The Florida Senate

372.07  Police powers of commission and its agents.--

(1)  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the executive director and the executive director's assistants designated by her or him, and each wildlife officer are constituted peace officers with the power to make arrests for violations of the laws of this state when committed in the presence of the officer or when committed on lands under the supervision and management of the commission. The general laws applicable to arrests by peace officers of this state shall also be applicable to said director, assistants, and wildlife officers. Such persons may enter upon any land or waters of the state for performance of their lawful duties and may take with them any necessary equipment, and such entry shall not constitute a trespass.

(2)  Such officers shall have power and authority to enforce throughout the state all laws relating to game, nongame birds, fish, and fur-bearing animals and all rules and regulations of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission relating to wild animal life, marine life, and freshwater aquatic life, and in connection with said laws, rules, and regulations, in the enforcement thereof and in the performance of their duties thereunder, to:

(a)  Go upon all premises, posted or otherwise;

(b)  Execute warrants and search warrants for the violation of said laws;

(c)  Serve subpoenas issued for the examination, investigation, and trial of all offenses against said laws;

(d)  Carry firearms or other weapons, concealed or otherwise, in the performance of their duties;

(e)  Arrest upon probable cause without warrant any person found in the act of violating any of the provisions of said laws or, in pursuit immediately following such violations, to examine any person, boat, conveyance, vehicle, game bag, game coat, or other receptacle for wild animal life, marine life, or freshwater aquatic life, or any camp, tent, cabin, or roster, in the presence of any person stopping at or belonging to such camp, tent, cabin, or roster, when said officer has reason to believe, and has exhibited her or his authority and stated to the suspected person in charge the officer's reason for believing, that any of the aforesaid laws have been violated at such camp;

(f)  Secure and execute search warrants and in pursuance thereof to enter any building, enclosure, or car and to break open, when found necessary, any apartment, chest, locker, box, trunk, crate, basket, bag, package, or container and examine the contents thereof;

(g)  Seize and take possession of all wild animal life, marine life, or freshwater aquatic life taken or in possession or under control of, or shipped or about to be shipped by, any person at any time in any manner contrary to said laws.

(3)  It is unlawful for any person to resist an arrest authorized by this section or in any manner to interfere, either by abetting, assisting such resistance, or otherwise interfering with said executive director, assistants, or wildlife officers while engaged in the performance of the duties imposed upon them by law or regulation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

(4)  Upon final disposition of any alleged offense for which a citation for any violation of this chapter or the rules of the commission has been issued, the court shall, within 10 days after the final disposition of the action, certify the disposition to the commission.

History.--s. 3, ch. 13644, 1929; s. 1, ch. 17016, 1935; CGL 1936 Supp. 1977(3); s. 7, ch. 22858, 1945; s. 1, ch. 70-404; s. 571, ch. 95-148; s. 122, ch. 99-245; s. 19, ch. 2000-197; s. 3, ch. 2003-151.