Florida is located in a region highly susceptible to the effects of global warming in the United States. However, no one would think this given that "global warming" and "climate change" are never mentioned in official communications, reports or emails, according to a report released by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
Federal and state officials responded to the report this week, many eager to determine whether or not Gov. Rick Scott has an unwritten rule about mentioning the terms.
Rep. Kathy Castor, for starters, wanted to know why submitted written testimony for a Washington, D.C. hearing about climate change never even mentioned the term. State Sen. Jeff Clemens attempted to get a Florida official to utter "climate change" at a Tallahassee hearing but was unsuccessful.
The FCIR report was published statewide in newspapers, saying that contractors and employees for several agencies in Florida, including the departments of Health, Transportation, and Environmental Protection, have been told they cannot use the terms where official documents are involved.
Gov. Scott denied the claim but former employees, volunteers and consultants from the DEP say otherwise. The FCIR also obtained records that prove the claims were true.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) State Mitigation Plan goes into effect in 2016, and FEMA has warned states that anyone without a plan in place for mitigating the effects of climate change will not be eligible to receive disaster preparedness funds.
Alongside the State Mitigation Plan, the National Clean Power Plan from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be implemented as one of the federal government's efforts to fight climate change effects.
How do you address something you can't even talk about?
Art Graham, chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission, was grilled by Castor, at a meeting of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee, regarding the lack of the terms "global warming" and "climate change" in his written testimony.
"Is that a product of Gov. Scott's unwritten policy?" she straightforwardly asked Graham.
Clemens also asked Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, if he was aware about the FEMA rules. Koon said he was aware, adding that versions of the state's mitigation plan shall incorporate "language discussing that issue" in the future.
When asked to clarify what this "issue" was, Koon simply replied: "The issue you mentioned earlier."
