FLORIDA — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has issued Executive Order 22-06, which extends many of the temporary deviations from the Gopher Tortoise Permitting Guidelines authorized in Executive Order 21-27, including temporary on-site relocation.
The temporary changes authorized in the order address the current high demand for placements at gopher tortoise recipient sites to ensure gopher tortoises are safely and humanely relocated out of harm’s way on development sites.
Permitting for development sites has increased significantly over the past few years, increasing the demand for recipient site capacity.
The permitted relocation of all gopher tortoises from development sites has been required since 2008 when the gopher tortoise was listed as state-Threatened.
Tortoises are typically relocated to permitted gopher tortoise recipient sites which provide security for the gopher tortoise and its habitat.
Since the program began, more than 45,000 tortoises have been placed at recipient sites with long-term protections. These long-term protected recipient sites currently include approximately 77,000 acres under conservation easement.
The use of gopher tortoise recipient sites has conserved significant acreage of habitat for gopher tortoises and other wildlife that might otherwise have been lost to development.
The new order removes previous deviations for on-site relocations and temporary placements on public land.
The Executive Order, which is now in effect, does not provide any blanket authorizations nor does it reduce or eliminate the need for permitting.
The Executive Order is in place for 60 days, beginning on February 16, 2022.
The need to extend the Order, and the temporary provisions provided therein, will be evaluated towards the end of this 60-day period.
