Green Iguana Collection and Sales
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering changes to Chapter 68-5, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) that will address live green iguana removal and sales from wild established populations in Florida. Green iguanas are invasive and a Prohibited species in Florida. One of the goals of these changes is to allow and activate more Floridians to collect live green iguanas from their established range in Florida, as well as to create an allowance to transfer those green iguanas to permit holders who are authorized to sell live green iguanas out-of-state.
Proposed Changes to Chapter 68-5, F.A.C.
Additional details below highlight information for each of the topics to be covered at the virtual public meeting. Draft rule language pertaining to these concepts will become available at a later date.
Currently, to qualify for a permit to sell Prohibited green iguanas or tegus (genera Salvator and Tupinambis, all species), the applicant must show documented inventory or planned possession of tegus and/or green iguanas on their 2018 or 2019 ESC applications. The applicant must have held a valid ESC license on June 30, 2020 as well. Applicants do not qualify to sell both green iguanas and tegus unless both were documented on appropriate inventories
The proposed changes would allow for entities currently qualified to obtain a Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit with authorization to sell tegus to qualify to sell live green iguanas as well. The proposed changes would remove the current requirement for these qualifying entities to have had documented green iguanas on their inventory on 2018 or 2019 ESC license applications. The applicant would need to request all species they are interested in selling on their application.
Green iguanas cannot be imported into Florida or bred in captivity within the state, so permitted sellers must collect green iguanas from wild established populations in Florida in order to be sold out-of-state.
Prohibited species pose a high-risk to Florida, and thus cannot be sold; however, in 2021 FWC Commissioners approved rule changes that created some limited exceptions for people previously selling tegus and green iguanas.
Currently, qualifying entities can only apply for and obtain authorization to sell Prohibited green iguanas or tegus within a 90-day grace period that starts after the species is listed as Prohibited.
The proposed changes remove the 90-day time limit for qualifying entities to apply for and obtain authorization to sell Prohibited green iguanas or tegus. These changes would allow qualifying entities to apply for and obtain a Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit at any time, even if there is a lapse in permitting.
*Note: These limited exceptions only apply to green iguanas and tegus. No other Prohibited species can be sold in Florida.
Currently, qualifying entities cannot transfer valid Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permits for green iguanas or tegus to another entity.
The proposed changes would allow Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders to transfer valid sales permits for green iguanas or tegus to a spouse, beneficiary, or new business owner.
Currently, transfer of live wild-caught green iguanas from Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders to Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders is not allowed.
The proposed changes would allow for the transfer of live wild-caught green iguanas from Florida through a revision to the existing Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit. (A draft revised permit application is available for review at the bottom of this section). A new transfer endorsement option would be added to the application and if approved, these permit holders would be able to collect wild-caught green iguanas from the environment in Florida where they are established, then transfer the live green iguanas to Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders so they can be sold out-of-state. Anyone could apply for the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit with the transfer endorsement.
Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders could only be in possession of live green iguanas for 2 weeks (14 days) from date of collection in the wild until the transfer to a permitted seller with authorization to sell green iguanas must occur. If the transfer does not occur within 2 weeks, any green iguanas collected must be humanely killed. If the permit holder does not have this transfer endorsement, any green iguanas collected must be humanely killed within 24 hours of collection. Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders with the transfer endorsement would also need to come into compliance with existing caging and biosecurity requirements for possession of live Prohibited green iguanas.
This new transfer endorsement would also authorize the person collecting live green iguanas from the environment in Florida the ability to be paid by the Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holder(s). There would not be a limit on how many transferred green iguanas permitted sellers can acquire, nor would there be a limit to how many permitted sellers the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders could work with when transferring live wild-caught green iguanas.
Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders would need to report their green iguana collection numbers to the FWC every six months. These permittees must report the number of green iguanas collected, date of collection, county where the green iguanas were collected, batch number (if applicable), and their final dispositions (i.e., which Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holder(s) the green iguanas were transferred to and when, or date when green iguanas were humanely killed).
Amended Permit Application Draft: Draft CSP E&C Transfer
Currently, all live wild-caught green iguanas must be permanently marked with a PIT tag prior to sale.
The proposed changes would allow Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders with a transfer endorsement and Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders with authorization to sell green iguanas to mark animals less than 5” snout-vent-length (SVL) in batches. Batches would be defined as any green iguana(s) that are collected from the wild in Florida on the same day and in the same county. Batch information (as outlined below) would need to be clearly visible on any transport container, cage or enclosure where the green iguanas are kept. Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders with a transfer endorsement would also be allowed to batch mark live wild-caught green iguanas larger than 5" SVL.
