Young environmental activists from across Florida converged on the state Capitol on Thursday, urging lawmakers to take stronger action on climate change and environmental protections.
At a morning rally attended by hundreds from various state groups, demonstrators waved signs with urgent calls: “There is no Planet B,” one read, while another said, “PROTECT OUR STATE PARKS.”
The crowd of mostly college students could have been bigger, as some of them were already speaking to lawmakers about bills they supported, like park and utility user protections, and opposed, like changes to the citizens’ initiative process.
The sign about parks, for example, referred to bipartisan legislation, SB 80 and HB 209, that would ban building golf courses, pickleball courts and hotels on state park land.
“Our future is on the line, and we refuse to let it be sold away piece by piece,” said Maya Shenefelt, a Florida A&M University student who is part of genCLEO, a youth climate advocacy organization. “These parks are meant for conservation, not concrete.”
The group is affiliated with The CLEO Institute, one of the organizers of the event. In an information page, the group laid out its support for the measure — but also noted that it could be “improved” by expanding the protections to state forests and state wildlife management areas.
Other environmental groups have even more suggested modifications that they say will “ensure stronger, long-term protections.”
The bill was filed in response to a state plan to develop at some parks last year. Those efforts were scrapped after public outcry.
Thursday’s Capitol coalition, made up of several hundred people, also voiced support for legislation filed by Democrats, HB 419 and SB 330, that would pause utility disconnections due to nonpayment during severe weather and when the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or below freezing.
And the advocates were firmly opposed to legislation to change Florida’s petition process.
In Florida, citizen-led initiatives that get enough signatures and then state Supreme Court approval can appear on election ballots.
2024 ballot measures to allow recreational marijuana and expand abortion rights in Florida created a lot of controversy and ultimately didn’t get enough votes.
A bill, HB 1205, appeared in a House subcommittee Thursday that Republicans said would prevent petition fraud.
It makes a slew of changes to the process, including requiring petition sponsors post a $1 million bond before collecting signatures.
But some of the young advocates appeared at the meeting and spoke against the bill, accusing supporters of trying to stop ballot measures — like ones for environmental protections.
“You all should be lifting the voices of our people, not sidelining them,“ said Amy Morales, advocacy director for youth civic engagement group Engage Miami, at the meeting. “You all should be making it easier for us to participate in this process, not harder.”
The bill passed the subcommittee but still has a stop to go before the House floor, and there’s a separate Senate proposal.
If you have any questions about the legislative session, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
