Great news! → This week the House of Representatives passed legislation to help restore water quality in Florida and habitats around the country, including combating harmful algal blooms.

Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the National Sea Grant College Program, which is an important partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleges in our community. Over the last few years, the Florida Sea Grant Program has created 5,000 new jobs, supported 700 new businesses and preserved 10,000 acres of coastal habitats.

Additionally, the program has funded a number of critical projects in our own backyard, including:

• Forecasting and preventing harmful algal blooms and red tide
• Restoring oyster beds in the Indian River Lagoon to naturally filter our water
• Deploying artificial reefs across Florida to rehabilitate damaged coral reef ecosystems

The bottom line is that this program provides our top research colleges with the resources they need to improve the health of our environment and boost our economy. This is a big win for our community, and I’m glad we were able to get it done.

Check out this week’s Week In Review video to learn more.

In case you missed it, here are a few other things that happened this week:

• I urged the Army Corps of Engineers to stop Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River now that we have reached the end of wet season.
• Congress passed critical legislation to help veterans living in our community and to protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus-related scams.
• I helped pass legislation to reduce plastic waste and other marine debris, as well as increase the use of recycled material.