Another Threat to the FWC and Hunting

[N. Cook]

Annually we have to go to Tallahassee and fight the forces that are trying to destroy the FWC by putting it under the Adminsitrative Law which would mean all of the FWC Commission rulings would be subject to challenge and stopped until a legal determination was made instead of, as it is now, the rulings go into effect immediately and the court has to rule against the FWC. This is due to the Constitutional Status of the FWC as a free standing entity.

Now another serious challenge has come along.

I was contacted today by various officials and friends in Tallahassee about the combined Senate and House committee (Sunset) reviewing the status of how Florida's public lands are managed. These would be basically Parks (FDEP), State Forests (FDOF) and many WMAs and hunting lands (FWC).

The recommendation out of the committee was to put all the lands under the management of the Florida Department of Forestry (FDOF).

This would be a disaster for hunting as the DOF is consistently anti hunting, limiting hunting to the bare minimum on many DOF managed properties. As the Director of DOF said at the PLAM conference when asked about hunting..."We have to control hunting as our visitors want to see deer standing along the roads". DOF biologists are not "game management" related and there would be a real battle to have the attention we now received from the FWC.

We will be preparing a plan to oppose this recommendation and will need many letters and emails to the politicians to stop it....THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR HUNTING RIGHTS EVER!!!!

I will address this issue with Deputy Director FDEP Bob Ballard (he runs the Florida Parks!) in Tallahassee later this month....he should welcome our assistance and it will buy us a lot of goodwill with the FDEP.

I cannot overstate the seriousness of this development.

[Public Hunter]

How much evidence is there that the DOF is anti-hunting?

[N. Cook]

The DOF reputation is common conversation at the many meetings and contacts with staffs....They rank with the FDEP. They "have to" allow hunting is their attitude....few positive moves to expand or improve hunting. The only Water Management District left in the same category is the SWFWMD.

We have 5 years experience dealing with the various agencies staffs on committees.....you can tell by the representatives the agencies send to sit on the committees and how they vote what the motives are.

This is not meant as a "blanket" statement for all DOF staff. There have been times when hunting was supported by individual staff, but there is no doubt lands managed by the FWC, SFWMD. Suwanee River WMD and SJRWMD are more open to hunting, including the National Forests.

Make a few dozen meetings with the agencies involved and you will see.

[uncle D]

I have to agree w/ Newton,

The DoF allows minimum hunting opportunities. more so than any other State Public Lands.

Duke

[bohl]

N.Cook, who should we write/email our letters to?
I did not see a Poc unless I missed it.

[N. Cook]

The Sunset Committee just reported back to the Legislature this week...any and all Reps and Senators can be contacted now, but our contacts in Tall. have said it is best to wait until there is a bill and a number with Senate and House Committees assigned. Then we will have direct "targets".

We will give those when they become available.

I also will have a better handle on the situation after meeting with FDEP's Bob Ballard while in Tall. next week.....he stands to lose control of the State Parks....May have an ally!

[bohl]

N.Cook, thats for the info! Please keep me (us) posted on this and when I should start sending letters/e-mails out. Have a good weekend.

[BlindHog]

Newt, I can try to be available to increase our numbers at any meetings.

I bet Swilli1054 could be mustered up too if he is not working out of town, etc.

Please keep me posted. I am swamped at work so not on here much these days. My email is cvinson@psc.state.fl.us.

Thanks for the warning. I agree - the less autonomous FWC is, the worse off we are.

[N. Cook]

We have and update from Tallahassee on the Legislative action on several issues important to us...

The Joint Legislative Sunset Committee will not be making a specific recomendation regarding the issue of putting all state lands under the DOF....however, two bills are in consideration of committees....

House PCB-ENRC 08-09 Florida Forever Successor

This bill is the one proposing the lands be put under the DOF. The Conservation and Land Committee has already workshoped the bill with input from our friendly lobbyist. This committtee iis chaired by our friend Rep. Will Kendrick. UW-F has sent a preliminary email to Rep. Kendrick expressing our concerns with DOF.

The companion bill in the Senate is SB 1286- Sunset Review of FWC. The bill is a complex one introduced by Senator Sanders with many parts not pertaining to our interests. We are waiting a response from Rep. Kendrick before commenting on this bill.

Finally, as usual each session, the friend of the gill netters, Rep. Needelman (Melbourne) has introduced a bill, HJR 433 to strip the FWC of its Constitutional authority to make rules without being tied up in court. If this moves forward at all, we will be calling for emails and letters to all the legislators to stop this disasterous bill. Those living in the gentleman's district might well hope for a candidate to replace him.

Please keep watch on the Forums as we may need a flurry of emails and letters to specific legislators in support or opposition of various bills.

[uncle D]

Thanks Newton for the update.

Also, may I add the intent of the National Marine Fisheries Service is considering extreme reductions on grouper take for recreational anglers to 3 total aggregate and allowing 1 gag/gray per person per day.

I'll post an email adress and more info.

Or the Florida Sportsman has an article dedicated to the subject.

Duke

[duckbone]

Was Mitch Needleman a marine patrol officer at one time?

[navigator]

Thanks Newton for the update.

Also, may I add the intent of the National Marine Fisheries Service is considering extreme reductions on grouper take for recreational anglers to 3 total aggregate and allowing 1 gag/gray per person per day.

I'll post an email adress and more info.

Or the Florida Sportsman has an article dedicated to the subject.

Duke
That is a crock of shat when the commercial take hasn't been affected one bit. That is complete horseshat, what kind of SCIENCE is that???????
All the NMSS is going to do is turn a bunch of recreationals into outlaws, plain and simple. $4.00 a gallon gas, you do the math. Ever heard of grouper sandwiches? They get processed before docking.

I'll have to ask my brother about the Forestry Service. He worked for them for a few years before becoming a timber broker/timber real estate appraiser.

[N. Cook]

We are still "holding fire" at the request of our lobbyist contacts. Will know more soon. Still a lot of work on the wording and the relationship between DOF and the FWC.....

Goal is to keep the situation as is......any mass mailing is thought to perhaps create a hardening of positions that would not be good for our situation as of today.....

Also, hope to get a reply from Rep. Kendrick.

[uncle D]

Here are some e-mail addresses and phone #s for the grouper issue.

William Teehan, (FWC)
850-487-0554
850-487-4847 fax
william.teehan@myFWC.com

William Daughdrill (recreational)
850-814-5468
850-769-1674 fax

Robert Gill (commercial)
352-795-1916
352-795-4355 fax
bgillbgill@embarqmail.com

Julie Morris
941-487-4527
941-487-4201 fax
morris@ncf.edu

Please pick up a Florida Sportsman Mag to get some background on this issue.

The recreational economic impact will be staggering if rules are implimented, while commercial impact will not be great.
Duke