Senate postpones vote on waste dumping bill

Sewage might be unsightly, but science is still gray on whether some boats that dump human waste are pulluting Florida water.

Citing unanswered questions about how harmful that waste is, a state Senate committee Thursday decided to delay voting on a bill that would block gambling boats from discharging waste into Florida waters.

The Clean Ocean Act, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, would force the boats to get rid of their waste at ports instead of in the water. Those boats would be charged a fee to dump at the ports - about $5 for every 1,000 gallons of waste.