Marco Rubio rides to the rescue of the Key deer

'I am concerned about the possible impact... on the species’ survival'

With the prospect that Florida’s little Key deer species may lose protection of the federal Endangered Species Act, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is asking Florida to step in and protect the deer.

“Given the importance that the species holds to the identity of many residents in the Lower Keys, and the species’ value to the region’s tourism-driven and environmentally conscious economy, the Key deer deserves special recognition and attention from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” Rubio wrote in a letter he sent Wednesday to Eric Sutton, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Key deer, which nearly went extinct in the 1950s, populate the lower Florida Keys. Their comeback is leading the U.S. Fish and Wildife Service to consider proposing to either downlist or completely delist the species from its protected status, which protects both the animals and their critical habitat.

Rubio asked Sutton to have the Florida agency exercise its authority under Article IV, Section 9 of the Florida Constitution to ensure the longterm conservation and protection of Key deer populations.

“I am concerned about the possible impact of a final delisting decision by USFWS on the species’ survival,” he wrote to Sutton.

Rubio joins a wave of conservationists and environmentalists arguing that they deer still need protection. He also pledged to work with the federal agency to verify that any action the agency decides to pursue “is grounded in the best available science and is in compliance with federal law.”

“While federal protections under the ESA have proven essential to the recovery of iconic species in Florida, such as the American alligator and bald eagle, and have staved off the extinction of many others, including the Florida manatee, Florida panther, and American crocodile, the state of Florida has a significant responsibility and moral imperative to ensure that our endemic flora and fauna are conserved for future generations,” Rubio wrote to Sutton. “We must not rely solely on federal protections when direct state-level action can secure state and local conservation goals. Once again, I request that your agency promptly and proactively exercise its constitutional authority to ensure that Key deer populations and their critical habitat remain protected from current and future threats to the species’ survival.”

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5 comments

Ray Blacklidge
August 22, 2019 at 1:21 pm

Conservatives “Conserve” therefore Conservation falls right into place with a Conservative’s goals. I believe we need to preserve the habitat of the Key Deer and keep the Key Deer population at a good level. Whatever Flordia does we need to keep in mind that over population of Key Deer will destroy the habitat and eventually kill the population by starvation. Selective removable of some Key Deer either through transporting to Zoo’s and Conservation lands or by hunting need to be utilized to keep the overall population healthy.
Sonja Fitch
August 22, 2019 at 2:21 pm

Marco. Preserve our Free Elections. Moscow Mitch has you! You get the elections mess cleaned up and I will personally donate $500 to save the key deer. Dang I can’t do that to the key deer will send my contribution to save the deer.
DumpTrump2020
August 22, 2019 at 3:05 pm

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was one of the things Nixon and Ford got right. Right now, even Nixon would be welcomed back to the Oval Office as a replacement for the schmuck who inhabits that space at the moment.
Mary Blake
August 23, 2019 at 9:31 am

Key deer need our protection along with their fragile ecosystem. Good for Rubio on this.
Where was he when we needed his input after the Parkland shooting? I’m thinking he had a difficult time deciding what to say since he receives large donations from the NRA. The key deer stance is a lot easier for him to speak about it seems.
C Thompson
August 26, 2019 at 10:44 am

This is not actually much of a meaningful request. This is what would happen by default if delisting occurs – species pass to the jurisdiction of the state. So, Senator Rubio isn’t doing much here other than scoring political points. FWC does a good job evaluating state species threats themselves independent of federal protections and regulations (unlike some other states). And they will likely continue to do so.