Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
| Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | |
|---|---|
| Common name | Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission |
| Abbreviation | FWC |
Patch of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
|
|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | July 1, 1999 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Employees | 2,112.5 full-time |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Florida, United States |
| Size | 170,304 km2 |
| Population | 18,251,243 |
| Governing body | Florida Legislature |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of the State of Florida |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdictions |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Law enforcement officers | 722 (2004) |
| Agency executive | Brian Yablonski, Chairman |
| Website | |
| myfwc.com | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers are managers, researchers, support personnel, and perform law enforcement in the course of their duties.
In 1998 an amendment to the Florida Constitution approved the establishment of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) with a headquarters in Tallahassee, the state capital on July 1, 1999. It resulted from a merger between three former offices, namely the Marine Fisheries Commission, Division of Marine Resources, the former Florida Marine Patrol (FMP) and Division of Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (FGFWC).
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) since then serves as the environmental regulatory agency for the state, enforcing environmental legislation regarding air and water quality, for example.
In 2004, the Florida Legislature approved to integrate parts of the Division of Wildlife, Division of Freshwater Fisheries, and the Florida Marine Research Institute to create the 'Fish and Wildlife Research Institute' (FWRI) in St. Petersburg, Florida. It has over 600 employees.
As of 2014[update] the FWC had over 2,000 full-time employees, maintained the FWRI, five regional offices, and 73 field offices across the state.
As of 2013, the FWC had six divisions:
The FWC has the following 11 offices for administrative purposes:
The Florida Constitution authorizes the Commission to enact rules and regulations regarding the state's fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. To do this, the seven Governor of Florida-appointed Commissioners meet five times each year to hear staff reports, consider rule proposals, and conduct other business. Because stakeholder involvement is a crucial part of the process, the Commission meets in different locations across the state giving citizens the opportunity to address the Commission about issues under consideration.
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Wikipedia