UPDATE! Florida Senate Bill 1414 recently passed out of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on a unanimous 5-0 vote. The bill will now be heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m. in the Florida Senate Building, room 301.
Florida House Bill 777 and Florida Senate Bill 1414, introduced by State Representative Tommy Gregory and State Senator Debbie Mayfield, would strengthen and further prohibit the harassment of sportsmen in Florida by including protection on all public and private land and water.
Take Action Today! Florida sportsmen should call their state legislators and ask them to SUPPORT House Bill 777 and Senate Bill 1414. Florida members can contact their legislators by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
Current Florida law prohibits the intentional harassment of hunters, trappers or fisherman and/or the prevention of the lawful taking of legal fish or game on the state’s public or private property. Under current hunter harassment laws, public land or water is only technically protected if it is state owned property. The new language in these bills would further protect sportsmen from harassment on all lawful Florida public fishing and hunting lands, including federal property.
“The Sportsmen’s Alliance has been the leading organization championing strong hunter harassment laws across the U.S. This kind of legislation will bring more sportsmen into the field and provide greater protection in the pursuit of outdoor opportunities for our Florida members,” said Jacob Hupp, associate director of state services at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “When sportsmen and women exercise their rights and pursue their passions, they should be able to do so without fear for their privacy or personal safety.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.