Florida FWC Planning Open Houses to Get Input on Bass Regulations
Tell us what you think about freshwater bass regulations.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) freshwater fisheries biologists are looking for angler input during a series of open houses to be held around the state.
“This is an opportunity for anglers to provide their thoughts and ideas about Florida largemouth bass regulations. Should they stay the same? Should changes be made? You tell us,” said Allen Martin, regional freshwater fisheries biologist for the FWC.
Open houses will be available for the public to come in, talk to biologists and let FWC staff know what they think.
“Anglers are welcome to come into the open houses at any point. There’s no set schedule. You can come in for 10 minutes or stay for an hour,” Martin said. “The open house format is casual and for angler input about bass regulations only. We want people to let us know what they think.”
The scheduled open houses are from 5-8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Here are the locations and dates:
Feb. 28 – Lake Placid
H.L. Bishop Park
10 Lake June Clubhouse Road
*March 1-3 – Tampa
Florida State Fairgrounds
4800 N U.S. Highway 301
* This will be done at the FWC booth during the fair. FWC staff will be available all hours of the show.
March 11 – Okeechobee
C. Scott Driver Park
3950 SW 99th Drive
March 12 – Dania Beach
Bass Pro Shops
200 Gulf Stream Way
March 18 (4-7 p.m.) – Gainesville
Gary’s Tackle Box
5721 NW 13th St.
March 19 – Ocala
Gander Mountain
3970 SW 3rd St.
March 22 – Lake Mary
Gander Mountain
3750 Flagg Lane
April 1 – Jacksonville
Gander Mountain
13075 City Square Drive
April 2 – St. Augustine
Gander Mountain
550 Prime Outlets Blvd.
Early April (date TBD) – Tallahassee
Location TBD
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.
