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January 3, 2025, through January 9, 2025
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
Santa Rosa County
- Officer Brown conducted a resource inspection after sunset on a vessel without the proper navigation lights. During the vessel stop, the subject admitted to catching striped bass. Officer Brown observed undersized striped bass in the subject's cooler. The subject was cited appropriately.
Wakulla County
- Officer M. Fernbach observed a group of subjects hunting ducks inside the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Officer M. Fernbach contacted the subjects and issued the appropriate citations
 CASES
Baker County
- Master Officer Burnsed located a pickup truck in the Osceola National Forest with its dogbox recently washed possibly to conceal an illegally taken deer. He contacted the driver and they denied harvesting a deer but through his investigation, Officer Burnsed located a recently killed antlered deer in the subject’s camp. Officer Burnsed again contacted the owner of the truck and he admitted to killing the illegal antlered deer. Charges were filed with the State Attorney's Office.
- While patrolling Osceola National Forest Lieutenant Douglas heard a deer running followed by several shots in front of hunting dogs. During his investigation, none of the eight subjects in the group would admit to shooting. K-9 Officers Gill and Yates arrived to assist in locating evidence. Officer Gill and K-9 Camo located a recently killed antlerless deer. Officer Yates deployed K-9 Harlow and located freshly fired shotgun casings. Master Officer Burnsed interviewed the subjects again and two of the subjects admitted to shooting the antlerless deer. Charges were filed with the State Attorney's Office.
- Officer Hauge responded to a call about someone hunting in a local hunting club with a gun and light. A club member received a video from his cell game camera of a person shining a light while in possession of a rifle. The subject was identified as a convicted felon. The subject was picked up on other warrants and confessed to the violations. Charges of hunting with a gun and light, armed trespass and possession of firearm by convicted felon will be charged with the State Attorney's Office.
Duval County
- Officer Moran and Senior Officer Stuhr conducted a fisheries inspection of two subjects who were found to be in possession of multiple undersized red drum and seatrout. Additionally, neither subject had a fishing license. The subjects were charged for the violations.
 CASES
Flagler County
- Officer Specialist Christmas conducted a freshwater fisheries inspection on a subject fishing at a local bridge. The inspection revealed the subject did not have a freshwater fishing license and his fishing privileges had been suspended. The subject received a citation for fishing while privileges were suspended.
Indian River County
- Officer Hopkins observed a subject trespassing on private property. He reached out to the landowner who informed him where the subject’s vehicle was parked. K-9 Senior Officer Platt and K-9 Bolo were called to the area. K-9 Bolo ran a track and was able to locate the subject, who was pursuing game illegally on the property.
Lake County
- Officer Tuckfield observed a commercial fishing vessel along the north side of Lake Apopka with one person on board who was pulling fish from a gillnet. Officer Tuckfield recognized the vessel as one of the permitted vessels to catch gizzard shad on the lake. He watched the subject begin throwing dead Florida bass and crappie into the water. Officer Tuckfield conducted a boating safety and resource inspection. During the inspection, he observed numerous dead gizzard shad, crappie, and Florida bass entangled in a gillnet. The subject stated the lake was too windy and made it a hassle to sort the fish, so they came to the canal to sort them there. Officer Tuckfield informed the subject they must sort their catch and release any gamefish immediately. He issued the subject notice to appear citations for taking gamefish by illegal method and wanton or willful waste of freshwater fish.
- Officer Stamp responded to information about subjects hunting in a closed area of Emeralda Marsh Public Small Game Hunting Area. Upon arrival, he observed one subject sitting on the levee holding a shotgun. A second subject was observed retrieving a duck just harvested from the levee. Officer Stamp made contact with the subjects and conducted a resource and license inspection. The investigation revealed the subjects harvested four ducks from the levee, which is prohibited to hunt from. Appropriate citations and warnings were issued for hunting from a closed area.
- Senior Officer Phillips observed a vehicle pull off the side of the road at Richloam Wildlife Management Area. He watched a subject exit the vehicle wearing a blaze orange vest and holding a shotgun. The subject walked to the middle of the roadway and stood there looking toward the woods on both sides of the road. A short time later, multiple hunting dogs exited the woods to the location where the subject was standing in the roadway. Officer Phillips contacted the subject to conduct a license and resource inspection. During the inspection, the subject admitted to hunting and stated they knew they weren’t supposed to be hunting from the roadway. Officer Phillips issued the subject a notice to appear citation for hunting from a prohibited roadway in the WMA.
Marion County
- Officers Constance and Brooks contacted subjects who were returning to a boat ramp after hunting ducks at a local wildlife management area. During a resource inspection the subjects were found to be in possession of a juvenile common gallinule (moorhen) out of season. During a license check, the subjects were found without a federal duck stamp. Appropriate citations were issued.
- While checking subjects hunting ducks at a wildlife management area, Officers Constance, Aultman, and Brooks heard three gunshots from nearby woods. They responded to the area and located several vehicles with subjects dressed in camouflage on foot in the area. An investigation revealed three freshly spent shotgun shells and a recently killed antlered deer nearby. Upon inspection, the deer did not meet legal antler point regulations. After conducting a thorough investigation, officers were able to identify and locate a subject. The subject admitted to shooting the deer and leaving it behind. The subject was cited for taking an antlered deer that did not meet antler point regulations and willful and wanton waste of wildlife.
St. Johns County
- While on water patrol, Officer Specialist Lawrence and Senior Officer Thomas stopped a vessel inside the St. Augustine Inlet that was returning from offshore fishing. The operator stated he had a mutton snapper onboard. Upon boarding and inspection, Officer Thomas located a graysby grouper. Grouper season closes every year from January through April. Officer Thomas issued the operator a citation for possession of graysby grouper during closed season.
