HB 1313CS

CHAMBER ACTION




1The Committee on Natural Resources recommends the following:
2
3     Committee Substitute
4     Remove the entire bill and insert:
5
A bill to be entitled
6An act relating to use of illegal nets; amending s.
7370.021, F.S.; providing civil and criminal penalties for
8flagrant violations; providing a definition; reenacting
9ss. 370.092(3) and (4) and 370.093, F.S., relating to
10illegal use of nets, to incorporate the amendment to s.
11370.021, F.S., in references thereto; providing an
12effective date.
13
14Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16     Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
17370.021, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
18     370.021  Administration; rules, publications, records;
19penalties; injunctions.--
20     (3)  PENALTIES FOR USE OF ILLEGAL NETS.--
21     (b)1. A flagrant violation of any rule or statute which
22implements s. 16(b), Art. X of the State Constitution shall be
23considered a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided
24in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. For purposes of this paragraph, a
25flagrant violation shall be the illegal possession or use of a
26monofilament net or a net with a mesh area larger than 2000
27square feet. A violation means any judicial disposition other
28than acquittal or dismissal.
29     2.(b)  In addition to being subject to the other penalties
30provided in this chapter, any violation of s. 16(b), Art. X of
31the State Constitution, or any statute or rule rules of the
32commission which implements implement the gear prohibitions and
33restrictions specified therein shall be considered a major
34violation; and any person, firm, or corporation receiving any
35judicial disposition other than acquittal or dismissal of such
36violation shall be subject to the following additional
37penalties:
38     a.1.  For a first major violation within a 7-year period, a
39civil penalty of $2,500 and suspension of all saltwater products
40license privileges for 90 calendar days following final
41disposition shall be imposed.
42     b.2.  For a second major violation under this subparagraph
43paragraph charged within 7 years of a previous judicial
44disposition, which results in a second judicial disposition
45other than acquittal or dismissal, a civil penalty of $5,000 and
46suspension of all saltwater products license privileges for 12
47months shall be imposed.
48     c.3.  For a third or subsequent major violation under this
49subparagraph paragraph, charged within a 7-year period,
50resulting in a third or subsequent judicial disposition other
51than acquittal or dismissal, a civil penalty of $5,000, lifetime
52revocation of the saltwater products license, and forfeiture of
53all gear and equipment used in the violation shall be imposed.
54     d.  For a first flagrant violation under this subparagraph,
55a civil penalty of $5,000 and a suspension of all saltwater
56license privileges for 12 months shall be imposed. For a second
57or subsequent flagrant violation under this subparagraph, a
58civil penalty of $5,000, a lifetime revocation of the saltwater
59products license, and the forfeiture of all gear and equipment
60used in the violation shall be imposed.
61
62A court may suspend, defer, or withhold adjudication of guilt or
63imposition of sentence only for any first violation of s. 16,
64Art. X of the State Constitution, or any rule or statute
65implementing its restrictions, determined by a court only after
66consideration of competent evidence of mitigating circumstances
67to be a nonflagrant or minor violation of those restrictions
68upon the use of nets. Any violation of s. 16, Art. X of the
69State Constitution, or any rule or statute implementing its
70restrictions, occurring within a 7-year period commencing upon
71the conclusion of any judicial proceeding resulting in any
72outcome other than acquittal shall be punished as a second,
73third, or subsequent violation accordingly.
74     Section 2.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
75to section 370.021, Florida Statutes, in references thereto,
76subsections (3) and (4) of section 370.092, Florida Statutes,
77are reenacted to read:
78     370.092  Carriage of proscribed nets across Florida
79waters.--
80     (3)  Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), unless
81authorized by rule of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation
82Commission, it is a major violation under this section,
83punishable as provided in s. 370.021(3), for any person, firm,
84or corporation to possess any gill or entangling net, or any
85seine net larger than 500 square feet in mesh area, on any
86airboat or on any other vessel less than 22 feet in length and
87on any vessel less than 25 feet if primary power of the vessel
88is mounted forward of the vessel center point. Gill or
89entangling nets shall be as defined in s. 16, Art. X of the
90State Constitution, s. 370.093(2)(b), or in a rule of the Fish
91and Wildlife Conservation Commission implementing s. 16, Art. X
92of the State Constitution. Vessel length shall be determined in
93accordance with current United States Coast Guard regulations
94specified in the Code of Federal Regulations or as titled by the
95State of Florida. The Marine Fisheries Commission is directed to
96initiate by July 1, 1998, rulemaking to adjust by rule the use
97of gear on vessels longer than 22 feet where the primary power
98of the vessel is mounted forward of the vessel center point in
99order to prevent the illegal use of gill and entangling nets in
100state waters and to provide reasonable opportunities for the use
101of legal net gear in adjacent federal waters.
102     (4)  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
103adopt rules to prohibit the possession and sale of mullet taken
104in illegal gill or entangling nets. Violations of such rules
105shall be punishable as provided in s. 370.021(3).
106     Section 3.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
107to section 370.021, Florida Statutes, in a reference thereto,
108section 370.093, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
109     370.093  Illegal use of nets.--
110     (1)  It is unlawful to take or harvest, or to attempt to
111take or harvest, any marine life in Florida waters with any net
112that is not consistent with the provisions of s. 16, Art. X of
113the State Constitution.
114     (2)(a)  Beginning July 1, 1998, it is also unlawful to take
115or harvest, or to attempt to take or harvest, any marine life in
116Florida waters with any net, as defined in subsection (3) and
117any attachments to such net, that combined are larger than 500
118square feet and have not been expressly authorized for such use
119by rule of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The
120use of currently legal shrimp trawls and purse seines outside
121nearshore and inshore Florida waters shall continue to be legal
122until the commission implements rules regulating those types of
123gear.
124     (b)  The use of gill or entangling nets of any size is
125prohibited, as such nets are defined in s. 16, Art. X of the
126State Constitution. Any net constructed wholly or partially of
127monofilament or multistrand monofilament material, other than a
128hand thrown cast net, or a handheld landing or dip net, shall be
129considered to be an entangling net within the prohibition of s.
13016, Art. X of the State Constitution unless specifically
131authorized by rule of the commission. Multistrand monofilament
132material shall not be defined to include nets constructed of
133braided or twisted nylon, cotton, linen twine, or polypropylene
134twine.
135     (c)  This subsection shall not be construed to apply to
136aquaculture activities licenses issued pursuant to s. 370.26.
137     (3)  As used in s. 16, Art. X of the State Constitution and
138this subsection, the term "net" or "netting" must be broadly
139construed to include all manner or combination of mesh or
140webbing or any other solid or semisolid fabric or other material
141used to comprise a device that is used to take or harvest marine
142life.
143     (4)  Upon the arrest of any person for violation of this
144subsection, the arresting officer shall seize the nets illegally
145used. Upon conviction of the offender, the arresting authority
146shall destroy the nets.
147     (5)  Any person who violates this section shall be punished
148as provided in s. 370.021(3).
149     (6)  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is
150granted authority to adopt rules pursuant to s. 370.025
151implementing this section and the prohibitions and restrictions
152of s. 16, Art. X of the State Constitution.
153     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.