Controversial laws that forbid weather manipulation and what conspiracy theorists refer to as chemtrails were signed by Governor Ron DeSantishas.
The Department of Environmental Protection will be required to monitor and look into resident complaints regarding suspected weather manipulation or suspicious behavior under the measure, which is backed by Republican Senator Ileana Garcia.
A monthly report on any aircraft equipped to spread compounds with climate-altering capabilities must be submitted to the Florida Department of Transportation by owners of publicly owned airports starting on October 1. State funds will be withheld from any airport that did not comply.
Garcia stated that she supported researching the degree of current weather modification and that the goal of this measure is to distinguish fact from fantasy. She said that the purpose of the legislation was to increase scrutiny and potentially refute conspiracy theories rather than to support them.
Regulations permitting cloud seeding are also repealed by the law.
Anyone found in violation of the statute faces a five-year imprisonment as a third-degree felony and a fine of $100,000.
This Legislative Session, Democrats criticized the law, claiming it was based on an unreasonable fear.
During the debate earlier this year, Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, stated, “I think it’s important that we don’t legislate under that type of pressure but that we legislate on science, we legislate on fact, we legislate not on fear but on information.” This bill is encouraging conspiracy theories.
After the U.S. Air Force released a paper on weather modification in the late 1990s, conspiracy theories regarding Chemtrails started to circulate.
Garcia claimed that there is proof that weather alteration is a persistent and long-standing practice, which is why her legislation was necessary. She added that residents had called her office to complain about various health issues and unusual weather events.
There aren’t many rules governing our airspace. We put a lot of effort into controlling the quality of our water, and I believe we should do the same with our air quality,” she remarked.
Among the thirteen laws DeSantis signed Friday afternoon was SB 56, which addressed weather modification.
Politics in Florida, Gabrielle Russon
