Governor Rick Scott listened to five of the Florida's top climate scientists Tuesday.
The group encouraged the governor to adopted policies to slow the impact of global warming.
The Governor is a skeptical that climate change is caused by humans. When asked about the issue several weeks ago, he said: "I'm not a scientist." That prompted the group of climatologists to request a meeting with the Governor.
At a campaign stop in Brandon Wednesday, the Governor said he was happy to listen.
"I'm very appreciative of this scientists," he said. "They're concerned about our future. They came forward with ideas."
One of the scientists who met with Scott is David Hastings. He's a paleoclimatologist who teaches at Eckerd College.
Hastings said they asked the governor to show leadership in reducing greenhouses gases and to invest in clean energy sources like solar. Hastings expressed frustration that the Governor offered no questions or feedback.
"He certainly listened, and I'm an inherently optimistic person," said Hastings. "But I'm disappointed that he didn't respond or reflect on what we said."
The governor would not say if the scientists changed his mind on the cause of global warming, but he did emphasize the state is spending millions of dollars on protecting the environment.
"We have made investments. We've increased our beach renourishments by 45% over what Charlie Crist did. We've spent $300 million on flood mitigation. We've spent $100 million to protect our reefs. Charlie Crist didn't spend a dime."
Under new EPA rules, the state of Florida must reduce greenhouse gases. That plan must be submitted to the federal agency within two years.