Radical Leftists Attack Gov. Rick Scott’s Climate Record as Hurricane Michael Bears Down on Florida

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been extremely busy preparing his state and its residents for Category 4 Hurricane Michael, which is slamming into the area on Wednesday, while his opponents are attacking him for being a climate change denier.

Scott, a Republican, is seeking a U.S. Senate seat, making him a target for leftist environmentalists who blame extreme weather on manmade climate change.

The Guardian sought out a Florida Sierra Club director to make the case against Scott: “But as the term-limited governor attempts to become a U.S. senator, scrutiny is again falling upon his record in office and what his opponents claim are policies that support portrayals of him as a climate-change denier.”

“He stands up in front of Floridians, and he says: ‘Time to abandon your homes, you better escape before the hurricane comes,’” Frank Jackalone told the Guardian.

The Sierra Club and other climate change zealots claim that rising sea temperatures contribute to the frequency and strength of major hurricanes.

The Guardian noted that Scott backed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement that would have harmed American workers and businesses.

Scott’s opponents have slammed him for removing mentions of climate change from state documents, which he denies.

Critics have also claimed legislation Scott supported and signed into law last year that allows parents to express opposition to school curriculum is aimed at stopping children from being educated about climate change and evolution.

Jackalone criticized Scott for not doing more to promote renewable energy and electric vehicles.

“Florida is only just getting to 1 percent of our power generation from renewable energy, which means that 99 percent is dirty fuel,” Jackalone told the Guardian.

And the Guardian included a charge against Scott that his investment portfolio, which includes energy stocks, has somehow tarnished his tenure as governor, even though a spokesperson denied the claim in an email to the Associated Press.

“Governor Scott has never made a single decision as governor with any thought or consideration of his personal finances,” Lauren Schenone said in the email. “The governor’s blind trust is managed by an independent financial professional who decides what assets are bought, sold or changed.”

Schenone also sent an email to the Guardian.

“Last year the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had a near-record high compliance rate, which means businesses and facilities are following the law and preventing environmental harm,” Schenone said in the email. “[He] has also invested record amounts in Florida’s environment, including hundreds of millions of dollars to help local communities transition from septic to sewer.”

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