A life-sized statue of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began melting soon after the climate advocacy group 350 Action installed it in front of a crowd of DeSantis supporters in Tallahassee on Tuesday, October 13.
The transformation of the gallium statue, aptly titled "DENIAL," into a skeletal base highlighted the elected official's longstanding rejection of climate change as Floridians prepare to vote for who will be DeSantis's successor on November 3.
The statue's placard reads, "I am not a global warming person," quoting DeSantis's proclamation during his gubernatorial campaign in 2018, and includes a reference to his 2024 signing of House Bill 1645, an energy law that axed the phrase “climate change” from Florida statutes and ended requirements for state agencies to prioritize climate-friendly facilities, among other rollbacks.
"Just as state legislation used bureaucratic language to erase 'climate change' from public law, we used civic branding to the public to witness climate reality firsthand," a 350 Action spokesperson and organizer told Hyperallergic. "The reaction speaks for itself: you can't deny the physical laws of nature, and you can't argue with the public record."