Title: Fish and Wildlife Activities

Summary: Prohibiting certain harassment of hunters, trappers, and fishers within or on public lands or publicly or privately owned wildlife and fish management areas, or in or on public waters; authorizing the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to designate additional annual free freshwater and saltwater fishing days; prohibiting the keeping, possessing, importing, selling, bartering, trading, or breeding of certain species except for educational, research, or eradication or control purposes; including green iguanas and species of the genera Salvator and Tupinambis in such prohibition, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to fish and wildlife activities; amending s. 379.105, F.S.; prohibiting certain harassment of hunters, trappers, and fishers within or on public lands or publicly or privately owned wildlife and fish management areas, or in or on public waters; amending s. 379.354, F.S.; authorizing the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to designate additional annual free freshwater and saltwater fishing days; amending s. 379.372, F.S.; prohibiting the keeping, possessing, importing, selling, bartering, trading, or breeding of certain species except for educational, research, or eradication or control purposes; including green iguanas and species of the genera Salvator and Tupinambis in such prohibition; providing that certain persons, firms, or corporations may continue to exhibit, sell, or breed green iguanas or tegu lizards commercially under certain circumstances; requiring such green iguanas or tegu lizards to be sold outside of this state; prohibiting the import of green iguanas or tegu lizards; requiring the commission to adopt rules that meet certain requirements; reenacting s. 379.2311(1), F.S., relating to the definition of the term  priority invasive species,  to incorporate the amendment made to s. 379.372, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 379.105, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 379.105 Harassment of hunters, trappers, or fishers.  (1) A person may not intentionally, within or on any public lands or a publicly or privately owned wildlife management and or fish management areas, area or in or on any public waters state-owned water body:(a) Interfere with or attempt to prevent the lawful taking of fish, game, or nongame animals by another within or on such lands or areas, or in or on such waters.(b) Attempt to disturb fish, game, or nongame animals or attempt to affect their behavior with the intent to prevent their lawful taking by another within or on such lands or areas, or in or on such waters.Section 2. Subsection (15) of section 379.354, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 379.354 Recreational licenses, permits, and authorization numbers; fees established.  (15) FREE FISHING DAYS. The commission may designate by rule no more than consecutive or nonconsecutive days in each year as free freshwater fishing days and no more than consecutive or nonconsecutive days in each year as free saltwater fishing days. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a any person may take freshwater fish for noncommercial purposes on a free freshwater fishing day and may take saltwater fish for noncommercial purposes on a free saltwater fishing day, without obtaining or possessing a license or permit or paying a license or permit fee as set forth prescribed in this section. A person who takes freshwater or saltwater fish on a free fishing day must comply with all laws, rules, and regulations governing the holders of a fishing license or permit and all other conditions and limitations regulating the taking of freshwater or saltwater fish as are imposed by law or rule. Section 3. Present paragraphs (b) through (e) of subsection (2) of section 379.372, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as paragraphs (c) through (f), respectively, a new paragraph (b) is added to that subsection, and paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended, to read: 379.372 Capturing, keeping, possessing, transporting, or exhibiting venomous reptiles, reptiles of concern, conditional reptiles, or prohibited reptiles; license required.  (2)(a)  A No person, party, firm, association, or corporation may not shall keep, possess, import into the state, sell, barter, trade, or breed the following species except for educational, research, or eradication or control purposes personal use or for sale for personal use:1. Burmese or Indian python ( Python molurus ). 2. Reticulated python ( Python reticulatus ). 3. Northern African python ( Python sebae ). 4. Southern African python ( Python natalensis ). 5. Amethystine or scrub python ( Morelia amethystinus ). 6. Green Anaconda ( Eunectes murinus ). 7. Nile monitor ( Varanus niloticus ). 8.  Green iguana ( Iguana iguana ). 9.   Tegu lizard (any species of the genera Salvator or Tupinambis ).10.  Any other reptile designated as a conditional or prohibited species by the commission. (b)   If a person, firm, or corporation holds a valid captive wildlife class III exhibition or sale license on January 1, 2020, and documented an inventory of green iguanas or tegu lizards on his or her or its 2019 application, the commission may grandfather that person, firm, or corporation so as to allow them to continue to exhibit, sell, or breed green iguanas or tegu lizards commercially for as long as the license remains active. Such status is void upon any license transfer or lapse. The person, firm, or corporation may only sell such inventory of green iguanas or tegu lizards outside of this state and may not import the species into this state. The commission shall adopt rules that address all of the following: 1.   Reporting requirements. 2.   Biosecurity measures to prevent escape of these species. 3.   Any necessary grandfathering provisions for those persons presently in possession of either a green iguana or a tegu lizard who do not meet the grandfathering provisions of this paragraph.Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by this act to section 379.372, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto, subsection (1) of section 379.2311, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 379.2311 Nonnative animal management.  (1) As used in this section, the term  priority invasive species  means the following: (a) Lizards of the genus Tupinambis,also known as tegu lizards; (b) Species identified in s. 379.372(2)(a); (c)  Pterois volitans,also known as red lionfish; and (d)  Pterois miles,also known as the common lionfish or devil firefish. Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.