St. Johns Riverkeeper works to keep you informed about issues that affect OUR river. Here are two “bad bills” that we encourage you to take action on now, and, a follow up from the “Protect Our Parks” issue that we shared previously. Our voices matter, and they have been heard!
Bad Boating Bill (Senate Bill 1388/ House Bill 1001)
If passed, Senate Bill 1388/House Bill 1001 entitled “Vessels” could undermine vital safety and environmental protections for boaters and Florida’s waterways. These bills would make it more difficult for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers to conduct safety inspections on boats and to make sure that large vessels are not dumping raw sewage into our waterways. It would also prohibit local governments from regulating areas where motorized vessel traffic is not allowed such as areas where manatees congregate or where seagrass restoration is taking place. Contact our legislators now to tell them to vote NO on Senate Bill 1388/ House Bill 1001.
Tell Your Legislators to Vote No on the Bad Boating Bill
Save Our Wetlands (Senate Bill 492 /House Bill 1175)
Swamps and other wetlands are absolutely integral to clean water. Wetlands filter out pollutants, provide habitat for native wildlife, and absorb water during flood events. Senate Bill 492 / House Bill 1175 will make it easier for developers to destroy these important ecosystems. We need you to contact our legislators to let them know that you oppose this effort to allow the destruction of Florida’s iconic wetlands.
These bills would allow developers to buy credits for wetlands mitigation far from areas impacted and long before restoration is achieved. Rather than restoring wetlands locally and obtaining “credits” becoming harder to come by in densely developed areas, a proposed law would allow the credits to be purchased anywhere in the state. Bankers could also sell credit in wetlands set aside for restoration years before actual restoration occurs. Learn more about the issue from WUSF.
Tell Your Legislators to Vote No to Save Our Wetlands
Good News: Protect Our Parks
Our voices were heard!
House Bill 209, The State Parks Preservation Act, was amended today (4/8/25) by Rep. Snyder, to strengthen protections for our state parks. The bill has now passed the House State Affairs committee and is headed to the House Floor. Stay tuned for future action alerts to get this bill across the finish line!