Tallahassee, FL (May 1, 2008) – On April 30, 2008, Representative Tony Sasso applauded the House of Representatives as they passed HB 897. The “Clean Ocean Act,” sponsored by Representative Stan Mayfield of Vero Beach, passed unanimously. The House vote comes on the heels of the Senate vote on April 25, where Senator Mike Haridopolos of Melbourne sponsored the bill and lead the successful fight for passage.

The Clean Ocean Act prohibits gambling vessels from dumping waste in the waters off the shores of Florida and requires registration with the Department of Environmental Protection to ensure compliance.

"Surfers, fishermen, anyone who loves the ocean should thank every one of our delegation members for supporting this legislation,” said Representative Sasso.

This bill was Representative Tony Sasso’s number one co-sponsorship priority. During the past three years, as a Cocoa Beach City Commissioner, Representative Sasso fought gambling ship dumping and worked for passage of the prior version of the bill, only to watch it fail at the last minute. This year he is proud to have worked with his fellow House members to get the Clean Ocean Act passed.

Representative Sasso can be reached in Tallahassee at (850) 488-4669 and in Cocoa Beach at (321) 449-5111.