Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) welcomed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’s decision to grant a federal fishery resource disaster declaration to the State of Florida. Rubio, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully worked to include disaster relief funding for Florida’s commercial fisheries in the disaster supplemental bill, which was signed into law by President Trump. This newly available funding combined with the Secretary’s declaration will permit impacted fishermen across the state to recover and get back to work.

Secretary Ross’s decision comes after Senators Rubio and Bill Nelson (D-FL) urged him in October to grant a federal fishery resource disaster declaration for the State of Florida due to Hurricane Irma’s destruction across the Florida Keys and much of the state’s coastline.

“With newly available disaster funding for Florida’s fisheries that I helped secure and this much-needed declaration by Secretary Ross, the hardworking folks in the Keys and throughout our state who rely on Florida’s bountiful marine fisheries can finally begin to rebuild their livelihoods and businesses following Hurricane Irma,” said Senator Rubio. “The fruits of their labor provide fresh seafood that feeds our nation and helps support the tourism and service industries that promote the economic well-being of our entire state.”

A copy of their letter can be found here.