Florida’s $1 billion climate resilience program survives budget cuts despite governor’s anti-climate stance

While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pursues aggressive budget cuts and targets local climate programs as “irresponsible spending,” the state’s flagship climate adaptation initiative remains not only untouched but strengthened. The Resilient Florida program, which has distributed over $1 billion since 2019 to protect communities from flooding and sea-level rise, recently secured permanent funding and expanded resources—even as DeSantis’s state-level “Department of Government Efficiency” criticizes other climate efforts.

The contradiction is striking: DeSantis’s cost-cutting task force has targeted everything from electric vehicle purchases to sustainability officers, citing disputed federal reports that downplay extreme weather risks. Yet the governor has simultaneously maintained robust funding for Resilient Florida, which explicitly acknowledges climate threats and has become one of America’s most comprehensive state-level adaptation programs. The initiative now draws $150 million annually from gaming revenue and no longer faces expiration dates.

The program’s durability reflects economic reality over political rhetoric. Resilient Florida has funded critical infrastructure projects from living shorelines at military bases to storm drainage systems in flood-prone areas. Local governments must match state grants dollar-for-dollar, creating broad political support. Republican State Representative Jim Mooney of the Florida Keys, a program champion, calls it smart spending that leverages property tax dollars effectively.

As other states scale back climate adaptation efforts and the Trump administration pauses federal resilience programs, Florida’s approach highlights how economic necessity can override political positioning. The state’s tourism-dependent coastal economy simply cannot afford to abandon climate resilience, regardless of ideological preferences about climate science.