DeSantis names sponsor of bill striking 'climate change' from Florida law to utility board [View all]

[Zorro]

Former state Rep. Bobby Payne has said that initiatives combatting climate change are “unfitting for our country.”

A former state lawmaker and utility official will soon be on the Florida board that regulates utilities and decides how much they can charge residents for electricity.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his appointment of ex-state Rep. Bobby Payne, a Republican from Palatka, to the five-member state utility board earlier this year. His appointment will take effect in January, though he must be confirmed by the Florida Senate to keep the job.

Payne sponsored a 2024 bill that deleted the majority of mentions of “climate change” from state law, which drew national headlines. That proposal, which was signed into law by DeSantis, overhauled state energy policy to focus less on the reduction of greenhouse gases, which contribute to the warming of the planet. It also prohibited offshore wind turbines in state waters, relaxed regulations on natural gas pipelines and reduced local government control over the location of natural gas storage facilities.

As a result of that law, state officials repealed aspirational clean energy goals that called for 100% of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2050.

Payne previously worked for four decades in the electric industry, according to the governor’s office, including in multiple leadership roles at Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/12/15/florida-utility-fpl-electric-power-bill-climate-change-desantis/

Climate change isn't real if we just keep denying it...