The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Commission) is considering changes to state Gulf red snapper regulations based on recent federal regulation changes. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce recently approved delegating authority to manage private recreational red snapper harvest in federal waters from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council)/NOAA Fisheries to the states long-term starting in 2020. The purpose of these rule amendments is to extend Florida’s regulations for Gulf recreational red snapper harvest (i.e., seasons, bag limits, and size limits) into Gulf federal waters. This rule amendment would also streamline the process used to set the season and allow federally-permitted for-hire vessels, which have their own season set by NOAA Fisheries, to possess (but not harvest) red snapper in state waters while the federal for-hire season is open but state waters are closed. Additionally, this rule amendment will also include minor, non-substantive technical changes to current rule language.