Florida Lawmaker Wants Shark-Feeding Ban
State Already Bans Alligator Feeding
POSTED: 8:47 a.m. EDT August 24, 2001
UPDATED: 8:59 a.m. EDT August 24, 2001
TAMPA, Fla. -- A St. Petersburg lawmaker says that he plans to
introduce a bill that bans shark-feeding dives off the Florida
coast.
Legislator Charlie Justice, who is a Democrat on the House Tourism Committee, says that he's concerned about both the safety and the perceptions of tourists and residents.
Folks who run the shark-feeding dives say that Justice is off-base.
They say that no one has ever been attacked while taking part.
But Justice and others say that anytime sharks can associate
people with food, there's a potential problem. The state already
bans alligator feeding, and Justice says the same principle
applies.
Well before the summer's wave of shark attacks, state officials
were working on regulations for shark feeding.
The Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider new rules at a
meeting early next month.
Copyright 2003 by Local6.com.
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