Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Florida Government & Politics

Marco Rubio, Brian Mast Get South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act Through Congress

With the entire Florida delegation behind it, the U.S. House passed U.S. Rep. Brian Mast’s, R-Fla., “South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act” this week on a 412-7 vote.

Three Democrats and four Republicans opposed the proposal. Back in March, the U.S. Senate passed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s, R-Fla., companion bill without opposition.

Rubio and Mast have championed the bill in recent years. According to Mast’s office, the proposal amends the “Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act” which cleared Congress in 2018.

“Under the direction of this existing federal law, the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have developed numerous reports over the last two decades researching harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River and nationally; however, there has never been a Florida-specific report. The bill directs the task force to complete an assessment that examines the causes, consequences and potential approaches to reduce harmful algal blooms in the Greater Everglades region, including how ongoing South Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are impacting the distribution of algal blooms. Based on the assessment, the task force then must submit a plan to Congress for reducing, mitigating and controlling harmful algal blooms in the Greater Everglades region,” Mast’s office noted.

Rubio’s bill was co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Mast and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., led the proposal in the House. Other backers in the House include U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Val Demings, D-Fla., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., Bill Posey, R-Fla., Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Michael Waltz, R-Fla.

With the bill now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk, the sponsors of the bill called on him to sign it.

“Harmful algal blooms can sicken Floridians, damage local economies, and destroy our ecosystems,” Rubio said. “This will help our coastal communities prepare for and mitigate the devastating impacts. I urge President Biden to sign this bill into law so we can begin addressing these challenges.”

“The east and west coasts of Florida have been treated like the state’s own personal septic tank for years. Even the federal government has been in on the abuse, manipulating our waterways and flushing toxins into our communities with no regard for public health,” Mast said. “This bill will force the federal government to take responsibility for that harm and develop an action plan to combat toxic algal blooms in our community.”

Author

  • Kevin Derby

    Originally from Jacksonville, Kevin Derby is a contributing writer for Florida Daily and covers politics across Florida.

    View all posts
Share Story Via Text, E-Mail, Facebook or Twitter

Follow Us on Social Media

Archives

Related Stories

Political News

Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio sent a letter to U.S. Department of Human Health Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting the use of...

Political News

Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought high winds, flooding, and damage across Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimates the total crop...

Political News

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and members of the Florida delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting...

Political News

Florida’s U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s...

Florida Government & Politics

As communities across Florida’s Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Helene, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott are meeting with...

Florida News

The Office of the Surgeon General announced a public advisory warning of alarmingly high levels of parental stress. The advisory and the Surgeon General’s accompanying op-ed, offered a...

Florida News

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of...

Healthcare

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) joined fellow Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and 17 of their colleagues in urging Department...