One of the most ambitious environmental efforts this legislative session is called "Resilient Florida." The pet project of Republican House Speaker Chris Sprowls of Palm Harbor would pump $1 billion into programs designed to combat the effects of climate change.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing to pay for it with part of the $10 billion expected from the latest federal pandemic stimulus plan.
Lester Abberger is president emeritus of 1,000 Friends of Florida, an environmental advocacy group. The group supports the plan.
"It's a new program that provides grants to local governments for land preservation, wastewater treatment, water supply, stormwater management, and emergency response centers and some transportation infrastructure," he said during a legislative update webinar.
Abberger says the stimulus money could save taxpayers from paying that $1 billion back.
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