Our Fla Friends Need Our Help!!!!!!

[FatBoy]

Everyone give Florida large constrictor owners a hand PLEASE. A proposed bill in Florida (SB 318) that would prohibit the importation, breeding, sale, and POSSESSION of large constrictors. To POLITELY voice your opinion you can reach committee chair Senator Constantine at 407-331-9675 or you can e-mail him at Constantine.Lee.web@flsenate.gov

Here is a copy of the email I just sent:

Dear Sir...I am not from FL but I am a responsible snake owner, and I vote. I would like to ask you to oppose SB318. Responsible owners are not responsible for the python problem in your state. Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated by reptile owners everywhere.

Frankie Burney
4979 Burney Ford Rd
Clarkton, NC 28433
910-874-4488

On a personal note...I would much rather find a 20ft python in my back yard than a 10ft gator, or aggravated pit bull!!

[CoolioTiffany]

I emailed, I hope everyone on the forum will as well.

Damn bills.

[Russ Lawson]

Here's a copy of the letter I sent (I'm in FL, so it affects me a bit more, hence the lengthy letter):

Dear Senator Constantine

I am a life-long Florida resident writing to urge that you oppose Florida Senate Bill S318. This bill seeks to amend the current Reptiles of Concern (RoC) legislation enacted in 2008 to convert it into a ban on the species listed as Reptiles of Concern. This legislation would be very damaging to many Florida businesses, while doing nothing to address the issue of the established population of Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Everglades National Park (ENP).

The main problem with amending the Reptiles of Concern legislation so soon after its inception is that it has not been given enough time to do its job. The current legislation is sufficient in that it mandates secure caging requirements for Reptiles of Concern, requires each Reptile of Concern to be microchipped so it can be tracked, and requires an inventory of each Reptile of Concern be kept by the breeder. Additionally, a yearly permit fee (on top of the fee that is already paid to exhibit reptiles and amphibians for sale) is required, which is a large deterrent to any irresponsible individual who may want to purchase a large constrictor.

There are currently many responsible breeders who keep Reptiles of Concern in Florida, and have collections upwards of several hundred animals. Most sales of these animals are out of state because they currently cannot be sold to anyone in the state of Florida who is not RoC permitted themselves. This legislation would effectively destroy these businesses, which would remove a significant portion of the $3 billion a year reptile industry in the United States. Additionally, even though these animals would be allowed to be kept for the remainder of their lives, it would become extremely cost-inefficient for these individuals to keep them because they would no longer be able to earn revenue from their sales. It can cost thousands of dollars a month in food alone to keep a moderately-sized collection of large constrictors alive. With no way to afford their upkeep, these breeders would be forced to attempt to sell these animals illegally, euthanize them, or release them into the wild - none of which is an acceptable option.

This legislation also makes the false assumption that the population of Burmese pythons in the Everglades is a direct result of the people who are currently keeping them. While the media likes to proclaim that the population of pythons in the Everglades is the result of irresponsible owners releasing their pets, there is simply no evidence to support this. It is currently illegal to release an exotic species in the ENP, and there has never been one documented case of the deliberate release of a Burmese python into the Everglades. There is, however, plenty of evidence that suggests Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was responsible for putting enough of these animals in the Everglades to allow for a population to be established. There was at least one reptile importer's building in Homestead, FL which was picked up by this devastating storm, and deposited directly into the Everglades. Additionally, there was research presented to the South Florida Water Management District based on genetic testing of 150 Burmese pythons collected in and around the ENP that concluded that all were very closely related, and likely even from the same parent animals. There would be substantially more genetic diversity in these animals if this was the result of many irresponsible pet owners releasing animals into the ENP over the past 20+ years.

For me personally, this legislation would mean that I could never keep and breed dwarf variants of Burmese/Indian pythons (Python molurus) and reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus), which I have been eager to work with since I first heard of them being imported into the country. These animals are basically miniature insular versions of their mainland counterparts, and can be easily and safely managed by a single individual. This year would have been the first year I would have been able to keep them, and I was planning to largely expand into breeding these animals over the course of the next several years. I was forced to postpone acquiring an RoC permit, as well as attempting to find animals I was interested in investing my time and money in, when I saw this piece of legislation because I simply would not be able to afford to keep them if I was unable to offset the cost by selling their offspring.

Again, I please urge you to oppose Florida S318. The current Reptiles of Concern law is working; it just needs more time to accomplish its mandate. This bill would have a large negative affect on me personally, and would be particularly damaging to the many breeders of RoC animals in the state of Florida. Additionally, the negative consequences of S318 could potentially extend to greatly worsening the problem it was drafted to solve. The current Reptiles of Concern law, combined with the current efforts by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and with help from Florida reptile breeders, is more than enough to combat the python problem in the Everglades.

Thank you for your time,

Russell W. Lawson, Jr.
16718 Bay Club Drive
Clermont, FL 34711
(407) 497-3586

[MustBeSatan]

Now THAT is a letter.