What's up with Florida? We all need to be on the same "Climate" Team.

John Kerry had it right when he recently said that "‘We literally do not have the time to waste debating whether we can say 'Climate Change.'" Indeed some news coming out of Florida seems hard to believe.  

First, it appears that Governor Rick Scott and his administration banned government employees from using the words “Climate Change and “Global Warming” in communications.  Whether you approve of these now widely accepted terms or not and whether you think climate change is man-made, this is a ridiculous use of energy to prevent the use of these words.  We simply have better things to do in operating key government departments and to protect the environment.  

Second, Florida has been in the news recently for a fierce debate over solar energy and the right to sell power.  Called the sunshine state, Florida somehow ranks 13th in the nation for solar power largely due to laws that prohibit anyone or any entity from selling power except for utilities.  This means that businesses and homeowners in Florida (and 5 other states with the same laws) with solar panels can not sell their extra power back to the grid at market rates (the ulilities do give a low credit at the end of the year for excess power.)   This also means that power-purchasing agreements (PPAs) are illegal in Florida, where solar companies install panels on roofs without upfront payment and then sell the energy to the customer over time. Extra solar power can also be sold to neighbors, tenants, or companies. An interesting mix of environmental groups and conservative groups have joined forces to gather 700,000 or more signature to place an initiative on the state's 2016 ballot to change the existing anti-solar laws.   

These two stories come out of a state that is most vulnerable to rising sea levels. Hard to believe.  When Miami floods and pretty much sinks, I guess Rick Scott will be worried about the right words to use to describe the situation?