Skip to main content
Menu

December 2023

Date: Dec 5, 2023 Time: 8:30 am
Location:

Hyatt Regency Orlando
9801 International Drive
Orlando, Florida, 32819

Public comments will be accepted in person during the meeting.
This meeting is open to the public
Dec 2023 Minutes

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Commission) is committed to providing opportunity for public input at each Commission meeting. The Commission is offering the opportunity for stakeholders to provide their comments in advance as well as in person. For in-person comments, please review the speaker registration guidelines at https://myfwc.com/about/commission/. Advance comments were due by 5pm on Thursday, November 30th. If you would like to provide comments via mail, please send those comments to the following address:

FWC Commissioners
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

To ensure adequate time to address the business needs of the Commission, there will be no more than three (3) hours of public comment on items not on the agenda at this meeting. Public comment on items not on the agenda will be heard after Awards and Recognition. The deadline for registration to speak on items not on the agenda is 9:30 am. For items not on the agenda, the Chair reserves the right to reduce the amount of time per speaker or the total number of speakers. To provide comments on items not on the agenda in advance, stakeholders can contact commissioners directly at commissioners@myfwc.com.

The Chair may opt to take action on any agenda item presented, even those listed as staff reports. Agenda items may be re-ordered or moved by the Chairman to accommodate scheduling issues. To accommodate as much input as possible from those attending, the Chair reserves the right to designate the amount of time given to an agenda item or speaker(s). The meeting may include fact-finding field trips to learn about management and enforcement activities.

If any person decides to challenge any decision with respect to any matter considered at the meeting, they may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which includes testimony and evidence upon which the challenge is based.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting should notify the agency at least 10 calendar days before the meeting by calling 850-488-6411 or contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (Voice), if you are hearing or speech impaired. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility, or if you need more information, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: FWC, Office of Human Resources, 620 S Meridian Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399, 850-488-6411. Or write to: Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Civil Rights, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

8:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 5th

  1. Call to Order
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
  2. Administrative Matters
    1. Approve October 2023 Commission Meeting Minutes
    2. Approve Regular Meeting Agenda
    3. Approve Consent Agenda
      Details for all consent agenda items are listed at the end of this document. Any questions about a consent agenda item should be addressed to agency staff prior to the Commission meeting. Any item not approved as part of the consent agenda may be moved to the regular agenda or postponed at the discretion of the Chairman.
  3. Executive Director’s Report
  4. Awards and Recognition
    1. Artist Recognition
    2. Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ FWC Collaborative Conservation Award

BREAK

  1. Public Comment on Items Not on the Agenda
    Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 3 hours.
  2. Update on the Florida Wildlife Corridor
    The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act is the culmination of decades of work by numerous conservation organizations and programs to define and generate public support for the geographic area designated as the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Maintaining landscape connectivity is essential for ecological function, the health of fish and wildlife, protecting watersheds and groundwater recharge areas, and maintaining productive landscapes that support sustainable farming, ranching, forestry, fisheries, tourism, and recreation. Staff will provide an update on the Florida Wildlife Corridor along with FWC’s progress on landscape conservation and new opportunities for the conservation of Florida’s unique landscapes. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
    Summary Memo | Presentation
  3. Items Requiring Action
    1. Proposed Rules – Hunting Rules for 2024 – 2025. Staff will present proposed rule amendments to revise select statewide hunting regulations and specific area regulations on wildlife management areas, wildlife and environmental areas, and miscellaneous areas to accomplish management objectives. Detailed proposed rule language is provided in background documents for this item. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
    2. Proposed Rules – New Alligator Hunting Opportunity. Staff will present proposed rule amendments to create new alligator hunting opportunities allowing a limited number of special opportunity permittees to take one alligator anywhere throughout the state where access is granted during the established regular alligator harvest season. Detailed proposed rule language is provided in background documents for this item. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-9.007 | 68A-25.047 | 68A-25.052
    3. Proposed Final Rule – Freshwater Fisheries Permits. Staff will present proposed final rules to update permit eligibility and evaluation criteria for freshwater fisheries scientific collector’s permits and black bass tournament exemption permits. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Note: Staff is requesting Commission approval to advertise the proposed rule and file for adoption as soon as possible. If the rule is approved for final adoption, Commission staff will file the rules as allowed by s. 120.54(3), Florida Statutes, without further public hearing, unless requested.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-9

ANTICIPATED LUNCH BREAK

    1. Proposed Rule – Wildlife Rehabilitation Permits. The proposed rule amendment seeks to increase public safety, improve animal welfare, clarify the rule, and standardize requirements by creating an apprentice rehabilitation permit, establishing required training for the apprentice permit, increasing record keeping requirements for rehabilitation facilities, standardizing release requirements for rehabilitated animals and establishing required continuing education training for permitted rehabilitators. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-9.006

***The item below may be moved to earlier on the agenda.***

    1. Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area Conservation Easement Release. Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area (SOFWEA) is 1,684 acres jointly owned by Orange County and Osceola County and managed under an agreement by FWC. The SOFWEA was acquired in 1994 as a mitigation area for impacts from development to gopher tortoise habitat and FWC holds a Conservation Easement over the area. The counties propose the construction of the Central Florida Expressway (CFX) Osceola Parkway Extension, part of a regional expressway, which would impact a portion of SOFWEA under conservation easement. Staff will provide an update regarding discussions with CFX, Orange County, and Osceola County, outline stakeholder concerns over the impacts to SOFWEA, and request direction from the Commission. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
  1. Staff Report – Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) Report
    Staff will report on actions and discussions from the GMFMC’s October 23-26 meeting. Expected topics will include greater amberjack, yellowtail snapper, gag grouper, commercial electronic reporting, an update on MRIP’s Fishing Effort Survey (FES) pilot study and potential management impacts, as well as other topics relevant to Florida. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
    Summary Memo | Presentation
  2. Future Agenda Items
  3. Commissioner Exchange
  4. Adjournment
    The next Commission Meeting is scheduled for February 21 – 22, 2024, commencing at 8:30 a.m. each day.

Consent Agenda

Any questions about consent agenda items should be addressed to agency staff prior to the Commission meeting.

  1. Biological Review Group Appointments. Staff propose members of the Biological Review Group for the southern dusky salamander, alligator gar, and the blackbanded sunfish. Staff received listing evaluation requests for these three species in 2022, and the initial biological vulnerability screening indicated additional evaluation was warranted by a biological review group. Biological review group members are approved by the Commission to serve as the species or habitat experts that evaluate the conservation status of a species, as part of the state listing process for imperiled species. The listing process and criteria used for evaluation are outlined in Rule 68A-27, F.A.C.
    Summary Memo | Gar Appointees | Salamander Appointees | Sunfish Appointees
  2. Proposed Final Rule – Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program Subsection 11, 68-1.003 F.A.C. – Grant Rule. Staff seek approval to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to incorporate updates to the Program Guidelines of Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program, which are incorporated into rule by reference. Revisions are necessary to update obsolete language, and to update Appendix I: Implementation Goals. Implementation Goals are evaluated and revised approximately every five years to allow for integration of new information, evaluation of priorities, and opportunity to engage with partners. The Notice of Development of Rulemaking was published on October 20, 2023.
    Note: Staff is requesting Commission approval to advertise the proposed rule and file for adoption as soon as possible. If the rules are approved for final adoption, Commission staff will file the rules as allowed by s. 120.54(3), Florida Statutes, without further public hearing, unless requested.
    Summary Memo | Program Guidelines | 68-1.003