Florida has been believed by the scientists as one of the places that could be most affect by global warming, given its low altitude and proximity to water. That does not seem to phase Florida Gov. Rick Scott's administration, however.
According to recent reports, terms like "climate change" and "global warming" are now banned in Florida. Officials have been instructed not to use those words in official communications like emails, letters, reports etc. This rule first took effect in 2011 when the Governor Rick Scott's administration took over.
Due to this policy the Department of Environmental Protection uses alternative words like "climate drivers" and "climate-driven changes," according to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.
"We were told not to use the terms 'climate change,' 'global warming' or 'sustainability," said Christopher Byrd, a lawyer with the DEP's Office of General Counsel in Tallahassee from 2008 to 2013. "That message was communicated to me and my colleagues by our superiors in the Office of General Counsel."
Another former DEP employee Kristiana Trotta, who used to work in Miami, said that her supervisor had advised her against using terms like "climate change" and "global warming" during a staff meeting in 2014. "We were told that we were not allowed to discuss anything that was not a true fact," she added.
This unwritten policy was started and followed after Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011. Gov. Rick Scott has repeatedly uttered his disbelief that human activity is the cause of climate change even after being given scientific evidence. When he was asked whether he believed in man made climate change, he replied "I am not a scientist".
He also averted other questions associated with global warming and related to his record when pressed further.
"Let's look at what we've accomplished," Scott said, according to the Miami Herald. "We've had significant investments in beach renourishment, in flood mitigation. Look at what we've done with the Everglades: We settled a lawsuit over the Everglades. That litigation had been going on for decades. We put money in the Tamiami Trail, to raise that, to push water south. We've had -- I think we've had record investments in our springs."
"I'm into solutions, and that's what we're going to continue to do," he added.
