"Tea Party Members Tackle a New Issue: Manatees"

"Everybody knows what the tea party members oppose. High taxes. Big government. Obama's health care plan. High-speed rail.

Now, for at least some local tea party members, there's one more to add: manatee protection.

A Citrus County tea party group has announced that it's fighting new restrictions on boating and other human activities in Kings Bay that have been proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"We cannot elevate nature above people," explained Edna Mattos, 63, leader of the Citrus County Tea Party Patriots, in an interview. "That's against the Bible and the Bill of Rights." "

Craig Pittman reports for the St. Petersburg Times July 13, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"Florida Tea Party Worries about Government's Secret Manatee Conspiracy" (Mother Jones)