Credit: Inside The MagicThis week, large portions of Northern Florida saw snow. Not just some snow, but massive amounts of snow fell in some places.
Some parts of Northern Florida saw up to 10 inches of snow, breaking a 130-year-old record by nearly six inches. However, with that much snow, the state was paralyzed for days without having the proper equipment to deal with it.
The snow wasn’t just an isolated event; it has become part of a larger pattern of weather affecting the state for decades. This year, two significant hurricanes struck the state, including Hurricane Milton, which shut down the Walt Disney World Resort for a day.
Even before hurricane season this year, Central Florida experienced a dramatic heat wave, with “feels like” temperatures routinely over 100 degrees and some days over 110. According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the dramatic heat was part of why Disney World saw such small crowds this summer.
This has led some in the scientific community to say that Florida has become “ground zero” for climate change, and it’s only going to get worse. Those words are not coming from some leftist think tank or Greenpeace; it’s coming from the government of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Yes, that Ron DeSantis. The DeSantis administration passed laws forbidding the term from being used in government documents or taught in schools. Now, the DeSantis administration is putting money in its budget to help combat the effects of climate change and flooding on the state and keep its lucrative tourism business rolling.
According to Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is seeking an additional $200 million from the state legislature for a plan it calls “Resilient Florida.” The plan would help finance flood control projects and other work to protect the state from climate change.
This dramatic change will directly impact the Walt Disney World Resort. While it won’t make the temperature cooler in the summer, it could help alleviate some of the effects of hurricanes and these dramatic temperature shifts.
With Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort planning on dumping billions into the state over the next decade, they must know Florida is taking climate change seriously and is starting to develop a plan to address it. Better late than never, but we can all now welcome Florida to the party.