked out power for nearly 500,000 people in northern Florida and Georgia, according to the tracker website PowerOutage.us.
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To make matters worse, DeSantis hasn’t just blocked his state from accessing clearly necessary climate funding. His terrible climate-related policies have also chased multiple insurance carriers out of Florida. Floridians have seen their insurance costs skyrocket as the state gets hammered by climate change. A longer and stronger hurricane season has flooded the Sunshine State and destroyed homes and businesses. It’s quickly getting too expensive for insurance companies to keep reimbursing people for damages
While the piece seems all too eager to mention the damage from the storm in the excerpts above and elsewhere throughout the piece, nowhere is it mentioned how efficiently DeSantis and other officials have been at managing the situation to make sure power is back on as quickly as possible and that emergency vehicles have had clear paths.
Not only did the outlet not have positive things to say about the governor, they also didn't take too kindly to his reminder that people have a right to protect their property. "Ron DeSantis Issues Deranged Hurricane Warning: 'You Loot, We Shoot,'" one headline read, with its subheadline referencing the shooting that took place in Jacksonville last week that left three people dead, all black, at a Dollar General near a historically black college. The local sheriff had said that the suspect "hated black people."
The New Republic wasn't the only one with such a take. MSNBC's Chris Hayes went on nearly the same kind of rant for Wednesday night's episode of "All In." If possible, he was even more hysterical, though.
"Florida's Republican leaders are actually trying to make it worse, actively. Governor Ron DeSantis is refusing to accept 350 million dollars in energy efficiency incentives that Florida is eligible for under the Inflation Reduction Act," he claimed.
"His position on climate change is essentially vaccine denialism at civilizational scale. To Ron DeSantis this existential threat to the peninsula he represents is just another political debate," says @chrislhayes on DeSantis rejecting federal climate benefits for Floridians. pic.twitter.com/asgvTQKTkQ
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) August 31, 2023
"To Ron DeSantis, this existential threat to the peninsula he represents is just another political debate," he also said to end the segment. This prompted Kevin Tober in his coverage for NewsBusters to argue "Hayes is half right. There was no 'existential threat' to Florida by 'climate change' but this was just another useless political debate that leftists at MSNBC are forcing us to have."
Bryan Griffin, the press secretary for DeSantis' presidential campaign, posted a message calling out the "radical government overreach" that the left expects others to follow in order to avoid blame. Griffin also shared points about how the governor has prioritized environmental concerns in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis "rejects the left's climate alarmism and Biden's Green New Deal. Instead, he has standardized successful and efficient hurricane responses, promoted improved building codes, and championed our natural resources through smart and innovative conservation efforts," Griffin shared.
When it comes to environmentalism, the left operates this way: 'Support my radical government overreach or else I will blame nature on you.' @RonDeSantis rejects the left's climate alarmism and Biden's Green New Deal. Instead, he has standardized successful and efficient… https://t.co/3hWESuIJPJ
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) September 1, 2023
Griffin wasn't the only one to notice such a ridiculous take from The New Republic. It made it to the eighth spot on the latest edition of The List of "people who need their phone taken away." The post was also thoroughly ratioed.
Congrats to @newrepublic for coming in at #8 on The List for this: https://t.co/UFHyduExrH
— The List (@ListComesForAll) September 1, 2023
As Griffin also shared in his reposts, there's been plenty of support for DeSantis' leadership during Hurricane Idalia as well. This includes praise from Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) and an editorial from The Wall Street Journal, "Hurricane Ron DeSantis."
“What we have seen through Governor @RonDeSantis is a no nonsense approach of helping people in their darkest hour.”
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 1, 2023
— Rep. @Kat_Cammack praises DeSantis’ strong leadership during Hurricane Idalia pic.twitter.com/MgKmqVA8Hz
Hurricane Ron DeSantis - WSJ https://t.co/m63PqN1Ckh
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) September 1, 2023
Meanwhile, when it comes to what's happening on the ground in real time, Julio has been reporting on the storm on location. As part of his coverage, he's spoken to those who have been affected by Idalia. He's also covered involvement from the National Guard and the cleanup in the Cedar Keys.
One local resident Julio spoke to, Amiee Firestien, praised the preparedness system in place before the storm. Lamar Gore, said that "we had power within six hours," calling such a quick response "unheard of."
Lamar Gore, a local contractor, was grateful he was without power for only six hours after Hurricane Idalia hit. He said they had been without power for days in the past with storms that weren't as powerful ——> https://t.co/MfGgBobVXk pic.twitter.com/pfkVq6dygB
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 1, 2023
Gov. DeSantis is now touring damaged areas of Cedar Key, he stopped to talk with a business owner whose building suffered structural damage from Hurricane Idalia. pic.twitter.com/vAfHGGXw8q
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 31, 2023
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