Melting gallium DeSantis statue protests Florida climate denial

MS NOW posted a YouTube video titled “DeSantis’ climate change denial just hit its melting point”.

The channel’s description says Rachel Maddow explains the message behind “Denial,” a gallium statue of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis designed to melt in the sun. “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ climate policy meets the Florida heat,” the description states.

Climate non-profit 350Action said it produced the life-size statue with Art Collective Uncommon and M ss ng p eces and unveiled it Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in Tallahassee. The group said the figure was made with 3D scanning and printing before casting in solid gallium, a metal that melts at 85.6°F (29.8°C). Hyperallergic reporter Anna Lee wrote on October 16 that the statue began melting shortly after installation in front of a crowd of DeSantis supporters and onlookers. Lee reported it transformed into a skeletal base in the outdoor heat.

The statue’s placard quotes DeSantis’s 2018 campaign line “I am not a global warming person,” according to Lee. The work references his 2024 signing of HB 1645, which struck “climate change” from Florida state law. 350Action materials and Lee’s report state the bill banned offshore wind, scrapped clean energy goals, cut emissions grants and eased gas pipeline construction. Florida spent more than $1 billion responding to floods, storms and heat, the group said. DeSantis is term-limited after eight years as governor and leaves office in January 2027. The election to choose his successor is set for November 3.

Candice Fortin, 350Action campaign manager, said in the group’s release: “The climate crisis is one of the top issues facing our planet today. And yet, some candidates running for office still deny it’s happening, and deny the bold climate action that the people want.” She added: “That’s why it’s more important than ever to deny them back at the ballot box. If everyone who cares about people and our planet makes their voices heard on Election Day, we’ll be too loud to deny.”

A 350 Action spokesperson and organizer told Hyperallergic: “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.” The spokesperson said “the reaction speaks for itself: you can't deny the physical laws of nature, and you can't argue with the public record.”