MIAMI – On March 16, 2021, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Joe Martinez urging the United States Congress to enact S.46, H.R. 160, the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021, or similar legislation reauthorizing the Coral Reef Act of 2000 and establishing the United States Coral Reef Task Force.
Coral reefs are unique ecosystems that play an important role in the environment and economy of the communities where they exist. The Florida Reef Tract is a coral reef system that runs along the coast of South Florida and is a haven of marine biodiversity and a recreational attraction, contributing over $6 billion per year to Florida’s tourism economy. The outbreak of an unknown disease has increasingly harmed the Florida Reef Tract over the past years. On December 23, 2000, the United States Congress enacted the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 to promote coral reef conservation. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 would reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 by taking a more robust and dynamic approach to implementing coral reef conservation policies at the federal level and supporting and coordinating coral reef conservation policies at the state level.
“Coral Reefs are extremely beneficial to our state. They protect our coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities and offer opportunities for recreation such as fishing, diving, and snorkeling,” said Commissioner Martinez. “We need to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems not only for our community and future generations, but for the fish, plants, and animals that inhabit them.”
