BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Since taking office in January, Florida's Republican governor has appointed a science officer, established a climate change czar and pledged to spend billions of dollars to restore the Everglades and combat the pollutants that spawn blue-green algae and red tides.
A top Republican lawmaker in the state, meanwhile, recently stood on the House floor and implored his party "to stop being afraid of words like 'climate change' and 'sea level rise.'"
While President Donald Trump and his administration reject the urgency of the threat, leading Republicans in Florida and other states find themselves under political pressure to address the immediate impacts of climate change. As a result, these leaders are increasingly changing the
