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      The Florida Keys are part of a unique ecosystem of mangrove islands, tropical hammocks, coral reefs, and shallow flats. This beautiful region is being destroyed by water pollution and destruction of natural habitats.
    The Florida Keys (Monroe County) have been an Area of Critical State Concern since 1974. Under this designation, the State has oversight of the county's progress on four critical needs: water quality improvement, habitat protection, affordable housing, and hurricane evacuation. In exchange, the county has access to special financial resources to help these improvements.
    In the thirty years since the Keys were designated as a critical area, little significant progress has been made; in fact today the water is more polluted and there is even less habitat than in 1974.
    Now the Florida Legislature is considering bills--HB 1299 and SB 2098–that propose to take away these important state protections. It does so while requiring only minimal safeguards and progress on water quality and habitat protection.  

As a result, without state oversight, even more development will be allowed in the Florida Keys.  Control of growth will be in the hands of a county commission that is notoriously pro-development and hostile to the environment.