TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Some call it a conspiracy theory, others see it as a legitimate concern.
Regardless of the perspective, Florida lawmakers took a significant step toward banning weather manipulation on Thursday. The legislation to make it happen cleared the Florida Senate.
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The controversy began last year between Hurricanes Helene and Milton, when GOP firebrand and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) made waves with a viral post claiming that the federal government was controlling the weather.
The post sparked conspiracy theories alleging that the White House was attempting to influence the 2024 election. While the theory was quickly dismissed by politicians from both sides of the aisle, it laid the groundwork for a piece of legislation introduced a month later by Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia.
The bill, SB 56, seeks to ban weather modification in the state.
“This is about protecting Florida's environment and public health,” said Garcia, a Republican from Miami. “With no federal guidelines in place, Florida must take responsibility for its own airspace.”
If passed, Garcia's bill would make it illegal to release chemicals, substances, or use any device to manipulate temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight.
Violators would face third-degree felony charges, with enforcement handled by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which would also operate a hotline for the public to report suspicious activities.
“What I don't want is for a loophole to continue to grow,” said Garcia. “And that we have something as powerful as weather and weather modification to be weaponized.”
While controversial, weather modification techniques, like cloud seeding, are used in various parts of the world to influence rainfall. For instance, scientists often use silver iodide to encourage rain in areas suffering from drought.
CNN recently reported that one hydro-electric power company had seen a 300% return on investment through cloud seeding, which provided enough water to generate power for 60,000 homes.
Supporters of the ban argue that there is simply not enough scientific evidence to justify allowing weather modification in Florida. They prefer to wait until more is known before permitting such practices in the state.
"Whether you believe this is a big deal or not a big deal, the best thing about this bill is that, after it’s implemented, you will know," said State Senator Tom Leek (R-St. Augustine), a key supporter of the legislation.
Governor Ron DeSantis has also expressed support for the bill but recently took to social media to criticize a more moderate version of the legislation proposed in the Florida House.
“They would actually codify the practice of geoengineering and weather modification,” DeSantis said in the online video. “People got a lot of kooky ideas — that they can put things in the air and block the sun to prevent climate change. We’re not playing that game in Florida.”
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Opponents, however, raise concerns about the pace of the legislation. Senator Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) is one of those wary of the bill.
“I’m afraid that we're legislating on some of these tin foil theories, as you described…”Polsky said.
The Democrat told us lawmakers were moving too fast. She suggested they study the issue more before approving a ban with stiff criminal penalties.
“I’m not, you know, denying that there might be something going on,” said Polsky. “It's just we have to have the right methodology to take care of it and, you know, that's what we do in state government. It's not right for us to just slap on fines or penalties on folks if we don't really know what we're doing.”
With the legislation clear of the Senate, it is headed to the House for consideration before potentially reaching Gov. DeSantis’ desk. The two bills will have to be reconciled for that to happen. With only about 30 days remaining in the legislative session, time is running short to find common ground.
