The Kissimmee River has been brought back to life, and wildlife is thriving

> The disrupted hydrology and ecological problems were so glaring that, beginning in the 1990s, the Army Corps and a variety of state, federal, and local partners cooperated to undo the damage. More than 20 years later, at a cost of over $1 billion, the physical restoration of the river is now complete: 40 square miles of wetlands have been reestablished and rehydrated.

But

The state really does seem to take the environment and (ironically) climate change more seriously than other places. At least in the impact sense (yet still 75% natural gas electrical generation, because deregulation).

I guess getting hit by hurricanes and storm surges regularly focuses the mind?

Plus Florida is essentially is a few bits of dry land in a bog (the highest point in the state is 100 meters above sea level), so state management is water and wetlands management.

Republicans have generally been active in the "save the wetlands" movement, as wetlands are necessary for there to be waterfowl and other wildlife for them to hunt. See Ducks Unlimited, with a Florida Republican as CEO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducks_Unlimited

It's a lot easier to ignore climate change, since the impacts are far removed from any single direct action. But here Floridians have over the course of a generation seen a river essentially die, with a clear cause and obvious solution.

Nobody wants to destroy rivers for no gain. Rather, people are willing to destroy the environment when the benefits are evident and the costs are hidden to them (or paid by somebody elsewhere).