As seas rise, Florida Republicans examine ways to adapt to climate change

Florida lawmakers are interested in addressing climate change. But they’re not setting any sort of renewable energy goals—which is something democrats have proposed in the past. Instead, the Republican-led majority is focusing on making the state more adaptable to rising sea levels.

Florida’s Chief Resilience Officer Julia Nesheiwat is trying to create a statewide strategy for addressing climate change. She recently told a group of business people the state’s primary threat from climate change is sea level rise.

“Our state is surrounded by water, and 80% of our residents live on the coast. We face many resiliency challenges," she said, addressing the Florida Chamber's Transportation and Infrastructure Summit.

Among those challenges—the state’s roads, highways, houses, buildings.