Who it affects
- Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida
- National Park Service
In committeePublic landsEnvironment
Wilderness designation for Big Cypress
S. 446 · Senate bill · Introduced Feb. 6, 2025
This bill would bar wilderness designation for Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, which the National Park Service manages.
At a glance
Where it stands
In committee
How South Carolina voted
No recorded votes yet.
See each vote ↓Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- The bill would prohibit designating Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve as a wilderness area.
- It would also bar making the preserve part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
- The National Park Service currently manages the preserve, a 729,000-acre freshwater swamp.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill yet.
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- A bill to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Sen. Scott, Rick (R-FL)
- Introduced
- Feb. 6, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 0
- Committees
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Latest action
- Feb. 4, 2026 · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably and an amendment to the title.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
This bill prohibits the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The National Park Service currently manages Big Cypress National Preserve, which is a freshwater swamp ecosystem of 729,000 acres. In general, development activities, commercial activities, permanent structures, and roads are prohibited in wilderness areas. In contrast, natural preserves typically allow some development activities, such as hunting or oil and gas exploration.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.