On the Path to Climate Justice in Florida!

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Dear friends,

Huge news in Florida! On Friday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and Commissioner Nikki Fried granted the youth-led petition for rulemaking that Our Children’s Trust submitted on behalf of over 200 young Floridians in which young people from across the state called on the FDACS to enact a rule the requires “each electric utility that produces or purchases electricity for consumption in the State of Florida” to set and achieve goals to generate 100% of Florida’s electricity from renewable energy by 2050.

This is an enormous victory for climate justice in Florida - all thanks to the leadership and advocacy of Florida’s youth!

Let’s Celebrate This Victory!
Today we are celebrating this big step towards securing a safer climate in Florida, all thanks to the leadership of young people like our four lead youth petitioners: Delaney, Isaac, Levi, and Valholly. We’re also committed to taking the necessary next steps to ensure the FDACS continues to listen to the youth during the rulemaking process and issues as strong a rule as possible.

“The FDACS’s decision to proceed with rulemaking sets the stage for the strongest climate policy the state of Florida has seen for over a decade,” said Andrea Rodgers, one of the Our Children’s Trust attorneys representing the youth petitioners. “For several years, youth in Florida have been calling on their elected officials to stand up and take decisive action and we are glad Commissioner Fried has finally heeded their request. Now the hard work begins to ensure the FDACS listens to the youth during the rulemaking process and issues as bold a rule as is needed to address the climate crisis.”

“This is an incredible victory for the State of Florida and our planet,” said Delaney Reynolds, one of the Florida youth leading the rulemaking effort. “It's the biggest step in the history of Florida's climate battle to increase the use of renewable energy and I want to thank the youth of Florida for their support of our petition. There is an enormous amount of work to be done and I expect those that want to continue to pollute will fight our every step. But, I say on behalf of youth in Florida that we are up to the task and are committed to ensuring that the state of Florida shifts to sustainable energy use so as to lead the world into the future before our fragile state and planet are destroyed forever by our climate change crisis.”

Our Sincere Gratitude
While there is still much work to do, we want to take a moment to thank Commissioner Fried and FDACS for their leadership and commitment to start the process to bring the FDACS in compliance with state law by issuing the Notice of Development of Rulemaking that responds to the youth’s requests to ensure the “phaseout of energy production from non-renewable sources.”

We also need to thank the young people of Florida - all 200+ of them! - who signed onto this petition for rulemaking, as well as our many organizational partners who helped us spread the word on this opportunity to demand climate accountability from the FDACS. The Sunshine State is now looking toward a future of clean, renewable energy thanks to YOU! We look forward to continuing to work with you all as the rulemaking process begins.

Support Our Path Forward!
Thanks to the invaluable support of our community, Our Children's Trust represents and provides support to the Florida youth in these legal proceedings all at no cost to them or their families. Together, we are making huge strides in the Sunshine State, a state where strides toward science-based climate action by government have been few and far between. As we continue to secure a safe climate future for Florida’s youth, please donate today and help us continue to advance this youth-led effort. Let’s keep the pressure on in Florida!

In solidarity,

The Team at Our Children’s Trust

P.S. Don't forget to join us at 3:00pm Pacific / 6:00pm Eastern today when we announce the upcoming trial dates for Held v. State of Montana - the first ever children's climate trial in U.S. history!

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