Florida State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani talks about her fierce environmental advocacy in the face of long odds in Florida

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a young rising star in Florida’s Democratic Party and an outspoken advocate of better environmental policies, talks about her optimism despite her party being mostly locked out of power in Florida’s government. Her fierce criticism of Tallahassee’s catering to special interest groups at the expense of voters and everyday people has helped her make a name for herself across the state. She talks about the influence of corporations like Florida Power and Light and Mosaic mining, and what people can do to change things. She says FPL’s efforts to undermine roof-top solar energy in Florida was a classic example of a corporation undermining not only efforts to stop climate change, but also other smaller businesses that are providing thousands of jobs by installing panels on roofs. Hearing Rep. Eskamani, one gets the sense that environmentalism in Florida is in the process of being wrested back from the clutches of partisan politics, because although her views are progressive, many of the things she says in this interview would strike a cord with people of any party in the state. We all love our waters, our beaches, our springs, our air, our forests. Those are not partisan passions or loves. Those are things we all love as Floridians.