 CASES
Lee County
- Officer Lejarzar observed a commercial fishing vessel strike out multiple nets from one vessel. He conducted a fisheries inspection and determined some of the nets were illegally tied together and that the subject had struck out more nets than they were allowed to deploy from a single boat. A check of the subject’s history revealed he had been issued citations for the same violation in the past. The subject was issued citations. Officer Lejarzar also determined the nets were not properly marked and so additional charges will be filed with the State Attorney’s Office.
Manatee County
- Senior Officer Hinds and Officer Specialist Miller were observing two individuals who were duck hunting around Robison Preserve. One of the individuals shot at ducks past legal shooting hours. The individual was stopped and an inspection revealed the individual was missing a plug in their shotgun. The individual will have to appear in Manatee County Court for the violations.
- Officer Specialist Miller observed an individual fishing along the shore around Bayshore Gardens. As the individual was packing up to leave, a resource inspection revealed the individual had kept five seatrout over the bag limit. The individual will have to appear in Manatee County Court for the violations.
Sarasota County
- Officer Specialist Morrow was patrolling in the Manasota Key area when a vessel with fishing rods came into the boat ramp. Officer Specialist Morrow conducted a resource inspection on the vessel and found the individual had caught and kept an undersized, out-of-season snook. The subject will have to appear in Sarasota County Court for the violation.
 CASES
Broward County
- While assisting federal partners on a case, Captain Hart and Officers Willis and Dudas conducted a fisheries inspection during the vessel stop at Port Everglades Inlet and 15th Street and discovered 51 wrung lobster tails and nine pieces of conch on board. Willis issued the vessel operator multiple citations including harvesting or possessing undersized spiny lobster, spiny lobsters not in whole condition, the harvest of more than six spiny lobsters per recreational harvester per day, and the take and possession of queen conch.
- Officers Cusick, Davis, and Officer Specialist Bruder conducted a resource inspection at the Port Everglades Inlet. Their inspection revealed the vessel was returning from the Bahamas with 25 demersal fish and 36 wrung spiny lobster tails onboard. The officers issued the operator three federal citations for Lacy Act violations.
- Officers Hammad and Olivera conducted water patrol near the Port Everglades Inlet, where they observed five personal watercrafts operating at high speeds in a slow-speed zone. They also noted several registration violations. The officers stopped the PWCs to address these issues and upon contacting the operators, they discovered the PWCs were rented, prompting an investigation into the rental operation. Their investigation revealed the individuals who had rented the PWCs were in violation of several regulations including they lacked an FWC livery permit, did not have the required insurance, knowingly rented the PWCs to five individuals who did not possess a boating safety education identification card, failed to provide written rental agreements, did not conduct pre-rental or pre-ride instruction, and did not have records available for inspection. Additionally, two of the renters were charged with renting a PWC that lacked the required safety equipment on board. The officers issued 26 notice to appear citations to the four individuals who rented the PWCs.
- Officer Willis conducted land patrol at Stormwater Treatment Area 3/4 where he stopped a vehicle to perform a resource inspection and a license check related to duck hunting. During the inspection, Willis discovered one of the occupants of the vehicle did not possess a migratory bird permit. As a result, Willis issued a notice to appear citation for the violation.
- Officers Hammad and Olivera conducted land patrol near U.S. 27 and South Florida Water Management District lands when they observed a vehicle driving past them at a high rate of speed. The officers noticed the vehicle was recklessly weaving between other cars, forcing other drivers to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. Hammad and Olivera initiated a traffic stop to address this violation. They issued a citation for reckless driving.
Palm Beach County
- Lieutenant Brodbeck was on vessel patrol in Boynton Beach and observed a rental vessel on plane passing through a bridge posted as a slow speed zone. While speaking with the operator, Lt. Brodbeck observed the fire extinguisher gauge displaying empty. Due to the safety gear deficiency on board a livery vessel, the vessel returned to the rental dock, where Lt. Brodbeck issued the owner of the business a uniform boating citation for renting a vessel with improper safety equipment.
- Officers Lardakis, Yetter, and Moss conducted a fisheries inspection on a vessel coming from offshore to Jupiter Inlet. Officer Lardakis inspected their live well and found they were in possession of an egg bearing spiny lobster. The boat captain was issued a misdemeanor summons for the violation. Later the team conducted a resource inspection on an inbound charter fishing vessel and found several undersized mutton and yellowtail snapper among their catch. The charter captain was issued a notice to appear for possession of less than legal sized mutton snapper and a warning for less than legal sized yellowtail.
 CASES
Collier County
- Officer Parlapiano responded to a complaint regarding an individual keeping three snook on Tigertail Beach. Officer Parlapiano observed an individual who matched the description setting down a stringer of fish on the beach. Officer Parlapiano conducted a resource inspection and located three undersized snook on the stringer and two sheepshead, one of which was undersized. Officer Parlapiano issued the subject a notice to appear for take of snook during the closed season, violation of snook bag limits, possession of undersized snook and for possession of an undersized sheepshead. The subject was also issued a citation for not having a valid snook permit.
- Officers Richards, Foell, Esilva and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Officer Powell conducted an inspection on a commercial shrimp vessel anchored south of Key West. During the inspection, the officers located 32 wrung spiny lobster tails, 20 of them measuring less than the legal minimum size. The officers also located a bag containing 39 frozen scrawled cowfish, a species designated as marine life, which requires them to be alive, and a recreational bag limit. One of the crew members admitted to catching the spiny lobster and scrawled cowfish in the shrimp nets and admitted to keeping them. The subject was arrested and transported to the Stock Island Detention Center
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