Florida Senate - 2018 SB 168
By Senator Steube
23-00005-18 2018168__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to nonnative animals; creating s.
3 379.2311, F.S.; defining the terms “pet dealer” and
4 “priority invasive species”; providing legislative
5 findings; requiring the Fish and Wildlife Conservation
6 Commission to establish a pilot program for the
7 eradication of priority invasive species; providing
8 the goal of the pilot program; authorizing the
9 commission to enter into specified contracts;
10 specifying parameters for the implementation of the
11 pilot program; specifying procedures for the capture
12 and disposal of animals that belong to priority
13 invasive species; requiring the commission to submit a
14 report to the Governor and the Legislature by a
15 specified date; requiring animals that belong to
16 certain nonnative species to be implanted with a
17 passive integrated transponder tag before sale,
18 resale, or being offered for sale by a pet dealer;
19 requiring the commission to adopt rules; providing
20 appropriations; providing an effective date.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24 Section 1. Section 379.2311, Florida Statutes, is created
25 to read:
26 379.2311 Nonnative animal management.—
27 (1) As used in this section, the term:
28 (a) “Pet dealer” means any person who, in the ordinary
29 course of business, engages in the sale of more than 20 animals
30 per year to the public. This term includes breeders who sell
31 animals directly to consumers.
32 (b) “Priority invasive species” means the following
33 species:
34 1. Lizards of the genus Tupinambis, also known as tegu
35 lizards;
36 2. Species identified in s. 379.372(2)(a);
37 3. Pterois volitans, also known as red lionfish; and
38 4. Pterois miles, also known as the common lionfish or
39 devil firefish.
40 (2) The Legislature finds that priority invasive species
41 continue to expand their range and to decimate the fauna and
42 flora of the Everglades and other natural areas and ecosystems
43 in the southern and central parts of the state at an
44 accelerating rate. Therefore, the commission shall establish a
45 pilot program to mitigate the impact of priority invasive
46 species on the public lands or waters of this state.
47 (a) The goal of the pilot program is to examine the
48 benefits of using strategically deployed, trained private
49 contractors to slow the advance of priority invasive species,
50 contain their populations, and eradicate them from this state.
51 (b) In implementing the pilot program, the commission may
52 enter into contracts in accordance with chapter 287 with
53 entities or individuals to capture or destroy animals belonging
54 to priority invasive species found on public lands or in the
55 waters of this state. Any private contracted work to be
56 performed on public land or in the waters of the state not owned
57 or managed by the commission must have the consent of the owner.
58 (c) The commission shall ensure that all captures and
59 disposals of animals that belong to these priority invasive
60 species are documented and photographed and that the geographic
61 location of the take is recorded for research purposes. The
62 commission shall direct the disposal of all animals captured and
63 not destroyed in removal efforts.
64 (d) The commission shall submit a report of findings and
65 recommendations regarding its implementation of the pilot
66 program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
67 Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2021.
68 (3) Before selling, reselling, or offering for sale any
69 nonnative animal identified by the commission pursuant to
70 paragraph (a), pet dealers must implant in the animal, or have
71 the animal implanted with, a passive integrated transponder
72 (PIT) tag, as specified by the commission. The commission shall
73 adopt rules to implement this subsection, including both of the
74 following:
75 (a) The identification of nonnative animals that threaten
76 the state’s wildlife habitats and, therefore, must be implanted
77 with a PIT tag.
78 (b) The adoption of a standard for the types of PIT tags
79 which must be used by pet dealers and the manner in which they
80 must be implanted.
81 Section 2. For the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 fiscal years,
82 the sum of $300,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated each
83 year from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to the Fish and
84 Wildlife Conservation Commission for the purpose of implementing
85 s. 379.2311.
86 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.