House Bill hb0081C

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                HM 81-C

        By Representative Bense






  1                          House Memorial

  2         A memorial to the Congress and the President of

  3         the United States urging support and the

  4         commitment of funding necessary for the

  5         continued development, permanent establishment,

  6         and future operation of the Center for Coastal

  7         and Maritime Security by the Coastal Systems

  8         Station of the United States Navy.

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10         WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, the United States of

11  America was the victim of a cowardly attack conducted by

12  terrorists supported by foreign nations, and

13         WHEREAS, these attacks have placed our nation's

14  military on high alert in order to protect our citizens and

15  visitors to the United States from future aggression, and

16         WHEREAS, our nation has over 12,000 miles of coastline,

17  over 2,000 miles of which are found in the State of Florida,

18  and

19         WHEREAS, 14 active seaports, thousands of miles of

20  rivers and inland waterways, countless marinas, and the center

21  of the world's marine cruise industry are located in Florida,

22  and

23         WHEREAS, the vastness of our nation's coastline

24  increases the probability that future attackers could enter

25  the country at our seaports, maritime commerce centers, energy

26  facilities, and marine recreational centers, and

27         WHEREAS, for more than 50 years, the United States

28  Navy's Coastal Systems Station in Panama City, Florida, has

29  provided unequaled training, mission planning, and equipment

30  development in the area of coastal operations and systems to

31  all branches of the United States military, and

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                HM 81-C

    725-138-01C






  1         WHEREAS, the Coastal Systems Station is a field

  2  activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and is one of the

  3  major research, development, test, and evaluation laboratories

  4  of the United States Navy, with a wide base of expertise in

  5  engineering and scientific disciplines, and

  6         WHEREAS, the Coastal Systems Station is the Navy's

  7  premier organization for the comprehensive support of mission

  8  areas within coastal environments, which include mine warfare,

  9  amphibious warfare, special warfare, diving and life support,

10  and coastal operations, and

11         WHEREAS, the United States Navy's Coastal Systems

12  Station is currently in the process of developing, and seeks

13  to permanently establish, the Center for Coastal and Maritime

14  Security, the purpose of which is to provide specialized

15  training and technology for civilian and military personnel to

16  defend our nation against maritime terrorist threats, and

17         WHEREAS, given the events of September 11, 2001, it is

18  now a matter of the highest importance that the numerous means

19  of ingress to this country provided through the nation's vast

20  coastal areas be secured and made invulnerable to any form of

21  malicious breach, and

22         WHEREAS, to that end, it is essential that the Center

23  for Coastal and Maritime Security be fully developed,

24  permanently established, and operated by the United States

25  Navy Coastal Systems Station, NOW, THEREFORE,

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27  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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29         That the President of the United States and the United

30  States Congress are urged to support and commit necessary

31  funding for the continued development, permanent

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                HM 81-C

    725-138-01C






  1  establishment, and future operation of the Center for Coastal

  2  and Maritime Security.

  3         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

  4  sent to the President of the United States, the President of

  5  the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States

  6  House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida

  7  Delegation to the United States Congress.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.