A Republican pollster asked Florida voters about energy. The results surprised him [View all]

Floridians of both political parties are overwhelmingly concerned about the cost of energy in the state and Florida’s heavy reliance on natural gas as a source of electricity, according to a poll by a Republican strategy firm. It also found that environmental issues will factor into voters’ decisions in the 2024 election.

The poll was commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund, which advocates for environmental causes including renewable energy. To conduct the poll, the group hired Spry Strategies, a Tennessee firm whose clients have included Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and the Republican Party of Florida, according to the company’s website.

The April poll of 463 likely general election voters in Florida found that 84% of respondents, including 83% of Republicans, are concerned about Florida’s cost of energy. Twice as many people said their electric bill is higher than last year compared to the portion who said it wasn’t, across all political parties.

When pollsters informed participants that two-thirds of Florida’s electricity comes from burning natural gas that’s largely piped in from out-of-state, 76% of those surveyed, including 67% of Republicans, said that was concerning. A vast majority said they would support further diversification of energy sources.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2024/05/31/florida-desantis-anna-paulina-luna-renewable-energy-climate-change-electric-bill/