Recognizing National Estuaries Week

Our communities are truly blessed with one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. The Everglades and our coastal estuaries, such as the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, provide both environmental and economic benefits, and we all must do our part to keep them clean.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), estuaries play a huge role not just in the Sunshine State but to our nation as a whole. 40 percent of Americans live in estuary regions, and those regions contribute nearly half of the nation's economic output, despite taking up only 13 percent of the land area of the continental United States.

But our ecosystems are at risk-whether it's toxic discharges or manatees dying across our estuaries, the problems facing places like the Indian River Lagoon, the Caloosahatchee, the St. Lucie, and the Lake Worth Lagoon have shown over and over again that we must do more to conserve and protect our state.

This year, I am proud to be the sponsor of a bipartisan resolution that formally recognizes September 20 to 27 as National Estuaries Week. The resolution reminds all of us that these habitats are critical and that Florida can't wait around for help. We must work every day to preserve this environment.