August 25 through August 31, 2023

This report represents some events the FWC handled over specified weeks; 
however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.

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CASES

Brevard County

• Senior Officer Platt and Lieutenant Lightsey were on night patrol along the Upper St. Johns Marsh when a light was observed shining near a small lake. After watching the light, a resource inspection was conducted. The inspection revealed one freshly opened and wet baited chicken as well as other equipment used for taking of alligator. The subject produced a permit for harvest of alligator in a neighboring county. A citation was issued for hunting alligator out of the assigned alligator management unit. 
• Officers St. Martin and Snyder were on foot patrol when they noticed a group throwing cast nets. The group split in two and the officers conducted a resource inspection on both. Officer St. Martin’s group claimed they did not have any fish. Officer St. Martin conducted a resource inspection on a bin containing cast nets and it yielded four out-of-season snook, three of which were undersized. Officer Snyder’s group also claimed they did not have any fish. Officer Snyder conducted a resource inspection on a cooler and buckets in their possession. Inside the cooler were four out-of-season snook, three of which were undersized. Inside the bucket was an undersized sheepshead. The subjects were cited accordingly. 
• Officers St Martin and Snyder were on foot patrol when they noticed a group of anglers throwing cast nets. The officers contacted the group and conducted a resource inspection. The group pointed to a cooler where they had their fish. A resource inspection of the cooler yielded eight out-of-season and undersized snook, three undersized mangrove snapper, and one undersized sheepshead. The subjects were cited accordingly. 

Indian River County

• Officer Specialist Delano was on patrol at a nearby boat ramp when he observed a vehicle pull into the parking lot. The vehicle appeared to have saw palmetto berries and harvesting equipment in the back and the tag of the vehicle was facing the wrong way and was not well secured. Officer Delano conducted a traffic stop for the license plate violation and as he approached the vehicle, he confirmed the subjects had been harvesting saw palmetto berries. Upon asking the driver for his identification, the driver provided an ID card and stated he did not have a valid driver’s license. The subject also did not possess a valid saw palmetto berry permit and had been trespassing on nearby properties. The improperly attached tag to the vehicle was not assigned to that vehicle, and the vehicle wasn’t registered or insured. Officer Delano ran the subject’s information and confirmed the subject had felony warrants. The subject was arrested and taken to jail for the warrants and appropriately charged for the additional violations. 
• Officer Specialist Delano and Lieutenant Lightsey investigated a group of alligator hunters suspected of hunting out of area. In the early hours of the morning, Officer Delano observed the vessel and occupants leave their alligator management unit (AMU), enter another AMU and start hunting. Officer Delano and Lieutenant Lightsey waited at the boat ramp and conducted a resource inspection when the subjects returned. After checking the assigned alligator tags, the officers were able to verify the group was illegally hunting out of their assigned AMU and the group admitted to it. Appropriate citations were issued. 
• Officer Specialist Marroquin and Officer Rivard were patrolling Sebastian Inlet State Park when they observed an individual preparing to clean fish. The officers stopped to conduct a resource inspection and found the subject was in possession of 13 snapper in total. The mixed bag contained three legal mangrove snapper, nine undersized lane snapper, and one undersized mutton snapper. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the violations.
• Officer Specialist Delano was on patrol when he observed a vehicle on the side of the road loading bags of saw palmetto berries from St. Sebastian River State Park. Officer Delano pulled off the road to conduct a resource inspection. After a brief investigation, it was determined the driver of the vehicle was there to pick up the other subjects illegally harvesting saw palmetto berries from the state park. The subjects were cited accordingly, and the berries were returned to the state park.
• Officer St. Martin was on patrol when he received information that someone kept an illegal redfish at the Sebastian Inlet State Park. Officer St. Martin contacted the subject, and he claimed to not have any fish. A resource inspection of the suspect’s cooler revealed a harvested oversized and out-of-season redfish. The subject was cited accordingly. 
• Officers St. Martin and Snyder were on foot patrol when they noticed a group of anglers on the bank. They observed one of the anglers land a snook and put it in a bucket. The officers conducted a resource inspection and found an out-of-season snook still in the bucket after the angler denied catching anything. The subject was cited accordingly. 

Lake County

• Officer Stamp received information that subjects intentionally ran over a group of wild turkeys with their vehicle. With the information provided, the officer was able to track down the involved vehicle at a residence. Upon conducting an interview, the subject admitted a wild turkey was run over and they were in possession of it. Officer Stamp located a deceased wild turkey in the bed of a pickup truck, which showed signs consistent with being run over by a vehicle. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for possession of wild turkey during a closed season.

Marion County

• While on patrol inside the Ocala Wildlife Management Area, Senior Officer Campbell and Officers Roberts discovered two subjects illegally removing saw palmetto berries. During an investigation, one of the subjects was found in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Appropriate citations were issued for the removal of saw palmetto berries from the WMA, and one subject was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail for possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. 

