Kelly Hayes
President Donald Trump will be coming to Jupiter, Florida on Tuesday to discuss his administration’s environmental protection efforts in the Florida Everglades.
Trump is expected to address his budget proposal to fund Everglade restoration — the proposed 2021 budget allocates $250 million in annual funding for restoration and infrastructure projects in the Southwest Florida ecosystem.
Plans included in the proposal look at regional water storage capacity, reducing harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee and tackling the issue of blue-green algae and red tide.
However, Florida Democrats are not so keen on the proposed plans, saying the proposed budget would hinder efforts to address one of the Everglades’ greatest threats: the climate crisis.
Not once in Trump’s 138-page main budget document did the word “climate” appear.
Democrats also cite Trump’s proposed cuts to agencies responsible for addressing the climate crisis, including cutting the EPA’s budget by a quarter and its workforce by 11%.
“If Donald Trump wants to talk about his record on the environment, let’s talk,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo in a news release. “For the fourth year in a row, Trump has proposed decimating funding for federal agencies that are responsible for addressing the climate crisis and preventing pollution from dirtying our air and water — issues that are fundamental to Florida’s prosperity.”
The Florida Everglades face a major threat from climate change, from sea-level rise to wildfires. Democrats are questioning Trump’s motives, worried he is trying to spin his poor environmental record.
“After three and a half years of Trump prioritizing corporate polluters over Florida’s public health and natural resources, the Trump campaign is trying to gaslight Florida voters who prize our environment as essential to our well-being, economy, and way of life,” Rizzio said, giving a nod at Biden. “Floridians won’t be fooled by a photo-op. We know that Joe Biden is the only candidate who will do more than talk about our environment — he’ll take action to protect it while creating good-paying jobs.”
8 comments
Sonja Fitch
September 5, 2020 at 3:43 pm
The folks in Jupiter Florida know trump is a paranoid delusional racist sexist liar traitor! Vote Blue!
Ocean Joe
September 5, 2020 at 4:14 pm
Trump’s public claim that climate change is a hoax was not enough.
His tariff games with China, caused them to seek alternate sources for soy beans and Brazil has obliged, clearing and burning vast areas of the Amazon rain forest, the most important source of oxygen replenishment on the planet.
The meeting will be packed with sugar lords and developers and Trump will claim he has been the best president on the environment since Teddy Roosevelt.
S.B. ANTHONY
September 5, 2020 at 5:57 pm
Rizzo is right on the money! The Swindler-in-Chief thinks people are so stupid that, just because
he takes the photo op du jour, people will believe that he cares. He doesn’t give
a rat’s ass about the Everglades or the environment. If it were up to him, he’d let developers
build out the Glades until the last blade of grass and drop of water were gone and then sell
them naming rights.
James Robert Miles
September 5, 2020 at 7:19 pm
The liar in chief is making fun of Biden for wearing a face mask. What an idiot! He never stops proving that he is a moron along with his moronic followers! Heaven help us all! Bet that he doesn’t even know what the environment is!
PeterH
September 6, 2020 at 10:41 pm
I thought that the DeSantis – Atlas meeting last week was absurd ….. now we have Trump flying down to discuss his $10 million federal contribution to Florida’s climate change issues?!?! This is a joke ….. isn’t it?
Palmer Tom
September 6, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Will our so-called “environmental” governor share the stage?
Andrew McMillan
September 7, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Have you noticed the Pres. of the USA is coming to our little town of Jupiter and not one new source mentions where, when, and at what time?
Is that journalism? Go Trump despite all the oppressing press.
Sarah
September 8, 2020 at 7:12 pm
Andrew, I am a Republican but I really hate Trump. I do agree with you here. Everyone should have reported what time etc.
Sarah
Comments are closed.