How Florida Ties Localities’ Hands on Everything from Environmental Regulation to Worker Protections

“I see it as a freedom issue,” said Raymer Maguire, Director of Campaigns and Policy at The CLEO Institute, a Miami-based organization focused on climate education and advocacy. “Every year, Florida is getting a little less free.”  SB 180 is Florida’s most expansive preemption law, but it is far from the only one. In the past decade, state lawmakers have passed a spate of prohibitions limiting local control over issues such as firearms, LGBTQ issues and, increasingly, environment and climate regulation.

By |2026-09-23T14:59:10-04:0023 September, 2026|2026, CLEO News|0 Comments

How Seattle and Indigenous Leaders Are Uniting for Authentic Climate Action

“It’s about weakening the foundation that informs emergency management, that informs local planning, that informs infrastructure investment, insurance risk assessments, and quite frankly, public communication,” said Arditi-Rocha. “When research slows, the ability to anticipate future risk also slows. I think when you have fewer resources to tell the public to prepare and to prepare for what you know, the bottom line is we have fewer resources to do so effectively and safely.”

By |2026-09-15T11:42:39-04:0015 September, 2026|2026, CLEO News|0 Comments

In a state flood resilience program, some inland communities feel forgotten

“ While Resilient Florida is necessary, it's not sufficient,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, CEO of The CLEO Institute, a nonpartisan, climate-focused nonprofit. Local governments are bringing forward projects to protect critical assets like main roads, hospitals and water treatment facilities. “The state is not keeping pace with the demand,” Arditi-Rocha said.

By |2026-09-08T16:16:28-04:008 September, 2026|2026, CLEO News|0 Comments

Small Landscape Architecture Firms Can Take Action on Climate and Biodiversity

They advocate for climate and biodiversity action by participating in a number of local organizations, including the Marine Resource Council, Tampa Bay Regional Resilience Coalition, and Miami Waterkeeper. They collaborate with climate-minded groups like The CLEO Institute and educational institutions like the Sea Level Solutions Center at Florida International University.

By |2026-06-25T09:51:34-04:0025 June, 2026|2026, CLEO News|0 Comments

After DeSantis signs bill banning local climate efforts, Tampa’s ‘climate action’ plan is in limbo

Susan Glickman, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for CLEO, calls the decision appalling. “To sign a bill on Earth Day feels quite cynical, that he’s thumbing his nose at the local communities that are suffering from extreme weather, and also that are suffering with paying power bills, and affordability is on everyone’s mind, and this went in the exact opposite direction.”

By |2026-06-16T10:26:48-04:0011 May, 2026|2026, CLEO News|0 Comments
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