Florida Dive-In-Day at the Capitol to Highlight Diving and Anti-Shark Finning Bill to Local Legislators

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Event Provides DEMA Members the Opportunity to Showcase Their Businesses & Meet with Legislators to Promote Diving and the Anti-Shark-Finning Bill

 

 

The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) will host a Shark Finning Legislative Dive-In-Day at the Florida Capitol grounds in Tallahassee, FL, March 3-4, 2014. Florida-based DEMA Member businesses will have the opportunity to exhibit at Dive-In-Day to help increase positive awareness for the Diving Industry among important legislators and meet personally with their government representatives to promote the anti-shark finning bill and other issues important to the Florida scuba diving industry.

 

“Florida is one of diving’s most active states with one of the largest number of new certified divers each year and the most DEMA Member businesses,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. “Members who participate in Dive-In-Day will have the opportunity to showcase their business at the Capitol building and help reinforce diving’s role as an important revenue generating component of the Florida economy.”

 

DEMA serves its Members by identifying key issues that affect the growth and success of the scuba and snorkeling industry, and by taking action on legislative matters which have an adverse effect on the sport. One of the major issues threatening the eco-system today is the slaughter of a top ocean predator, the shark. In addition to DEMA Members promoting their companies, they will have the chance to meet one-on-one with legislators and their staff to support the DEMA-constructed anti-shark finning bill.  

 

“Shark finning is one of the major issues threatening the underwater environment, a brutal practice that kills millions of sharks each year for fins alone, harming the shark population and thereby damaging our marine ecosystem,” said Ingram. “DEMA and the Dive Industry are committed to putting an end to shark finning. One of DEMA’s goals is to encourage Members to participate in actions affecting this issue. By arranging individual meetings between our Members and government representatives, it allows them to have a direct voice in the legislation process.”

 

DEMA will also be teaming up with Florida-based organization Practical Academic Cultural Education (PACE) to participate in Dive-In-Day. A group of young women from the Hillsborough chapter of the PACE Center for Girls will be on-site wearing shark finning t-shirts to help draw attention to the cause to ban shark fins.  These “shark angels” will help deliver the message for DEMA and its Member businesses.

 

“Dive-In-Day will provide an incredible opportunity for those in the Industry to network and promote their brand,” concluded Ingram. “DEMA looks forward to a healthy discussion on how the Dive Industry can work together with legislators to improve the Dive Industry in Florida.”

 

For more information or to sign up to participate in Dive-In-Day at the Capitol contact Brittney Burch at bburch@lawfla.com or (850) 222-0720.