Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) appeared on Fox 4-WFTX to discuss the prospect of President Joe Biden’s (D) administration changing the status of Big Cypress National Preserve to a “wilderness designation.”
Rep. Donalds and many other Florida representatives in the U.S. Congress believe that Big Cypress National Preserve deserves to be protected. It could be harder to maintain if the federal government steps in and changes the land's status.
🚨STOP BIDEN OVERREACH🚨
The Biden admin wants to permanently alter our Southwest Florida community by designating Big Cypress National Preserve as "wilderness."
I recently led a bipartisan group of 17 of my colleagues to fight back v. this decision.
Common sense must prevail. pic.twitter.com/cGj1QBuLWf
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) April 28, 2024
“These lands have been touched by human beings for centuries. It should not go through some arbitrary process where they’re just going to say you cannot enter it by federal decree, it makes no sense at all,” said Rep. Donalds.
He would also mention, “These lands are utilized by Floridians. We maintain these lands, we actually are doing our best to mitigate the invasive species that have been put in those lands in prior decades, all to the betterment of Florida overall.”
Additionally, the Florida congressman made it clear that a change in designation would make it harder to control invasive species like pythons, specifically.
“The python population is expanding massively. So if you do not do anything, if you just essentially leave it unchecked, that is going to impede on life of citizens of Southwest Florida.”
Furthermore, a change in status could restrict Seminole Tribe of Florida and Miccosukee Tribe members from accessing the land that has been used for ceremonial and sacred burial grounds, as well as make it harder to perform prescribed burns, negating wildfires.
“California – one of the reasons they constantly are having these massive forest fires that destroy property, obviously burned up tens of thousands of acres at a time is because they do not manage the underbrush, they don’t manage the lands. They just let it sit and act like everything is okay and that’s just simply not a reality of life,” said Rep. Donalds.
Finally, Donalds calls for “common sense” to win out on this issue.
“What we are really asking for is for common sense to prevail. Something in short supply in the Biden administration. So, whether it’s Republican and Democrats, members of the tribal communities, we are all asking them to cease and desist immediately,” concluded Donalds.
