What's the best way to get a message across a message about rising sea levels? How about by boat?
That's how environmental groups hope to reach U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Sort of.
Rubio has a long track record of inaction when it comes to dealing with climate change, and has been on record as denying humans' role in the phenomenon or deflecting the question by saying he's "not a scientist." He's also said there is no problem in Florida outside his hometown of Miami, where dramatic flooding has become something of a normal occurrence.
His refusal to support any laws to fix the problem (and his condemnation of existing regulations aimed at curbing it) may not go over well among most Floridians who, regardless of party affiliation, acknowledge climate change exists. His position, then, may not be of very much help as he seeks reelection to his seat after a failed presidential candidacy.
Environmental activists hope to take full advantage of that this week, starting Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. with a press conference at his Tampa satellite office on Kennedy Boulevard. They plan on delivering a canoe to the office to signify the impacts of sea-level rise, a key effect of climate change.
The following day, at the Blind Tiger in Ybor, they're also planning a panel discussion on climate change slated to start at 6 p.m..
Then, on Saturday, September 17, the group plans a “Float The Vote” event; essentially a flotilla (similar to this event held months ago) that will take place in downtown Tampa on the Hillsborough River, and will be used to urge voters to support politicians willing to act on climate change; Rubio probably not among them.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2016.