DeSantis Signs Bill to Rename Conservation Area After Kristin Jacobs

Governor DeSantis (R) and Florida lawmakers have joined forces to honor the life of a lawmaker who dedicated her life to environmental concerns. This week, the Governor signed a bill that would rename a conservation area after Florida Rep. Kristin Jacobs (D), who passed away last year from cancer.

After her passing, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy shared that they remember Jacobs as a “force of nature” and somebody who “leaves a long legacy of environmental stewardship – initiating the ground-breaking Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.”

To honor the memory of Jacobs, Governor DeSantis signed HB217, a measure that was introduced by Florida Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (D) in early April.

After DeSantis signed the bill, Hunschofsky shared that “Rep. Kristin Jacobs was a fierce advocate for the environment, a friend and is sorely missed.”

The praise extended across the aisle as well as Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) championed her environmental efforts, saying that “Kristin Jacobs leaves behind a beautiful legacy of advocacy, passion and dedication to the environment.” “Thanks to her conservation efforts, the reef system that now bears her name will live on for generation after generation.”

During the final weeks of the 2020 legislative season, Jacobs worked tirelessly in Tallahassee for a measure that would ban the import and export of shark fins in the Sunshine State.

The legislature approved it, and it was renamed the “Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act.”

Sadly, Jacobs passed away the following month.

The legislation was then signed by Governor DeSantis in September of last year.

SB588 is the Senate companion to the measure to rename the conservation after Jacobs, and Florida Rep. Lauren Book (D) sponsored the bill.

“Rep. Kristin Jacobs left behind a legacy of environmental advocacy, preservation and deep love for Florida’s natural treasures,” she praised.

“Her memory now lives on through the Kristin Jacobs Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, which she fought to protect and designate as an important conservation zone,” Book added.