It was one of the most obscure bills of the legislative session: Banning weather modification in the state and now Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has confirmed he’ll sign it into law.
The bill will make it a third-degree felony to inject chemicals into the atmosphere in an attempt to impact the weather or climate.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Penalties for violations include a fine of up to $100,000 and five years in prison.
Dr. Michael Diamond, an assistant professor of meteorology at Florida State University, explained there are some small-scale companies investigating possible climate mitigation efforts by spraying chemicals into the atmosphere to reflect the sun’s rays, but not in Florida.
Read: Local leaders fighting to protect $147 million federal grant for the Emerald Trail
“It’s a little bit like watching someone spit in the ocean. It’s unseemly, but you’re probably not going to be worried about coastal flooding the next day. It’s just way too small scale,” Diamond said.
Similarly, cloud seeding is a practice that’s been around for many decades, but the practice is mostly conducted in other parts of the country.
Read: Family sues over Florida deputy’s killing of US Airman Roger Fortson
“Something that does exist elsewhere, but not in Florida,” Diamond said.
One of the bill’s biggest sticking points raised during public testimony is it allows people to report alleged weather modification activities to the state.
“Imagine a hypothetical where thousands of people email pictures of clouds to DEP and then the state has obligated itself to go and investigate these pictures of clouds,” Augustus Doricko, CEO of cloud seeding company Rainmaker, said during a March committee hearing.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
But Diamond argued there could be a silver lining.
“I’m personally glad I won’t be on the other side of those phone calls, but if the state uses this as an opportunity for public education, there might be some good that could come of it,” Diamond said.
And while Diamond said he agrees weather modification is something that should be approached with extreme caution, he does worry an outright ban could be a step too far.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“If we want to understand what those consequences might will be, the only way to do that is research. And ideally well regulated research by the state or by public institutions,” Diamond said.
With DeSantis promising to sign the bill, he’ll have seven days to put pen to paper once he receives it from the Legislature.
The ban will then officially take effect on July 1st.
WATCH: Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh explains contrails
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
