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Increases On License Fees Set To Begin Statewide

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By Frank Sargeant, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2007

Starting Monday, it will be a bit more expensive to fish or hunt in Florida. The Legislature passed the first fee increase in decades at the request of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Commission spokesman Bob Wattendorf said the increases, about $4 per license for Florida residents, fall far short of cost-of-living increases.

'The last time fishing license fees were increased was 1989, and at that time gasoline was 89 cents a gallon. It's about three times that now,' Wattendorf said. 'What we're trying to do is just keep the agency fiscally sound and prevent shortfalls that would force us to cut back on enforcement or research or other programs that the public wants.'

Sandra Wilson, the commission's director of finance and budget, said the increase will produce an added $10 million annually on average, and is aimed at offsetting a $12.5 million annual deficit the agency would have faced without it.

One spot where the Legislature stumbled was in not removing the current exemption for saltwater anglers fishing from shore. The commission says there are some 200,000 anglers taking the resource this way, but not sharing in the burden of license fees. It's estimated the agency would earn close to $2 million more if the exemption was removed, and it also would gain added federal funds of around $7 per license sold.

'The increase will allow our habitat restoration, fish stocking, enforcement and outreach programs to continue without cuts,' Wattendorf said. 'We can't guarantee that some things won't be trimmed in the future, but the expectation is the license fee increases will prevent us from going backwards.'

In defending the increases, Wattendorf also pointed out that outdoors people get a lot of potential entertainment for their money: 'This is a year-round privilege, so if you compare it to the cost of going to the movies or a round of golf or whatever, it's really very inexpensive.'

And how. Bought any movie-house popcorn lately?

Wattendorf said the new license structure will bring Florida's fees more in line with other states, particularly for the millions of non-residents who fish here in winter.

Annual freshwater or saltwater licenses for residents will rise from $13.50 to $17, including the $1.50 issuing fee. Annual hunting goes from $12.50 to $17. Annual combination hunting/freshwater fishing goes from $23.50 to $32.50, as do combination freshwater/saltwater licenses.

For those who want all hunting, fishing and permits in a single package, the Gold Sportsman's License goes from $88.50 to $100.

Non-residents will see considerably greater fee increases. The seven-day non-resident fishing license for freshwater or saltwater will nearly double from $16.50 to $30. The annual freshwater or saltwater license will go from $31.50 to $47. A new category, the three-day freshwater license, has been added; it's $17, matching the new rate on the existing three-day saltwater license.

To beat the increase, visit www.myfwc.com before midnight tonight and buy a license online with a credit card; the old fees apply until then. A printout with a code number allows you to hunt or fish immediately, and a hard copy of the license is mailed to you in a few days.

DUCK STAMPS ONLINE: Hunters can buy federal duck stamps online this year. Florida is one of nine states offering the service. The stamp, formerly sold only at post offices and license agencies, is required in addition to a hunting license to hunt waterfowl. The stamp costs $17.50. Proceeds from the stamps have raised some $700 million since 1934, which was used to preserve about 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat. A printable voucher is issued online for those who use the Internet service. The stamp also provides free admission to any national wildlife refuge, For details, visit www.myfwc.com.

A GRAND TIME: Mike Manning won the Coastal Conservation Association's All-Release Grand Slam award last weekend with a combo of a 33.5-inch snook, 24-inch redfish and 15-inch trout. The top redfish angler was John Lee with 70.5 total inches; top snooker was Eric Wise with a single 26-incher; and top trout angler was Christina McCreary with a total of 174 inches. Diane Hartt was the top woman trout angler with a 19-incher, and Judy Ferlita had the biggest redfish, 20 inches.

FREE CLINIC: Tribune correspondent and offshore captain Randy Rochelle joins Mel Berman of WFLA, 970 AM, for a free mackerel/grouper clinic Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Toyota of Tampa Bay, 1101 E. Fletcher Ave., Tampa. Call (813) 933-6402.

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