The Leon/Jefferson County area is one of the hotspots in the state in terms of duck hunting activity. Several large public lakes offer most of the public duck hunting opportunity. There has been a long tradition for hunters to build and hunt from ...

 

FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Freshwater Fish and Wildlife

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.

DATE AND TIME: June 3, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

PLACE: Lawton Chiles High School Cafeteria, 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane, Tallahassee, FL 32312

GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: The Leon/Jefferson County area is one of the hotspots in the state in terms of duck hunting activity. Several large public lakes offer most of the public duck hunting opportunity. There has been a long tradition for hunters to build and hunt from permanent blinds, most of which are left in place after the hunting season.

The blinds have had a negative effect on equitable public access to certain portions of the lakes for hunting. In addition, the placement of permanent blinds is in violation of Board of Trustees sovereign submerged lands rules, results in boating hazards, and decreases the aesthetic value of these public lakes. In recent years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has tried to resolve this issue through education and outreach to the local duck hunting community. Despite those efforts, hunters continue to build and use blinds, and the resulting territorial conflicts among hunters seem to be increasing. This situation has pushed us toward proposing regulatory measures, with a rule change to be in effect for the 2008-09 hunting season.

The proposed rule would prohibit waterfowl hunting from or within 30 yards of any permanent blind on several lakes in the Leon and Jefferson County area, specifically lakes Miccosukee, Iamonia, and Jackson, and Carr Lake. In conjunction, the proposal would establish in rule a definition for “permanent blind.”

The public is invited to attend a meeting at the Lawton Chiles High School, Tallahassee, to discuss the proposed change. The public is also invited to submit comments on this proposed change (www.MyFWC.com), which is currently being considered by FWC staff. A summary of all comments received will be made available to the FWC Commissioners. Electronic comments must be submitted no later than June 2, 2008. The results of this public input process will be presented to the FWC Commissioners at their June 11-12, 2008, meeting in Dania Beach, Florida where they will consider a request from staff to officially publish proposed rule changes. The Commission will consider final adoption of these rule changes in September, 2008, in Jacksonville. If adopted, the rule would take effect for the 2008-2009 regular waterfowl season.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 5 days before the workshop/meeting by contacting the ADA Coordinator at [phone]. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).

For more information, you may contact: Diane Eggeman, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Hunting and Game Management, 620 South Meridian Street, Tallahassee, Florida, [phone].