(Matt Lamb, Headline USA) Governor Ron DeSantis swatted down a reporter’s question about the role climate change plays when it comes to Florida’s severe weather.
A reporter off camera asked DeSantis Thursday about the role of “global warming.”
“Tornadoes? I think you can go back and find tornadoes for all of human history for sure,” the Florida Republican said during a Thursday press conference.
He then proceeded to educate the reporter on climate and weather history.
“Florida, how does this storm rate in the history of storms,” DeSantis asked.
“I think if you go until 1851, there’s probably been 27 hurricanes that have had lower barometric pressure on landfall than [Hurricane] Milton did,” DeSantis told the reporter.
He said that the “most powerful hurricane on record…in the state of Florida occurred in the 1930s.”
More than 4,000 people were killed during the deadliest hurricane in 1928, the governor said.
Currently, 16 people have died so far from the hurricane, as reported by CBS News.
The governor noted that hurricanes are part of the state’s history. There might be more “potential for damage” in past years due to the increased size of Florida. However, the state also has better resources and planning that can mitigate damage, the governor said.
President Joe Biden also has praised Florida’s response.
“I know you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well. We thank you for it,” Biden said, recounting his conversation with the governor earlier this week, according to the Washington Examiner.
DeSantis’ response drew praise from several commentators online.
“A perfect response — calm, factual, informative,” Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby wrote on X.
A perfect response — calm, factual, informative. https://t.co/ogbYvPymAe
— Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff_Jacoby) October 11, 2024
“Hear me out: Hurricane Czar,” Daily Wire journalist Virginia Kruta wrote on X.
Hear me out: Hurricane Czar https://t.co/iaA1dqpgq3
— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) October 10, 2024
President Biden has previously suggested climate change might lead to worse weather.
“All that I know is that the intensity of the weather across the board has some impact as a consequence of the warming of the planet and the climate change,” Biden said in 2021, commenting on tornadoes.
