Three bills, authored by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), that sanction Iran and its enablers, including the Chinese Communist Party, Iranian leaders, and Iran-backed terrorist groups were signed into law. “We have seen the violent acts carried out by the...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has led the charge to stop the Chinese Communist Party from using TikTok against the U.S. Rubio first spoke on the issue in 2019. Rubio released the following statement after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that forces the...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor explaining why he opposes spending $95 billion on foreign aid while the Biden Administration leaves America’s southern border wide open. “I have senior citizens, I have veterans, and they call my...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement regarding the U.S. State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: “The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report is a crucial instrument in exposing human rights violations...
Building a Pro-America Future in our Hemisphere U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) April 23, 2024 National Interest …Noboa, Bukele, Milei, Peña—add to this list Luis Abinader in the Dominican Republic, Dina Boluarte in Peru, Irfaan Ali in Guyana, and Rodrigo Chaves in...
In 2019, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) called for a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of TikTok. Almost five years and dozens of documented abuses later, a bill to force China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok is poised to become...
We have the resources to save Florida’s dying coral reefs. Now, we just need the will.
By U.S. Senator Marco Rubio & Dr. Michael P. Crosby
September 6, 2018
Florida’s coral reef system is the third-largest living reef on the planet and the only barrier reef system in the continental United States. It supports more than 70,000 local jobs, draws $6.3 billion into Florida’s economy and buffers our coasts from wave energy and storm surge in our hurricane prone region. The fact that our reefs, despite their severely diminished condition, are capable of providing Floridians so many benefits is a testament to their importance and an indication of the enormous value restored reefs could deliver.
While much of the attention on Florida environmental issues — including our own — has rightly been focused on harmful algal blooms, an ecological catastrophe has also been unfolding on our reefs. During the last four decades, Florida’s indigenous corals have declined in some areas by more than 90 percent, with some species losing more than 97 percent of their populations.
Today, Florida’s coral reefs are experiencing a devastating, multiyear outbreak of a new, unidentified coral disease. Evidence suggests the disease may be transmitted by touch and carried by water currents, making it difficult to contain. While some have shown resistance, the vast majority of corals coming into contact with the disease, including some that may have taken hundreds of years to grow, die in as little as a month.
Corals growing in good water quality conditions typically are more resistant to disease. And it was recognized decades ago that to save the Florida reef tract, drastic action to improve water quality was required. Critical efforts currently are under way to restore the Everglades to enhance freshwater flows and salinity levels in Florida and Biscayne Bays, complete the Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement Program, and reduce wastewater discharges through ocean outfalls. These infrastructure projects will all augment nearshore water quality and habitat for reef species.
Despite continued progress on water quality, however, it is likely that our devastated coral populations will be unable to execute a quick, natural recovery of the reef. That means conservation strategies alone cannot solve this dilemma. A bold restoration program to actively assist the recovery of this ecosystem is essential, and we are closer than ever to amassing the scientific knowledge, technological tools and public investment and support needed to make reef restoration a reality.