TALLAHASSEE, Florida — State Attorney General James Uthmeier said Tuesday that his office would propose legislation to upgrade penalties for people who illegally poach wildlife.
During a press conference at a shooting range in Bay County, Uthmeier said his proposal would upgrade the punishment for poaching on private lands from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony. If the poaching on private lands is done in “close proximity” to residential areas, it would be elevated to a second-degree felony, and repeat offenders could receive a first-degree felony, he added.
Uthmeier said he believed his proposal would be “well-received” in the next legislative session.
“It endangers our harvest, our ecosystem, it endangers people that might be in near proximity,” he said. “It hurts the hunters that are out there following the rules, the catch limits, the regulations, and doing it the right way.”
