Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Nearly half of the sanctuary staff works out of the office, which was targeted for closure earlier this year. The only other sanctuary office is nearly 100 miles away in Key West.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the plan, which took more than a decade to hammer out, failed to pave the way for artificial reefs in state waters and stripped Florida of managing its own wildlife.

Federal officials are now considering thousands of comments as they finalize the first update in a quarter century to rules that govern the marine 3,800-square mile marine sanctuary.

After stony coral tissue loss disease reached the Lower Keys last spring, the disease seemed to stall. Reef scientists were hoping that meant it might...