California's wildfire disasters have dominated headlines for years as flames consumed homes and communities across the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom keeps showing up in Washington, D.C. with his hand out demanding more federal bailout money.
But Florida's $100M wildfire investment just exposed California's billion-dollar failure.
Florida warns of record fire season after proactive investments pay off
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson issued a stark warning last week that the state faces its most dangerous wildfire season in recent memory.
The numbers back him up — Florida has already seen more than 3,100 fires in 2025 compared to roughly 2,000 the previous year.¹
But here's what makes Florida different from California's ongoing nightmare.
Despite battling 50% more fires this year, Florida only lost two homes in 2024.²
Let that sink in — 3,100 wildfires and just two homes destroyed.
California burned thousands of structures and then came begging for billions in federal aid.
The difference isn't luck or geography.
Florida made a conscious decision after the devastating 1998 fires that burned 500,000 acres and damaged more than 300 homes.
https://twitter.com/WiltonSimpson/status/2002063969125544376?s=20
"Everyone is concerned about California right now. What people don't understand, in '98, this was California," Florida Forest Service Mitigation Specialist David Grubich explained.³
The state legislature pumped $100 million into wildfire management equipment over the last three years.⁴
They purchased nearly 100 new specialized dozers with tracks designed for swampy terrain.
The average age of Florida's dozer fleet dropped from 19 years old to 14 years old.
Florida's helicopter fleet grew to 10 state-owned aircraft after ditching unreliable Vietnam-era federal surplus models.
They even deployed drone systems that fly in weather conditions that ground traditional planes.
But the equipment is only part of the story.
The prescribed burn program California refuses to copy
Florida became the undisputed national leader in prescribed burns — intentionally set fires that clear dangerous fuel buildup before catastrophic wildfires can spread.
The state burns approximately 2 million acres every year.⁵
That's more than all Western states combined until very recently.
Florida passed liability protection for trained "burn bosses" way back in 1990 — a full 32 years before California finally copied the policy.⁶
The prescribed fire program works because it mimics nature.
Lightning strikes historically ignited regular fires that prevented the buildup of dead vegetation, fallen trees, and thick brush.
Without those periodic fires, forests become tinderboxes waiting for a spark.
Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan put it bluntly when he called this winter "the driest winter that I can remember in quite a while."⁷
Yet even with drought conditions and record fire counts, Florida's proactive management prevents disasters.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2003088395120070945?s=20
"You're not hearing about us burning a bunch of homes down in the state from wildfires like you see in other areas of the country, and that's by design," Dolan said.⁸
Teams have spent millions cutting fire lines around critical infrastructure including hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.
The state treats roughly 2 million acres annually with prescribed burns.
Compare that approach to California's reactive strategy of asking for federal bailouts after letting their forests become overgrown disaster zones.
Rick Scott demands California show receipts before getting more cash
Florida Senator Rick Scott isn't letting California Democrats get away with their wildfire mismanagement.
Scott and Senator Ron Johnson are leading a congressional investigation into California's response to the January 2025 Palisades Fire.
The probe centers on a simple question — what did California do with the billions in federal wildfire funding they've already received?
"As Governor Newsom makes his pitch in D.C. for more federal tax dollars, I encourage him to publicly share exactly how the state has used the billions in tax dollars it has already received," Scott stated.⁹
Scott held a field hearing in California titled "Forgotten After the Flames" where survivors described bureaucratic nightmares preventing them from rebuilding months after the fires.
"We've heard from survivors of the devastation who lost their homes and livelihoods, and from the families of those who lost their lives," Scott said. "According to these victims' testimonies, California has not spent these federal dollars wisely or effectively."¹⁰
https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1997422781315641463?s=20
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
Florida invested $100 million in equipment and executed the nation's most aggressive prescribed burn program.
California spent billions in federal aid with little to show for it except more devastation and more requests for bailout money.
Scott sent letters to multiple federal agencies demanding a full accounting of wildfire funding sent to California over the past decade.
He wants to know exactly how much money the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Interior provided.
More importantly, he wants proof California used those funds for actual wildfire prevention instead of wasting them on bureaucracy.
The timing of Newsom's latest funding request makes Scott's investigation even more significant.
Newsom showed up in Washington right as Scott was exposing California's failures to properly manage previous federal aid.
Florida proves that smart management prevents catastrophic wildfires.
The state conducts year-round prescribed burns, maintains modern equipment, and cuts fire lines around critical infrastructure.
Meanwhile California lets forests become overgrown disasters, watches them burn, then demands federal taxpayers bail them out.
Voters see through the scam.
Conservative governance focuses on prevention and preparedness.
Democrat governance creates crises then begs for bailouts.
Florida's wildfire success exposes California's billion-dollar failure for exactly what it is — government incompetence subsidized by hardworking Americans across the country.
¹ Michelle Vecerina, "Florida officials warn of increasing wildfire risk amid dry winter forecast," Florida News, December 19, 2025.
² Evan Axelbank, "Florida Agriculture Commissioner urges caution as a risky fire season looms," FOX 13 News, December 19, 2025.
³ "Florida's prescribed burn program born after the devastating '98 wildfires," My News 13, January 13, 2025.
⁴ Vecerina, "Florida officials warn of increasing wildfire risk."
⁵ "Florida Forest Service warns about wildfires in 'driest winter' in recent memory," NBC Miami, December 21, 2025.
⁶ "Wildfire response: How Florida became a leader in prescribed burns," Christian Science Monitor, May 17, 2022.
⁷ "Florida Forest Service warns about wildfires," NBC Miami.
⁸ Vecerina, "Florida officials warn of increasing wildfire risk."
⁹ "As Sen. Rick Scott Leads Congressional Investigation into California's Response to Palisades Wildfire and Use of Tax Dollars, Gov. Newsom Visits DC Asking for More," Rick Scott Senate Office, December 3, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
