May 2022

8:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 3rd

1. Call to Order
   1. Call to Order
   2. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
2. Administrative Matters
   1. Review and Approve March 2022 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 or concerns 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
   Summary Memo
   1. Featured Artist Recognition
   2. Rodney Barreto Employee of the Year Award
   3. Louise Ireland Humphrey Lifetime Achievement Award

BREAK

5. Items Requiring Action
   1. Final Rule – Statewide Alligator Harvest Program. Staff will present final rule amendments to allow authorized alligator hunt participants to (1) use pre-charged pneumatic air guns propelling only arrows attached to a restraining line as a legal method of take and (2) take alligators 24 hours per day during statewide alligator harvest season dates. The final rule amendments would provide more flexibility to permitted alligator hunters. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-25.042
   2. Final Rule – Captive Wildlife Permit Requirements and Exceptions. Staff will present final rule amendments to prevent licensees who have violations causing revocation or non-renewal of a captive wildlife license from maintaining control or interest in the previously authorized animals or business. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-6.003 | Proposed Notice of Change
   3. Final Rule – Fellsmere Water Management Area Largemouth Bass Fishing Regulations. Staff will present a rule proposal to facilitate management of trophy largemouth bass at Fellsmere Water Management Area. The amendments are part of the Florida Trophy Bass Project and would affect the largemouth bass bag limit and gear restrictions with the goal of producing more trophy largemouth bass in the reservoir. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-23.002 | 68A-23.005
   4. Proposed Rule – Black Crappie Regulations. Staff will provide an overview of the Black Crappie Management Plan and subsequent statewide Black Crappie regulations review. Staff will also provide an overview and seek approval for the removal of lake specific regulations for Black Crappie at nine water bodies. This would return those water bodies to statewide Black Crappie regulations. If approved, staff will return to a future Commission Meeting for a final hearing. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | 68A-20.005

ANTICIPATED LUNCH BREAK

6. Staff Reports
   1. FWC Volunteer Program Update. Staff will present an update on the FWC Volunteer Program and the conservation impact of our volunteers. During the last decade, more than 46,000 volunteers have participated in helping the FWC achieve its mission, collectively contributing over 1 million hours to the agency. Volunteers provide significant contributions to citizen science, habitat enhancement and education while bringing a diverse set of skills and perspectives that expands the reach of the agency throughout the state. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | Annual Report
   2. Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network (FYCCN) Update. Staff will provide an update on FYCCN activities and future events. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
   3. Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida (Foundation) Update. The Foundation President and CEO will provide an update on recent activities and fundraising efforts over the last year. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
   4. University of Florida Partnership Update. FWC works with the University of Florida (UF) on a wide variety of fish and wildlife conservation initiatives including research, education, outreach, and management. The Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC) is one important partner within the UF system. WEC utilizes multi-disciplinary approaches to foster education, expand knowledge, and reward scholarship for the purpose of understanding, managing, and conserving biological resources. This presentation will provide a WEC update and highlight recent and ongoing projects with FWC. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
7. Public Comment on Items Not on the Agenda
   Public comment on items not on the agenda will be limited to no more than 3 hours.
8. Recess Tuesday’s portion of the meeting no later than 6:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 4th