Orange County

• Lieutenant Riley was conducting resource checks at Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area when he stopped an individual attempting leave the property in a quick manner. Upon checking the back of the pickup truck, Lieutenant Riley found the individual was in possession of two Florida box turtles. The individual was cited for attempting to take animals from a WMA.

Putnam County

• Officer Norris and Lieutenant Jones were on patrol near Veterans Memorial Park when they observed two groups of subjects throwing cast nets. While conducting a resource inspection, 11 bream were found in a plastic bag. An additional 10 bream were located in the grass, concealed under leaves. A total of 21 gamefish were determined to be harvested by illegal methods. The two subjects were issued citations for the violation. 
• Officer Galvan was on patrol at the Palatka Riverfront when he observed several subjects shrimping with cast nets. Upon inspection, it was determined one of the subjects had been keeping gamefish. The subject was in possession of two bream and was cited for an illegal method of harvesting gamefish. 
• While on foot patrol at a local fishing pier, Officer Specialist L. Dickson observed two subjects deploying a cast net. Upon conducting a resource inspection, the subjects were found to be in possession of freshwater gamefish. One subject was cited for taking gamefish by an illegal method.
• While on foot patrol at a local fishing pier, Officer Specialist D. Dickson and Officer Roberts observed three subjects fishing with a cast net. Upon conducting a resource inspection, the subjects were found to be in possession of several freshwater gamefish and had no fishing license. Citations were issued for taking gamefish by illegal method and no valid freshwater fishing license. 

Officer Carroll and Lieutenant Jones were patrolling the Palatka City Docks when they observed a group of subjects harvesting a large quantity of shrimp. After observing the subjects from a distance, a vehicle arrived, and the subjects began to load several coolers into the back. A resource inspection was conducted and three subjects were found to have 10 gallons over the legal daily limit. All three subjects were issued citations for the violation. St. Johns County Officer Self received a tip that an angler had concealed an oversized redfish in the trees at the Guana River Dam. After a search of the area, the fish was located. Officer Self then located the subject, who later admitted hiding the fish. The subject was subsequently arrested and cited for interference and possession of oversized redfish.  Officer Self was conducting inspections at the Vilano Boat Ramp when he observed signs of impairment from an individual who had just returned to the dock. After performing standardized field sobriety tasks, the individual was found to be impaired and arrested for boating under the influence.  Officer Specialist Lawrence was conducting resource inspections on Matanzas Bridge when he located a redfish that appeared to be oversized. A close inspection revealed the fish's tail had been cut off so it would appear to be of legal size. The subject was subsequently charged with possession of oversized redfish.  Volusia County Officer Cornell was patrolling a local state forest when he observed two subjects cutting commercially exploited plant life. Officer Cornell contacted the subjects and discovered they did not have permission to cut plant life in the forest and were not in possession of the required permits from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The subjects were charged appropriately.

CASES

Charlotte County

• Lieutenant Ruggiero was on patrol when he observed a vehicle parked in an obscure location of a wildlife management area. He approached the driver and heard what he believed were people moving in the nearby bushes. The driver stated he was there by himself. Lieutenant Ruggiero located saw palmetto berries and the driver then said he had picked the berries himself. K-9 Officer Garcia arrived on scene and deployed K-9 Jenny who almost immediately found a backpack and located another subject attempting to crawl away on his hands and knees. Eventually both individuals admitted there was a third subject in the woods. After another track using K-9 Jenny, the third subject had contacted the driver and told him he fled and was not coming back. The officers were able to determine a general location where the man might be and Officers Salem, Adkins and Perry quickly made their way to the location to look for him. The officers were able to locate the subject hiding in the bushes and waiting to be picked up about three-quarters of a mile away. The subjects were charged with harvesting saw palmetto berries without a permit, harvesting palmetto berries from the management area and interference with an FWC officer. 

Lee County

• Officer Hardgrove was on patrol when he observed a vessel returning from fishing. He stopped the people to conduct a fisheries inspection. He asked if they had caught any fish, and they indicated there was red grouper on board and all the fish were legal size. Officer Hardgrove told the subjects red grouper had been closed by special act for several weeks and after measuring the fish, he found one of them was also undersized. Two subjects were issued a notice to appear for possessing red grouper during the closure and a warning was issued for possession of an undersized red grouper. 

Pinellas County

• While on land patrol, Lieutenant Bibeau observed an individual fishing from underneath a bridge. He drove to a concealed location and watched the individual fish before making contact to conduct a fisheries inspection. While conducting the inspection, the individual advised they just started fishing and hadn’t caught any fish. Lieutenant Bibeau located a cooler nearby and found it contained one undersized redfish, two undersized mangrove snapper and an out-of-season, egg bearing stone crab. Lieutenant Bibeau issued the individual a citation and multiple warnings for fisheries violations.

