Melting DeSantis Statue Unveiled in Florida Climate Protest — SkimNews
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- 350Action and ad agency Uncommon unveiled a life-sized gallium statue of Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee that melted at 85.6°F (29.8°C) — below typical summer highs in Florida's capital — to reveal a skull beneath his face during the protest.
- DeSantis blocked Florida municipalities from cutting planet-heating pollution, stripped terms like 'climate change' and 'greenhouse gas emissions' from state law, and barred state agencies and classrooms from referencing the climate crisis.
- Southern Florida faces acute sea-level-rise threats, and major insurers have exited the state entirely as hurricane damages worsened by warming oceans and atmosphere have become too costly to underwrite.
- Byron Donalds, the heavy favorite to succeed DeSantis as governor in next month's midterms, rejects the link between climate change and human activity despite scientific consensus on fossil fuel emissions.
- DeSantis defended his stance saying Florida is 'restoring sanity in energy' and 'rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots' in a May 2024 post on X, while campaign manager Candice Fortin urged voters to 'deny them back at the ballot box.'
Why it matters: The protest lands weeks before the midterms with GOP frontrunner Byron Donalds echoing DeSantis's climate denial, ensuring policy continuity. Florida homeowners and businesses are already bearing the cost: major insurers have abandoned the state as warming-fueled hurricanes drive losses beyond what's insurable, shrinking coverage options.
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