9. Call to Order
10. Items Requiring Action
    1. Proposed Final Rule – Cobia. A recent stock assessment determined cobia is experiencing overfishing, and both the Gulf and South Atlantic councils recently took action to modify management measures for federal waters. Staff will present a rule proposal to modify size, bag limits, and vessel limits for commercial and recreational harvest of cobia from Florida state waters, consistent with pending federal regulations, to help end overfishing. Staff will request to publish the proposed rule and file for adoption without further hearing. 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 rule as allowed by s. 120.54(3), Florida Statutes, without further public hearing.
       Summary Memo | Presentation | 68B-19.002 | 68B-19.003 | 68B-19.004
    2. Proposed Rule – Redfish. Staff will present proposed rules for redfish that include new management regions as well as regulation changes based on evaluation of the redfish fishery in each proposed region using new management metrics. Staff will present the inaugural Annual Review for each proposed management region. Staff will also provide an update on the temporary rules for redfish, snook, and seatrout in southwest Florida. If approved, staff will return to a future Commission Meeting for a final hearing. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
       Summary Memo | Presentation | 68B-22.001 | 68B-22.002 | 68B-22.005 | 68B-22.007 | Charlotte Harbor | Northeast | Panhandle | Sarasota | Indian River | Southeast | Southwest | Tampa | Big Bend
11. Staff Reports
    1. Marine Fisheries Management Annual Workplan. Staff will review new and ongoing marine fisheries programs and management issues identified by Commissioners, staff, and stakeholders that are anticipated to be actively worked on during the 2022/2023 workplan cycle as well as work completed during the 2021/2022 workplan timeframe. Staff will request approval of the proposed workplan for the 2022/2023 fiscal year. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
       Summary Memo | Presentation
    2. Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) Report. Staff will report on actions and discussions from the GMFMC’s April 4-7, 2022, meeting. Expected topics include king mackerel, gag grouper, red snapper, greater amberjack, red grouper and the commercial IFQ program. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
       Summary Memo | Presentation
    3. South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) Report. Staff will report on actions and discussions from the SAFMC’s March 7-11, 2022, meeting. Topics will include dolphinfish, king mackerel, several reef fish species, and a potential EO regarding modifying the Atlantic recreational blueline tilefish season to be consistent with the season in adjacent federal waters. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
       Summary Memo | Presentation
12. Future Agenda Items
13. Commissioner Exchange
14. Adjournment
    The next Commission Meeting is scheduled for July 13 – 14, 2022, 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. Proposed Final Rule – Hunting Regulations for Ducks, Geese, and Coots. Migratory bird hunting regulation frameworks (special early waterfowl, regular waterfowl and coot, and limited Canada goose seasons) are established annually by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and changes in these frameworks generally necessitates conforming action by the Commission. The proposed rule amendments would amend rule 68A-13.003 to replace the current daily bag limits on sea ducks (scoters, long-tailed ducks, eiders) with an aggregate daily bag limit for these ducks and remove the limit on hooded mergansers within the aggregate daily bag limit for all merganser species to conform with federal frameworks.
   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 both advertisement and final adoption, Commission staff will file the rule for adoption as allowed by s. 120.54(3) Florida Statutes, without further public hearing.
   Summary Memo | 68A-13.003 | Background Report
2. Proposed Final Rule – Administrative Rule Changes to Reflect Transition to Online Permit Application System for Captive Wildlife. The FWC Division of Law Enforcement Captive Wildlife Section is requesting approval to amend nine captive wildlife rules. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to update language in the application process to reflect change to an online system. Other amendments would provide non-substantive technical changes, such as grammatical corrections, language standardization, or clarification of an existing rule. These amendments will have the effect of clarifying the application process.
   NOTE: Staff is requesting Commission approval to advertise the proposed rules and file for adoption as soon as possible. If the rules are approved for both advertisement and final adoption, Commission staff will file the rules for adoption as allowed by s. 120.54(3) Florida Statutes, without further public hearing.
   Summary Memo | 68A-6.004 | 68A-6.010 | 68A-6.017 | 68A-6.0172 | 68A-9.005 | 68A-9.006 | 68A-12.004 | 68A-12.010 | 68A-12.011
3. Final Rules Relating to Nonnative Fish and Wildlife. Staff received input and support from stakeholders on the draft rules approved for publishing at the February 2022 commission meeting. Staff is requesting final approval to amend four components of Chapter 68-5, F.A.C. The final rules create a process for deviations from the nonnative fish and wildlife containment provisions, allow for transfer of a personal pet permit to a spouse or beneficiary upon the death or disability of the original owner, allow for limited public contact with prohibited terrestrial species during mobile exhibition and provide minor changes in the Eradication and Control Permit application form.
   Summary Memo | 68-5.001 | 68-5.007 | Form
4. Quota Permit Change. Staff is seeking the Commission’s approval to remove the quota permit requirement during the General Gun Season at Cedar Key Scrub WMA at the request of the landowner. Quota permit numbers are established annually by Executive Order following approval by the Commission, consistent with Rule 68A-15.005, F.A.C. This quota permit change was inadvertently omitted from the hunting rules package adopted by the Commission at its March 2022 meeting.
   Summary Memo
5. 2023 FWC Commission Meeting Dates. Staff is requesting approval of the proposed dates for FWC Commission Meetings for the calendar year 2023.
   2023 Commission Meeting Dates