DeSantis Gone Woke? FL Gov. Spends Nearly $70 Million on Green Dream Buses

Governor Ron DeSantis ordered the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to put aside $68 million for 227 electric buses. That’s nearly $300,000 per bus.

DeSantis called the measure a way to lower the state’s emissions which will help Florida’s air quality.

“This funding will help lower emissions while also bringing our transit bus fleets to more modern standards. This is a win-win for air quality and advancing the state’s efforts to bolster growing electric vehicle usage,” the Florida Governor said in a statement.

The funding comes after the state received $166 million from automobile maker Volkswagen’s federal settlement case in 2015.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Volkswagen companies made sure their diesel-operated vehicles could pass federal emissions tests by putting software in them to rig the system.

The 227 buses will replace diesel-operated buses in 13 of the state’s most urban areas.

Conservatives across social media have criticized DeSantis over his climate change agenda.

“Trump 2024[.] Sorry DeSantis Bros but pushing the Climate Crisis Hoax is unacceptable,” one Twitter user commented.

“A total waste of money on a non-existent problem! Once EVs are manufactured to travel for as long as and be as reliable as gas-powered cars, maybe this kind of spending would be reasonable. But for now, stick to CNG and diesel,” another user added.

Despite DeSantis charading as being against climate change policy last week by banning ESG “agenda” from playing a role in state pension investments, the governor’s recent move has invigorated climate change enthusiasts.

The Governor had knocked corporate power which shoves the climate change agenda at the expense of the American people: “Corporate power has increasingly been utilized to impose an ideological agenda on the American people through the perversion of financial investment priorities under the euphemistic banners of environmental, social, and corporate governance and diversity, inclusion, and equity.”

“Jackson, WY.”

Not just Jackson, WY. An electric bus in Germany caught fire and the nearby 8 other buses caught fire as well.

In Paris 2 electric buses caught fire on the same day while in service.

An electric bus has one third the range of a regular bus and they’re at least 3 times as expensive, in other words, 9 times as expensive.

It’s only a matter of time before an electric bus detonates or catches fire with passengers aboard.

If one is so concerned with urban air polution then use natural gas powered buses.

“ I think it’s good that he’s distancing himself from Trump and his environmentally destructive policies.

(my imitation of a NeverTrumper)”

Except Trump embraced ethanol mandates and recently criticized DeSantis for not supporting the ethanol industry. Putting food in gasoline makes less sense than electric buses. An argument could be made that DeSantis is to the right of Trump on environmental issues.

Yes, good point about the life of batteries. Overhead wires and bus pantographs didn’t have that problem. I recall the faint odor of ozone from the arcing wires, too.

The maintenance cost of diesel buses must be through the roof. Hopefully it’s a lot lower for battery buses.

When the battery buses catch on fire, how do you find a dunk tank big enough to submerge the entire bus?

The funding comes after the state received $166 million from automobile maker Volkswagen’s federal settlement case in 2015.

So is Florida the only state which received monies from the VW settlement? The article doesn't say. Or if it did, I missed it.

I also stayed in SF once during the late '60's and remember those pantograph buses. They were truly amazing and no one ever questioned the source of the electricity they ran on. That was another era for sure, 55 years ago. How things have changed.

We have NG buses and solid waste contractors who have fleets of automated but not driverless sanitation trucks which run on NG in Tampa already.

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Climate change enthusiasts supported DeSantis' purchase which he claims will help fix Florida's 'air quality'

Florida’s Republican Governor recently appeased climate change activists and Green New Deal supporters by spending nearly $70 million dollars on electric transportation.