Any green iguanas larger than 5” SVL must still be PIT tagged prior to sale. Wild-caught green iguanas collected in Florida under 5” SVL would not need to be PIT tagged prior to sale unless held in outdoor enclosures. All existing transport requirements for Prohibited species would continue to apply regardless of size of green iguanas collected or possessed.
The permit holders using batch marking for live wild-caught green iguanas would be required to mark each batch’s transport container, cage, and/or enclosure with the following information:
- Date of collection from wild
- County of collection from wild
- Number of green iguanas in each batch
- Common name and scientific name for green iguana
- Unique batch number (created by the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holder on the original date of green iguana collection from the wild in Florida)
Virtual Public Meetings
To obtain feedback on these concepts from the public, the FWC hosted six virtual public meetings. The virtual public meetings covered the following topics and took place during the below dates and times. Recordings of the meetings and more details on each topic can be found below.
Series 1 Topics:
- Sales of Wild-Caught Green Iguanas in Florida
- Qualifications for sales of green iguanas
- When qualifying entities can apply for a permit
- Transfer of Sales Permits to Spouse, Beneficiary, or New Business Owner
- Transfer Allowances for Eradication/Control Permit Holders to Prohibited Species Sales Permit Holders
- Batch Marking Wild-Caught Green Iguanas
Power Point Presentation for Series 1 Presentation
Series 2 Topics:
- Prohibited Species Pet Permit Renewals
- Caging Requirements for Juvenile Tegus or Green Iguanas
- Options for FWC Law Enforcement Placement of Prohibited Species
- Conditional or Prohibited Species Cannot be Imported into Florida for Personal Use
Power Point Presentation for Series 2 Presentation
Series 1 Meeting Chat Transcripts
Series 2 Meeting Chat Transcripts
*Note: Meetings of the same series number covers the same content. For example, if you attend a meeting listed in Series 1 you do not need to attend another meeting in that series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if someone currently qualifies to obtain a Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit for tegus but not green iguanas, they would be allowed to apply for and obtain authorization to sell green iguanas captured/removed from the wild in Florida. The applicant would need to request all species they are interested in selling on their application.
Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders can sell their wild-caught green iguanas at any time. There is no time limit to possession of green iguanas for these permit holders, but they must be sold out-of-state.
If you believe you meet the qualifications for the Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit but have not been included in the list of qualifying entities, please reach out to our staff at NonnativePermitApps@MyFWC.com.
Yes, qualifying entities previously permitted to sell green iguanas or tegus under a Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit could reapply at any time.
Yes, an Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holder with a transfer endorsement could collect live wild-caught green iguanas from the environment in Florida where they are established, then transfer the live green iguanas to Commercial use of Tegus and/or Green Iguana permit holder so they can be sold out-of-state.
Additionally, the Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holder can pay the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holder with a transfer endorsement for their green iguana collection efforts in the field.
No, breeding of Prohibited green iguanas is not allowed. Any live green iguanas sold by permitted entities must be collected from the wild established populations in Florida.
Yes, if a green iguana or tegu lays eggs, the eggs must be destroyed immediately.
Yes, anyone can apply for this permit and transfer endorsement.
Yes, anyone in possession of a live green iguana who does not obtain the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit with the transfer endorsement must humanely kill each green iguana collected. If the trapper is in live possession of any green iguanas, they will need an Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit that requires these animals are humanely killed within 24 hours of collection.
If the green iguana(s) is humanely killed at the site of capture immediately after collection, no permit is required.
Yes, if you want to request the new transfer endorsement you would need to apply for the Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit and request the transfer endorsement on your new application.
The transfer endorsement would allow these permittees to collect wild-caught green iguanas from the environment in Florida where they are established, then transfer the live green iguanas to Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders so they can be sold out-of-state. Commercial Use of Tegus and/or Green Iguanas permit holders can pay these individuals for their work in the field.
Yes, all Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders with the transfer endorsement must be in compliance with existing caging and biosecurity requirements.
No, all wild-caught green iguanas that are not transferred within 2 weeks (14 days) of capture must be humanely killed.
Reporting for these permit holders will be required upon annual renewal of the permit and every six months thereafter to the FWC.
Eradication and Control of Nonnative Species permit holders must report the number of green iguanas collected, date of collection, county where the green iguanas were collected, batch number (if applicable), and their final dispositions (i.e., which seller they were transferred to and when, or date when green iguanas were humanely killed).
Batches would be defined as green iguanas that are collected from the wild in Florida on the same day and in the same county.
These permit holders would be required to mark each transport container and/or enclosure with the following information:
- Date of collection from wild
- County of collection from wild
- Number of green iguanas in each batch
- Common name and scientific name for green iguana
- Unique batch number (created by the Eradication and Control permittee on original date of green iguana collection from wild)
We have additional information and FAQ pages set up for the following topics:
