{
  "id": 15034694,
  "title": "This Ron DeSantis Statue Can’t Take the Heat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/this-ron-desantis-statue-cant-take-the-heat",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T19:53:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hyperallergic",
    "slug": "hyperallergic",
    "url": "https://hyperallergic.com/this-ron-desantis-statue-cant-take-the-heat/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A life-sized statue of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, titled \"DENIAL,\" began to melt shortly after it was installed outside a gathering of his supporters in Tallahassee on Tuesday, October 13. The transformation into a skeletal base underscored the governor's history of denying climate change as Floridians prepare to choose his successor in the upcoming November 3 election. The statue bore a placard quoting DeSantis from his 2018 gubernatorial campaign: \"I am not a global warming person,\" and noted his 2024 signing of House Bill 1645, an energy law that removed the term \"climate change\" from state statutes and removed requirements for state agencies to prioritize climate-friendly facilities. The statement from 350 Action, the climate advocacy group responsible for the sculpture, read: \"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 reaction, according to the spokesperson, was clear: \"You can't deny the physical laws of nature, and you can't argue with the public record.\"",
  "summary": "The climate group 350 Action’s gallium statue began melting soon after being installed outdoors in Tallahassee on October 13.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}