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October 2021 Commission Meeting

Date: Oct 6, 2021 Time: 8:30 am
Date: Oct 7, 2021 Time: 8:30 am
Location:

Renaissance World Golf Village Resort
500 South Legacy Trail
St. Augustine, Florida, 32092

Public comments will be accepted in person during the meeting.
This meeting is open to the public
Oct2021 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. Advance comments via the comment form were due by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 1, 2021. If you would like to provide comments via mail that can be reviewed after the meeting, please send those comments to the following address:

FWC Commissioners
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

The Commission will also welcome public input in person using the approved speaker registration process and time limits. To accommodate as much input as possible from those attending, the Chairman reserves the right to designate the amount of time given to a topic or speaker. With regard to public comment on items not on the agenda, the Commission will have a designated time period on the agenda at the end of day two, October 7th. The deadline for registration to speak on items not on the agenda is 9:00 a.m. on October 7th. Those who wish to offer comments during this period will be asked to make sure their comments are not related to any agenda item.

The Chairman 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. 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. 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.

For information on the area, you may call the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce at (904) 829-5681 or find additional details at www.sjcchamber.com.

8:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 6th

 

  1. Call to Order
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
  2. Administrative Matters
    1. Review and Approve August 2021 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 Directors Report
  4. Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida Update
    Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida President and CEO will provide an update on activities and fundraising efforts over the last year.
    Summary Memo | Presentation
  5. Awards and Recognitions
    1. Featured Artist Recognition
    2. Recreational Lionfish King and Commercial Lionfish Champion Awards

BREAK

  1. Item Requiring Action – Draft Rule – Goliath Grouper
    Staff will present a draft rule proposal for a limited, highly regulated harvest of goliath grouper. This proposal includes a special opportunity for harvest through a lottery draw, while enacting area and seasonal closures, size and gear restrictions, and post-harvest requirements. The proposed limited harvest would allow users additional access opportunities to this species and provide researchers with needed biological data, while allowing the population to continue to rebuild and excluding harvest from areas of heavy dive ecotourism. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 2 hours.
    Summary Memo | Presentation | Draft Rule Language

ANTICIPATED LUNCH BREAK

  1. Staff Reports
    1. Redfish. Staff will provide a review of the current status and regulations for redfish in Florida. This will include outcomes of the inaugural Redfish Summit, summary of recent stakeholder comments, next steps for stakeholder engagement, and discussion related to the Executive Order (EO) for the Tampa Bay Area. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
    2. Sharks. Staff will provide a review and discussion of topics related to sharks. The presentation will include an overview of FWC’s shark management history, rationale behind FWC shark regulations, and recommendations for next steps for shark management in state waters. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 1 hour.
      Summary Memo | Presentation | Report
    3. Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) Report. Staff will report on actions and discussions from the GMFMC’s August 23 – 26 meeting. Topics will include red snapper, red grouper, individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs, and potential EOs regarding recreational harvest closures for red grouper, gray triggerfish, and other species. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
    4. South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) Report. Staff will report on actions and discussions from the SAFMC’s September 13-17 meeting. Expected topics include red snapper, red porgy, yellowtail snapper, rock shrimp, cobia, and king mackerel. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
  2. Recess Wednesday’s portion of the meeting no later than 6:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m., Thursday, October 7th

  1. Call to Order
  2. Items Requiring Action Budget and Legislative Report
    Staff will seek approval of the FY 2022/2023 Legislative Budget Request and Agency Legislative Package. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
    Summary Memo | Presentation | Report B | Report C
  3. Staff Report
    1. Aquaculture and sale of largemouth bass for food. Staff will provide an overview of recent statutory changes in F.S. 597.004 that were coordinated with Commission staff regarding current prohibitions of the aquaculture and sale of largemouth bass as food in Florida. Activity related to this matter would require a change to FWC rules. Staff will provide recommendations for next steps including development of rule language to allow Florida largemouth bass to be cultured as a food fish and to add measures that will continue to provide protections for the conservation of Florida largemouth bass. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes.
      Summary Memo | Presentation
    2. FWC Managed Shooting Ranges. Staff will provide Commissioners with an update on 11 sports shooting and training ranges managed by the agency. The presentation will highlight the history, tradition and culture that hunting and shooting sports represent in Florida. Public comment on this agenda item will be limited to no more than 30 minutes. (This item could be moved to day 1 or postponed).
      Summary Memo | Presentation
  4. 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.
  5. Future Agenda Items
  6. Commissioner Exchange
  7. Adjournment
    The next Commission Meeting is scheduled for December 15 – 16, 2021, 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 Rule – Atlantic Coast: Spot and Atlantic croaker
    The spot and Atlantic croaker fisheries are managed cooperatively in state waters of the U.S. Atlantic coast by fifteen states, including Florida, through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). ASMFC coordinates interstate management for these species, which includes prescribed regulatory actions for member states when data indicate conservation measures are warranted. Proposed draft rules that would establish a daily recreational bag limit of 50 fish per person for each species and a spot commercial vessel limit of 2,200 pounds, as well as implement an Atlantic croaker commercial vessel limit of 1,200 pounds, will keep Florida in compliance with ASMFC. These rules would be in effect for state waters from the Florida-Georgia border through Miami-Dade County. Additional details can be found in the background materials for this item.
    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 final adoption, Commission staff will file the rules as allowed by s. 120.54(3), Florida Statutes, without further public hearing.
    Summary Memo | Rule Language
  2. State Grant Program Routine Amendments to Subsection 13, 68-1.003, F.A.C.
    Staff will seek approval to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to incorporate updates to the Nontraditional Section 6 Grants Program Guidelines and supporting Forms and to remove the Application Form. Updates provide grammatical edits and are necessary to streamline the grant submission process and adhere to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requirements. Updated forms include the Task Schedule and Timeline document and the Budget Sheet. The Application Form will be removed as it is no longer needed with the updates to the Program Guidelines.
    NOTE: Staff is requesting Commission approval to advertise the proposed rule amendments and file for adoption as soon as possible. If the rule amendments 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 | Rule Language | Task Schedule | Budget Table | Guidelines