Panama City Man Nabbed by Florida FWC Officer for Running Over Pelican
A Panama City man faces a host of charges after a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer saw him run over and kill a brown pelican in St. Andrew Bay, then flee when the officer tried to stop him.
Brian R. Robinson, 31, of 2005 Drummond Ave., Panama City, is charged with killing a brown pelican, which is a protected species; fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer; boating under the influence; and violation of an idle-speed zone in Grand Lagoon.
According to an arrest report, FWC Officer Dennis Palmer was patrolling St. Andrew Bay on Aug. 17 at 6:15 p.m. and approaching Carl Gray Park when he saw someone in black swim trunks on a yellow and black personal watercraft (PWC) circling a pelican on the water, then running over and killing the bird. Palmer got within 30 yards of the person, later identified as Robinson, and ordered him to stop.
Robinson, however, had other plans.
“He looked at me and took off for Hathaway Bridge and toward the Panama City Pass,” Palmer said.
As other FWC officers responded by boat and vehicles on Thomas Drive, Palmer pursued Robinson to Grand Lagoon, where Robinson abandoned the PWC at Treasure Island Marina and attempted to hide in the facility’s men’s room.
Palmer’s report notes that Robinson consented to a breath test, where he measured .153, well over the legal impairment limit. Robinson was transported to the Bay County Jail. His PWC was seized as evidence. The dead pelican was later collected.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
