A Republican pollster asked Florida voters about energy. The results surprised him

Floridians of both political parties are overwhelmingly concerned about the state’s energy costs and Florida’s heavy reliance on natural gas for electricity, according to a poll by a Republican strategy firm. It was also agreed that environmental issues will be taken into account in voters’ decisions in the 2024 elections.

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

The April poll of 463 likely Florida general voters found that 84% of respondents, including 83% of Republicans, were concerned about energy costs in Florida. Across all political parties, twice as many people said their electricity bills were higher than last year compared to those who said they were not.

When pollsters told participants that two-thirds of Florida’s electricity comes from burning natural gas supplied mostly from out of state, 76% of respondents, including 67% of Republicans, said this was concerning. The vast majority said they would support further diversification of energy sources.

Ryan Burrell, president of Spry Strategies, said he was “pretty surprised” by the findings.

“As a red state, Florida’s Republican base is more environmentally conscious than probably any other red state in the country,” he wrote in a summary report, attributing it to the state’s abundant natural resources and dependence on tourism. “The survey results surprised me as a Republican pollster and a conservative because of the broad awareness among Floridians of issues that go beyond marine, water and wildlife conservation.”

Burrell said one of the more unexpected answers came from a question about the strength of the hurricane. The question was: “Are you concerned about the costs of increased storm severity due to climate change, including higher property taxes and flood insurance rates?”

Most Republicans said yes. Burrell said that typically when polling in red states, less than half of Republicans believe the increased intensity of storms is due to climate change.

New research suggests that hurricanes are getting stronger in a warming world, and severe intensification – when maximum wind speeds increase by 55 miles per hour in a single day – is expected to happen more often as the climate changes. But nationwide, a minority of Republicans — 36 percent — say climate change is affecting their community, according to a Pew poll conducted last year.

“One thing you want to do as an interviewer is dig deeper into this issue,” Burrell said in an interview. “There is no doubt that this is a big enough surprise that it is worth understanding more deeply.”

Dawn Shirreffs, director of the Florida Environmental Defense Fund, said her group hired the Republican firm because of the GOP advantage in the state legislature.

“We really wanted to make sure we were providing information that would be perceived as credible by policymakers,” she said. Her group plans to disseminate the survey results to both lawmakers and state utility regulators, which she says is especially important as House Bill 1645 becomes law.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recently signed bill, which removed most mentions of climate change from state law and banned the use of offshore wind turbines in state waters, also relaxed some regulations on natural gas pipelines and storage facilities. Florida’s dependence on this fuel source has led to skyrocketing electricity bills in recent years as residents have been hit hard by historic spikes in natural gas prices.

Shirreffs said she has noticed an increase in “misinformation” from the fossil fuel industry, including articles about the law that Shirreffs said are intended to “convince people that fossil fuels should continue to dominate in Florida.”

National polls have shown that while most Americans support the expansion of solar and wind energy, Republican support has declined in recent years as gaps begin to form between the parties.

“I think there has been a broad effort to politicize the climate and the need to change energy policy,” Shirreffs said. Meanwhile, she received messages from Floridians who were taking less than prescribed medications to save money when their electricity bills were high. “We help people understand that this is not theoretical. It affects their quality of life.”

Dale Calhoun, executive director of the Florida Natural Gas Association, said in an email that these are other states whose energy policies have become politicized, causing “high prices and rolling blackouts.”

“Here in Florida, our diverse energy portfolio enables families and businesses to have access to safe, reliable and affordable energy, and natural gas is an important part of that,” he said. “Especially as we enter hurricane season, Floridians rely on natural gas as a reliable fuel source to help with emergency response, power generators, keep hospitals open and maintain air conditioning in nursing homes.”

As for the poll results, Shirreffs believes Florida Republicans stand out because they have felt the effects of climate change first-hand, such as warmer summers and stronger hurricanes.

“I think there comes a point where people’s personal experiences become more important than partisan discussions,” she said. “The moment seems to have arrived.”