By Yoca Arditi-Rocha, The CLEO Institute
Floridians do not need yet another political fight. We need lower bills, safer homes and a future our children can afford. In Florida, climate change is not a theory. It is a monthly expense.
That is why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding should concern every resident of our state. This finding states a simple truth: Climate pollution threatens our health and well-being. It is the scientific backbone that allows the federal government to limit pollution from cars, trucks and power plants.
If it is repealed, the government loses one of its strongest tools to reduce the pollution driving stronger hurricanes, extreme heat and rising costs.
You can already feel it.
Is your power bill higher than it used to be?
Has your insurance gone up?
Even your morning coffee costs more than it did last year.
At The CLEO Institute, we hear these concerns directly from communities across Florida. Parents worry about heat in classrooms and on playing fields. Small business owners worry about whether they can reopen after the next storm. Young people ask whether they will be able to afford to stay in the state they love or build a stable future here as conditions grow more uncertain.
This goes beyond a debate for lawyers and politicians. It is not. It is a kitchen table issue in Florida and around the country. Last year alone, extreme weather caused more than $115 billion in damage in the United States. In 2024, the country experienced 27 separate billion-dollar disasters, totaling roughly $183 billion, up from nearly $93 billion the year before.
Those losses do not disappear. They are billed to us.
Insurance: Homeowners across Florida are facing skyrocketing premiums or being dropped altogether. Insurers openly cite climate risk as the reason. As storms intensify and flooding and storm surge become more common, losses rise and costs follow. Weakening the endangerment finding would only add risk and pressure to family budgets statewide.
Utility bills: Florida relies heavily on methane gas for power. Gas prices rise and fall with global markets, not with what families can afford. Without strong federal limits on climate pollution, utilities face less pressure to shift to cleaner, more affordable and less volatile energy sources. Families remain locked into a system where they absorb the risk and the cost.
Health: In Florida, extreme heat is not abstract. Seniors and children struggle to breathe. Asthma worsens with polluted air. Outdoor workers face dangerous conditions every day. The endangerment finding recognizes these harms. Repealing it ignores that reality and leaves people more exposed to harm.
Environment: Floridians already know what weak environmental oversight looks like. Algae blooms choke our waterways. Red tide shuts down beaches and coastal communities. Oil spills leave lasting economic damage. Strong environmental protections are not a luxury here. In Florida, the environment is the economy.
The endangerment finding has been in place for more than 15 years, across administrations from both parties. It is settled law. It provides the legal backbone for cleaner cars, cleaner power and cleaner air.
Florida is often called ground zero for climate impacts. Preparation matters. Resilience matters. But without reducing the pollution that fuels stronger storms, we will always be chasing the damage instead of preventing it.
This is not a debate about ideology. It is a choice between higher costs and greater risk, or a safer future. Repealing the endangerment finding weakens protections at the moment we need them most. Our families deserve policies that protect their homes, their health and their ability to make ends meet.
We deserve leadership that understands clean air, clean water and clean energy are not partisan ideals. They are safeguards people rely on every day. They are measured in insurance bills, emergency room visits, power outages, storm repairs and lives disrupted.
If the EPA walks away from science to protect polluters, they are not cutting red tape. They are cutting protections and handing Florida families the bill.
Yoca Arditi-Rocha is CEO of The CLEO Institute, a nonprofit advancing climate literacy, clean energy and community resilience across Florida and beyond. Banner photo: Pollution is released from a smokestack (iStock image).
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This article highlights an important reality — climate challenges today are no longer just environmental concerns but also financial and lifestyle challenges for families. Rising insurance costs, healthcare pressures, and unpredictable expenses directly impact household stability, especially for families managing responsibilities across borders.
At Mypursu, we often see how financial uncertainty affects NRIs trying to support their loved ones back home. Situations like extreme weather, health risks, or sudden cost increases make reliable financial planning and secure support systems more important than ever.
Conversations around sustainability, resilience, and long-term financial security need to go hand in hand. Awareness and preparedness can help families navigate uncertainty while protecting both their finances and well-being.