(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report Patrol, Protect, Preserve May 10, 2019 through May 23, 2019 This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past two weeks; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. NORTHWEST REGION CASES BAY COUNTY Officers Hellett and Gore and Lieutenant J. Allen worked a night detail at St. Andrews State Park. Lieutenant Allen saw a vehicle pull up to the entrance gate. The passenger got out of the vehicle and pushed up the gate arm, allowing the vehicle to pull through. The officers stopped the vehicle and consent was given to search the vehicle. Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle. The operator was arrested and taken to the Bay County Jail on the drug and paraphernalia charges. The operator was also cited for driving with a suspended license. Both the driver and passenger were issued citations for evasion of state park fees. FRANKLIN COUNTY Officers Swindell and Pestka conducted resource inspections on the Eastpoint Fishing Pier. They encountered two subjects fishing who had more than 30 saltwater catfish on the pier next to them. The subjects were leaving the fish on the pier to die. One subject was cited for failure to return a marine organism to the water. Officers Swindell and Pestka patrolled the Lanark Reef Critical Wildlife Area (CWA). They saw a vessel anchored within the boundary and three people walking on the CWA. They spoke to the subjects who said they saw the posted signs but chose to ignore them. The area is designated as closed to public due to the nesting shorebirds. The captain of the vessel was cited for accessing an area closed to the public. Officer Kossey saw a subject fishing from a closed city dock. Officer Kossey conducted a resource inspection and found the subject in possession of undersized and over the bag limit of redfish. The subject was cited, and the fish seized as evidence. GULF COUNTY Officer Gerber stopped a vessel occupied by two individuals on the Apalachicola River. During his inspection, he found them to be in possession of several flathead catfish. The individuals said they had caught the fish on limb hooks. Officer Gerber noticed one of the individuals attempting to hide a shocking device with his feet. Both individuals admitted to shocking catfish with the device and using a gig to retrieve the fish. Both subjects were cited for the use and possession of a device capable of producing an electrical current enough to stun or shock freshwater fish. Officer McMillion and Lieutenant Guy conducted a resource inspection on a commercial fishing vessel at the Port St. Joe City Ramp. During the inspection, two spotted seatrout were located under a bag of ice in a separate cooler. The captain received a citation for commercial harvest of undersized spotted seatrout, harvest of seatrout during the closed season and possession of illegal gear for harvesting. JEFFERSON COUNTY While patrolling the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) portion of the Aucilla Wildlife Management Area, Officer Wilcox encountered two individuals consuming alcohol which is prohibited by SRWMD rules. During the stop, dispatch told Officer Wilcox that one of the individuals had an active warrant out of Taylor County. Both individuals were given warnings for possession of alcohol on SRWMD lands, and the subject with the outstanding warrant was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County Jail. WAKULLA COUNTY Officer Specialist Raker and Officer Nelson were patrolling Oyster Bay when they saw two subjects fishing. They conducted a resource inspection and found the subjects in possession of an undersized red drum. They also located cannabis during their investigation. The subjects were cited for possession of undersized red drum and possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis. Officer Morales was patrolling in the Apalachee Bay south of St. Marks when he conducted a resource inspection on a vessel. The subjects were found to be in possession of undersized flounder that they were using as bait. The subjects were cited for not landing flounder in whole condition and possession of undersized flounder. Officer Specialist Raker was dispatched to an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Landing Notification in Wakulla County. Upon arrival, he was unable to locate the vessel for the dockside inspection. He continued to investigate with the assistance of Officer B. Hughes. Several hours later when the vessel docked, they conducted a boating safety and resource inspection. The subject was cited for failure to land within notification allotment. COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING – EXPANDING PARTICIPATION IN CONSERVATION LEON COUNTY As part of FWC’s “Adopt-a-School” program, Lieutenant Wass de Czege spent a morning reading to four different groups of 1st and 2nd graders at Fort Braden School. He read them “The Lorax” and brought an alligator for the kids to see. After interacting with the elementary school children, Lieutenant Wass de Czege gave a short presentation on conservation law enforcement to a 6th grade science class. SANTA ROSA COUNTY Officers Land and Lewis displayed an FWC patrol vessel at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze and spoke to approximately 150 Gulf Breeze Middle School students. The officers educated students about boating safety, fish and wildlife regulations, and the role of an FWC officer in protecting Florida’s natural resources.

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