Sponsors (6)
The bill shifts clearer authority to states to authorize shark-feeding (supporting local management and tourism) while preserving some federal oversight, but that flexibility risks weakening uniform shark protections, increasing public-safety risks, and creating legal uncertainty.
State governments: gain clearer statutory authority to authorize certain shark-feeding activities within their jurisdictions, enabling more localized management and potential expansion of marine-tourism or research programs.
Federal regulators (NMFS/Secretary): retain specified authority to set limits or conditions on shark-feeding activities, preserving a mechanism for federal oversight where the Secretary determines it necessary.
Coastal residents and beachgoers: could face increased safety risks if states authorize looser shark-feeding practices, raising the likelihood of dangerous human-shark interactions.
Marine ecosystems and conservation goals: nationwide protections for sharks could be weakened by a broader 'States' exception, allowing differing state rules that may increase risky feeding practices and harm shark populations and ecosystem balance.
Fishermen, tour operators, and regulators: face legal uncertainty about what is permitted because ambiguous inserted text creates unclear boundaries for enforcement, compliance, and liability.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Amends the federal shark-feeding prohibition to change “the State” to “the States” and inserts additional unspecified language, broadening state-level exceptions.
Official title: Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025
Introduced June 6, 2025 by Daniel A. Webster · Last progress June 3, 2026
Amends the federal prohibition on shark feeding to replace the singular phrase “the State” with the plural “the States” and inserts additional, unspecified language after the quoted provision. The pluralization broadens the existing statutory exception that permits activities “under State law,” effectively allowing that exception to apply across multiple states rather than being limited to a single State; the content and effect of the newly inserted text cannot be evaluated because it was not provided.