Armando Ibarra: Conservative rally highlights Florida Republicans’ climate leadership

The Miami Young Republicans are pleased to partner with the American Conservation Coalition as well as a number of federal, state, and local elected officials for the first-ever American Conservative Climate Rally at Bayfront Park on Saturday, June 5. This event will highlight the important work Florida Republicans have done to address climate change in a smart, pro-growth way that benefits both our environment as well as our economy.

Climate change is one of the most important issues our generation faces, and Florida Republicans are setting a powerful example for how to lead on climate change without resorting to unnecessary government mandates or regulations that harm our economy. We are doing this by focusing on thoughtful resiliency planning, innovation, and market-based solutions that promote clean energy and address the root causes of climate change.

This year, Gov. Ron DeSantis budgeted more than $700 million in funding for resilient infrastructure projects across the state and House Speaker Chris Sprowls passed the greenest budget in state history.

Here in Miami, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez — one of the many guests who will be speaking at the American Conservation Climate Rally — understands that addressing climate change and making Miami a more attractive place for new technology development and investments are not mutually exclusive goals, but in fact complementary ones. The city recently committed nearly $15 million in grant funds, with hundreds of millions of dollars of other funds in the pipeline, to help pay for resiliency and infrastructure projects that will help mitigate the impact that natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding have on our communities.

In addition, Republicans recognize that Biscayne Bay and the Everglades are natural wonders that drive our tourism economy and our quality of life. We applaud Sen. Ileana Garcia and Rep. Bryan Avila for spearheading legislation to create a Biscayne Bay Commission that will protect the bay and ensure that projects to protect it are funded and implemented.

Investing and expanding our clean energy infrastructure will be a critical economic driver and will also position Florida to remain a leader in resiliency and climate change mitigation. Not only is it the right thing to do to tackle these issues head-on, but doing so through a market-based approach can help attract new businesses, spur innovation, and generate economic growth while allowing us to achieve our sustainability and environmental goals.

Let’s face it — higher temperatures, more frequent and severe weather events, and sea-level rise associated with climate change all have a considerably larger impact on our state than anywhere else in the country. That’s why Florida Republicans are on the forefront of innovative climate solutions — at the local, state, and federal levels.

To that end, Sen. Marco Rubio and the rest of the Florida delegation and Congress should be recognized for their efforts to champion common-sense climate policies in Washington. They should continue to lead the way on this issue by calling for strategic investments in American infrastructure to support and advance clean energy, climate, and resiliency efforts here in the Sunshine State and throughout the nation.

The conservative conservation movement is growing stronger every day as Republicans increasingly take the lead in offering pragmatic, pro-growth solutions that will prepare us for the future. Come see how far we’ve come — and what work there is left to do — at the American Conservation Climate Rally.

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Armando Ibarra is president of the Miami Young Republicans.