Senator, Congresswoman Warn of Property Crisis as Climate Change Grips Florida

Florida and much of the country face a real estate crash unless government officials deal with climate change, members of Congress said at a roundtable discussion Saturday in St. Petersburg.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., chair of the Senate Budget Committee, warned that spiking property insurance costs could wreak havoc with Florida’s vaunted property values and cause a mortgage crisis, according to news reports of the event.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said that days are hotter and don’t cool off at night like they once did.

Whitehouse, Castor and others have toured Florida in an effort to boost discussion of the need for serious action on climate change in coastal states.

The two members of Congress spoke to the press after the roundtable. That can be seen here, on Facebook.