CASES

Broward County

• Officer Constance was on water patrol in Hillsboro Inlet when he observed a vessel inbound from the Atlantic Ocean. He conducted a marine fishery inspection on the vessel. The operator, who was the sole person onboard, told him he did not catch any fish. Pursuant to the inspection, the individual was issued a notice to appear for possession of undersized yellowtail snapper.  
• Officers Comartin and Bouras were on water patrol near Hillsboro Inlet. They conducted a stop on a vessel for a slow speed/minimum wake violation in the intracoastal waterway. The officers then observed fishing gear on the vessel and conducted a fisheries inspection. One undersize dolphinfish was found. The subject was cited for the violations.
• Captive Wildlife Investigator Wright responded to a report of iguanas and tortoises at a residence. Upon arrival, Investigator Wright verified the subject was in possession of an iguana and various tortoises, one of which was determined to be a gopher tortoise. Iguanas are a prohibited species and require a license to possess. Gopher tortoises are listed as a state threatened species and require a special permit to possess.  A citation was issued for the illegal possession of the gopher tortoise and seven warnings were issued for the illegal possession of the iguana and related caging violations. The iguana was placed at a licensed facility, and the gopher tortoise was reintroduced into the wild.  Officer Constance assisted with this incident. 

St. Lucie County

• Officer’s Koger and Moss were on patrol eight miles offshore in the area of the St. Lucie Humps when they initiated a vessel stop to conduct a fisheries inspection. Officer Koger located three undersized dolphinfish. The two subjects onboard told the officer they had each equally participated in the harvest of the fish.  Both individuals were issued a citation for the violation.  In addition, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agents will review the case, and each could also receive federal citations. 
• Officer Landers was patrolling offshore the St. Lucie Inlet when he saw a vessel coming in from fishing. Officer Landers conducted a fisheries inspection, which revealed three undersized dolphinfish.  Each subject onboard was issued a citation for possession of undersized dolphinfish.

Martin County

• Officer Reinhardt was on Hutchinson Island when he observed a truck pulled off the road with its bed full of saw palmetto berries. He observed two subjects on private property cutting and transporting saw palmetto berries to the truck. Officer Reinhardt initiated a stop to inspect the two individual’s permits. When asked, the two individuals advised they did not have any permits to harvest the saw palmetto berries nor did they have landowner permission to be on the property. The two individuals were given citations with mandatory notices to appear at the Martin County Courthouse. The saw palmetto berries were seized and returned to the property owner. 

Palm Beach County

• Senior Officer Webb was patrolling the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area and checking hunters entering the WMA to set up their campsite for the season. Upon contact with an individual, he received information from dispatch the subject was wanted by Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office for fraud and theft. Officer Webb placed the subject in custody and turned him over to PBSO for processing. 

CASES

Monroe County While on water patrol bayside of Marathon, Officers Sturgeon and Esilva observed a commercial lobster vessel dock at Carlos Seafood. The officers conducted a resource inspection and discovered 29 undersize spiny lobster. The first mate was placed under arrest and charged with 29 counts pertaining to undersized spiny lobster. The subject was taken to Stock Island Jail.

• FWC dispatched received a call at about 9:30 p.m. regarding a missing 20-year-old male. The caller indicated the missing individual may have fallen off the boat near Mile Marker 98 on the bayside. Witness accounts of the subject’s location were not consistent. Officers searched by land, air, and water for the missing man. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and approximately 50 civilians searched the grounds and marina of the condo complex for almost two hours. FWC officers found the subject in a condo that was not his. He was escorted out of the condo and checked by local EMS.
• Officer Joey Esilva was on uniformed patrol in a marked vessel bayside of Marathon when he responded to a report of a vessel with four subjects who might be taking spiny lobster out of commercial lobster traps. The officer found a vessel matching the description anchored in the location provided by the complainant. A resource inspection revealed 20 spiny lobster in the livewell with seven of them under the minimum carapace size limit of 3 inches. Further investigation revealed only three of the four subjects aboard had been lobstering that day. The spiny lobster bag limit in Monroe County, Florida is six per person. The subjects possessed two more spiny lobster than their allowed combined bag limit of 18. When questioned, the subjects did not admit to taking lobster out of the commercial lobster traps.  Inspection of the closest commercial lobster traps revealed what appeared to be evidence of molestation including two of the traps being left partially open. A call to the owner of the commercial lobster traps revealed he had not recently inspected them. The subjects were arrested for the violations and brought to Stock Island Jail.

RESCUES

Monroe County

• The FWC received a 911 call around 8:15 p.m. regarding an overdue paddleboarder near Sunshine Key. The subject went out on the paddleboard before sunset and the family could not reach her via mobile device. The paddleboarder’s last known position was bayside of Missouri Key. FWC officers coordinated a search in conjunction with U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Officers Garcia and Winter, and Lieutenant Sapp began to search down-sea and down-wind of the last known position using thermal imagery, radar, and sound. At approximately 9:40 p.m., the officers heard a faint cry for help. They found the paddleboarder about a mile out in open water. She was cold, dehydrated and hungry but extremely happy to have been found. The subject had become disoriented after sunset and was unable to fight the wind and current.  She was reunited with her husband and daughter at Sunshine Key.

FWC Division of Law Enforcement Regions