Governor Ron DeSantis in Tampa // Chris Young, WMNF News, 5/12/2025
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Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday halting a controversial proposed Manatee cruise port.
It’s the governor’s first bill signing since the end of the legislative session.
DeSantis signed Senate Bill 302 and House Bill 1417.
Among other things, the bill bans the dredging necessary to build a controversial mega cruise ship terminal on environmentally sensitive land in Manatee County.
DeSantis says the port struck a lot of people as unnecessary.
“There’s not really a need to add another port in the middle of a conserved area and aquatic preserve, especially given that Tampa Bay is already home to three deep-water ports, including SeaPort Manatee,” DeSantis said.
The proposal has drawn significant pushback, with hundreds rallying at protests and thousands signing petitions against it.
The bill also includes additional coastal protections to restore wetlands, oyster reefs, and mangroves.
Republican Representative Will Robinson joined DeSantis at the press conference in Bradenton.
“I cannot think of a worse place in Florida for a mega cruise terminal to be than Terra Ceia,” Robinson said.
DeSantis also announced construction of a new fishing pier in the Manatee County side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and improvements to the pier on the Pinellas County side.