DeSantis Drops Climate Talk At Last Minute; Resilience Officer "Unavailable For Comment" On SLR

[hatrack]

Last month, the Keys asked the state for $150 million to address sea level rise. Newly released cost estimates show the county could blow that entire amount on a few miles of road elevation. Elevating less than three miles of Old State Road 4A on Sugarloaf Key to withstand sea rise and king tide by 2025 could cost $75 million, Monroe’s head of resilience revealed at a sea level rise conference in Key West on Wednesday. Elevating for 2045 could cost $128 million. And by 2060, that price tag could soar to $181 million.

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It’s unclear what the state’s role will be in managing retreat from the Keys, or if the administration is even considering a broader plan or additional funding.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was scheduled to speak at the climate conference but dropped out last minute with no explanation. His chief resilience officer, Julia Nesheiwat, gave a brief speech about the state’s response to climate change. In it, she talked about how the bill for seawalls alone in Monroe County “could cost hundreds of millions, making it too costly to really be a realistic solution for the future.”

The governor’s office declined to make her available for an interview about the state’s strategy on retreat and buyouts, but when asked by a reporter at a panel if her state resiliency plan will involve managed retreat, she called it a sensitive topic. “I believe it’s a local decision. I rely on the mayors and the local officials on that,” she said. “But it’s a reality, it’s something we have to address.”

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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article238040499.html#storylink=cpy

[Phoenix61]

1. Not surprised at all. He's a Twitler suck up.

Not to mention there is no good answer. People are going to lose millions of dollars as their property goes under water, literally.