Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Terry RoenFebruary 20, 2017

Florida manatees are thriving during this warm, sunny winter. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) count found the highest number of sea cows since 1991 and the third straight year of a minimum count greater than 6,000 during its annual flyover of popular manatee spots. A team of 15 observers from 10 organizations […]

Associated PressJanuary 5, 2017

A record number of endangered Florida panthers died again last year — 42 of the remaining big cats were killed, matching the 2015 record. Thirty-four were hit by vehicles in southwest Florida, where development is shrinking what’s left of their habitat. The tally kept by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission includes six new […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 3, 2017

The tegu lizard is dead to Frank Artiles. The Republican state senator from Miami-Dade County filed legislation (SB 230) Tuesday to eradicate the non-native reptile tegu from Florida. The lizard is “decimat(ing) the fauna and flora of the Everglades and other natural areas and ecosystems in the southern and central parts of this state at […]

Jim RosicaDecember 5, 2016

A former officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is suing for his job back, saying he was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing. Travis Hooker filed suit last week in Leon County Circuit Civil Court under the state’s whistleblower law. The decorated combat Marine, who was stationed in Iraq, was a lieutenant in the FWC’s […]

Peter SchorschOctober 11, 2016

Remember the “deer dog” case? This is the one where several families were having their lives disrupted because a group of hunters in the Panhandle was allowing hounds-in-pursuit-of-deer to trample across private property. It’s a quirky case. The Blackwater Wildlife Management Area (BWMA) is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and, […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 1, 2016

News that yet another venomous snake escaped from a Florida home — this time a cobra in Homestead — should concern all Floridians. Although many states ban private ownership of venomous snakes, Florida does not. Coincidentally, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is scheduled to consider tightening the rules regarding possession of venomous snakes at its […]

Associated PressAugust 22, 2016

More than 6,000 permits have been issued to hunt Florida alligators, and some 13,000 hunters have applied for permits. The Naples Daily News reported that each permit allows a hunter to kill two alligators during the hunting season which began last week. Florida has more than a million alligators, according to estimates, and they’re in […]

Guest AuthorJune 19, 2016

On June 22, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will discuss whether to open another Florida black bear hunt. It was a bad idea last year, and it’s a bad idea this year, especially now that a group of knowledgeable Florida scientists has sent a detailed letter to the state’s wildlife agency. They make […]

Keith MorelliJune 16, 2016

The number of snook along Florida’s Gulf Coast finally is where it was before a devastating freeze in January 2010 decimated the population, forcing the state to impose an unprecedented ban that hit hard the charter fishing and tourism industry from Tampa Bay south. Snook, widely considered Florida’s most popular nearshore game fish that drew […]

Jim RosicaJune 16, 2016

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff will recommend another black bear hunt for later this year, according to a memo released Thursday. The memo, included in agenda material for the FWC meeting in Eastpoint next Wednesday and Thursday, says “the staff recommendation is to continue to use hunting to slow the growth of bear populations.” That’s […]

Tag: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts.

Aerial survey shows increasing manatee count

Florida panther deaths still at record-high for 2016

Frank Artiles takes on the tegu

Ex-FWC officer sues for job back under ‘whistleblower’ law

FWCC judicial beat down in ‘deer dog’ case

Kate MacFall: Florida FWC should consider ban on venomous snakes as pets

13,000 hunters apply for gator permits

Kate MacFall: Florida black bear hunt — bad idea last year; bad idea this year

Gulf Cost snook fishery finally rebounds from devastating 2010 cold snap

FWC staff will recommend another bear hunt for this year