Photo courtesy Florida House: Margaret Good on the House floor with Democratic leaders.

State Rep. Margaret Good, R-Sarasota, today will join some of the Florida’s political heavy hitters on climate change to discuss saving Florida’s environment.

Outside the Florida Energy & Climate Summit in Tampa, she will stand with U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist and Kathy Castor, Agriculture Nikki Fried and other elected officials to address the need to act on energy efficiency. Ahead of the event, she told SRQ DAILY that inaction could produce problems for Gulf Communities like Sarasota.

“We, in Florida, are experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change,” Good said. “Sea level rise means our streets and homes are flooding and ocean warming means our coral reefs are dying.”

The concerns will drive her efforts in the 2020 Legislative Session, which starts in January. Already, lawmakers are filing legislative and meeting in committee in Tallahassee.

Notably, her involvement in the issue comes as she seeks a higher office. Good earlier this year announced she’s running against U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota. It’s an uphill battle; Buchanan in 2018 defeated Democrat David Sahpiro by about 10 percent.

Her participation in the presser this morning, though, shows the role within Democratic politics that she will play on the issue. Fried is the top elected Democrat holding statewide office in Florida, Crist a former Republican Governor-turned-Democratic Congressman. Castor was named by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as chair of a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. So Good’s position beside party leaders on green issues shows a level of confidence in her political potential.

But Good said she’s not just focused on a popular Democratic issue. She worked with Republican colleagues this year to bring red tide research funding to the region and hopes to achieve more this year in the Republican Legislature. Climate change, she said, threatens the tourism and beach economy in the region and the state as a whole.

“Our quality of life and economy depend on Florida increasing renewable energy usage, creating resiliency plans, and reducing harmful emissions,” she said.

Photo courtesy Florida House: Margaret Good on the House floor with Democratic leaders.