When you live in Florida it's impossible not to be amazed by the many wondrously different species of animals, insects and plants we have here. A simple walk around the neighborhood can turn into a learning experience that people who live in other parts of America can only envy.

But one of the struggles we have with our subtropical climate is that many non-native species thrive when they are introduced to Florida's environment, and some of these species are wreaking havoc on Florida's ecosystem. For instance, Burmese pythons -- the giant constrictor snakes that some people keep as pets and release into the wild when they get too big -- have taken hold in the Everglades.  These snakes grow to be more than 10-feet long and are preying on many of Florida's native and endangered species of animals.  In a tragic story that's made headlines nationwide, one of these snakes -- a pet -- killed a 2-year-old girl in Central Florida.  In the Everglades these creatures have risen to the top of the food chain where they threaten the delicate balance of nature.

Another non-native threat is the redbay ambrosia beetle. This tiny insect speads a disease that is deadly to some native Florida trees and to avocado trees. According to scientists, if this beetle succeeds in spreading to South Florida, it could actually destroy the state's avocado crop and damage Florida wetlands.

These are problems with which the federal government is supposed to be helping us, but time is short and we are losing ground rapidly. That's why I am pushing for legislation to require the federal agencies involved here to develop specific plans to help lead and coordinate the efforts to control and reverse the spread of these invasive species.

I'll keep you posted on these efforts as Congress moves forward.

Cap-and-Trade is bad energy policy

We need a comprehensive energy and environmental policy to protect and sustain our nation’s natural resources while providing for a strong American economy. But the legislation the House passed in June failed in so many fundamental ways that I had to oppose it. The House version of energy legislation is called "cap and trade" because it would set caps on the amount of carbon individual companies could produce and create a market for trading carbon credits between companies that produce little carbon and those that produce more. One of the problems with the bill is that it punishes the first to innovate and it rewards the last.

It also misses so many opportunities to reward good stewards of the earth and to encourage innovation. It fails to foster development of nuclear power, which emits zero carbon. It fails to encourage the development of clean coal technology – something which is being pioneered in Central Florida. No serious energy policy can ignore the development of these fuel sources, which are necessary to make us more energy secure and less dependent on hostile nations.

In addition, this legislation will impose a cost burden on consumers. And it will raise costs at a time when we can least afford them. This will increase utility rates by as much a 57 percent, according to local estimates. Higher energy costs as we painfully witnessed last summer mean less discretionary spending and more jobs moved overseas.

For these reasons I voted agains this measure, which now moves to the Senate. I will be watching carefully to see if this legislation improves significantly as it moves through the legislative process.