Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The FWC is inviting the public to weigh in on conservation practices designed to improve conditions for the owls.

The FWC says the disease was found in a 4-year-old female white-tailed deer that was hit by a car in Holmes County.

On Thursday, state environmental officials will vote on new restrictions for people mooring boats in the Weeki Wachee River.

State wildlife officials lobbied for the change before they announced Operation Viper, in which people were busted for allegedly illegally selling venomous snakes.

They say the federal government has previously agreed to added protections for the species but has since backtracked.

Last year was the second-worst ever when it comes to manatee deaths in Florida. Some 800 mortalities were recorded in 2022.

A new law that requires boat renters to carry insurance could put the industry in jeopardy.

Wildlife commission staff brought in law enforcement and an expert on global turtle trafficking to make the case against captive breeding of diamondback terrapins, while the majority of public commenters were for it.

The captive breeding of diamondback terrapins has not been allowed in Florida since 2006, but wildlife officials on Wednesday will discuss whether to bring it back.

While an original plan was presented in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now wants to designate approximately 1.2 million acres as critical habitat across 13 counties - this marks a 21% reduction from the previous proposal.