Ashbey-horseshoe Key Proposed Rule Roundtable Discussion

DEP will be hosting a round-table discussion to gather stakeholder input and transmit recommendations to NOAA concerning the proposed No Entry Zone around Ashbey-Horseshoe Key in Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve and Botanical State Park. During NOAA's public comment period, multiple stakeholders including flats fisherman, ecotour operators, and conservationists expressed conflicting visions of the protection of this important rookery, while all agrees some level of protection is necessary. This round-table discussion is intended to reach a compromise that all user-groups agree balances protection and the economic importance of this island.