KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Florida

HB1171 • 2026

Endangered or Threatened Marine Animals

Endangered or Threatened Marine Animals

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Cross ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Campbell ; Chaney ; Eskamani ; Gossett-Seidman ; Weinberger
Last action
2026-03-13
Official status
House - Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass all stages in the legislature and died in a committee.

Protection for Endangered Marine Animals

This bill stops people from collecting or moving endangered marine animals in Florida's waters and limits the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s ability to issue certain licenses.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines 'collect' as capturing, catching, removing, or possessing a marine animal.
  • Lists which marine animals are considered endangered or threatened based on federal laws and state rules.
  • Bans collecting or transporting endangered marine animals from Florida waters for educational or exhibition purposes.
  • Stops the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from issuing licenses that allow people to collect or transport endangered marine animals.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to collect or move endangered marine animals in Florida waters.
  • The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when issuing licenses for collecting or moving marine animals.

Terms To Know

Endangered species
A type of animal that is at risk of disappearing forever because there are very few left.
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The agency in Florida responsible for protecting fish, wildlife, and their habitats.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not stop the rescue or rehabilitation of endangered marine animals when done under state or federal rules.
  • Does not limit what the federal government can do to protect endangered species.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-13 House

    • Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee

  2. 2026-01-15 House

    • Referred to Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee • Referred to Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee • Referred to State Affairs Committee • Now in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee

  3. 2026-01-13 House

    • 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)

  4. 2026-01-07 House

    • Filed

Official Summary Text

Endangered or Threatened Marine Animals; Prohibits collection & transportation of endangered or threatened marine animals from state waters; prohibits FWCC from issuing, renewing, or approving certain licenses.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 1171 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1171-00
Page 1 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to endangered or threatened marine 2
animals; providing a short title; creating s. 3
379.24312, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting 4
the collection and transportation of endangered or 5
threatened marine animals from state waters; 6
prohibiting the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 7
Commission from issuing, renewing, or approving 8
certain licenses; providing penalties; providing 9
construction; amending s. 379.401, F.S.; conforming a 10
provision to changes made by the act; providing an 11
effective date. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Marine At-Risk 16
Native Endangered or Threatened Animal Protection Act." 17
Section 2. Section 379.24312, Florida Statutes, is created 18
to read: 19
379.24312 Protections for endangered or threatened marine 20
animals.— 21
(1) As used in this section, the term: 22
(a) "Collect" means to physically capture, catch, remove, 23
or possess a marine animal species, or attempt to engage in any 24
such conduct. 25

HB 1171 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1171-00
Page 2 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(b) "Endangered or threatened species" means any species 26
listed as endangered or threatened pursuant to the federal 27
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. s. 1531 et seq., under 50 28
C.F.R. ss. 223.102 and 224.101, or designated as endangered or 29
threatened by commission rule pursuant to s. 379.2291. 30
(c) "Educational or exhibition purposes" means the 31
holding, displaying, transporting, or maintaining of specimens 32
for public display, exhibition, or education, including 33
activities authorized under a special activity license issued by 34
the commission. 35
(d) "Marine animal" means any vertebrate or invertebrate 36
animal species, subspecies, or distinct population segment that 37
inhabits state waters, including, but not limited to, marine 38
mammals, sea turtles, fish, sharks, rays, crustaceans, mollusks 39
and corals, and any part thereof, including eggs, embryos, 40
tissue, cartilage, shells, or derivatives. 41
(e) "Transport" means to convey a marine animal species 42
from one location to another location on any street, road, 43
highway, waterway, or air space. 44
(2) A person may not collect or transport any endangered 45
or threatened marine animal from state waters for educational or 46
exhibition purposes. 47
(3) The commission may not issue, renew, or approve an 48
education-exhibition special activity license or other 49
authorization that would allow a person to collect or transport 50

HB 1171 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1171-00
Page 3 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

any endangered or threatened marine animal from state waters for 51
purposes prohibited in subsection (2). 52
(4) A person who violates this section commits a Level 53
Four violation under s. 379.401. Each endangered or threatened 54
marine animal collected or transported in violation of this 55
section constitutes a separate offense. 56
(5)(a) This section does not prohibit or restrict the 57
rescue, rehabilitation, or scientific study of marine animals 58
when such activities are conducted under state or federal 59
authorization consistent with the Endangered Species Act and 60
applicable commission rules. 61
(b) This section does not limit federal authority under 62
the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 63
Conservation and Management Act, or the Convention on 64
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and 65
Flora. 66
Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 67
379.401, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 68
379.401 Penalties and violations; civil penalties for 69
noncriminal infractions; criminal penalties; suspension and 70
forfeiture of licenses and permits.— 71
(4) LEVEL FOUR VIOLATIONS.— 72
(a) A person commits a Level Four violation if he or she 73
violates any of the following provisions: 74
1. Section 379.24312, prohibiting the collection or 75

HB 1171 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1171-00
Page 4 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

transportation of endangered or threatened marine animals for 76
educational or exhibition purposes. 77
2.1. Section 379.354(16), prohibiting the making, forging, 78
counterfeiting, or reproduction of a recreational license or the 79
possession of same without authorization from the commission. 80
3.2. Section 379.365(2)(c), prohibiting criminal 81
activities relating to the taking of stone crabs. 82
4.3. Section 379.366(4)(c), prohibiting criminal 83
activities relating to the taking and harvesting of blue crabs. 84
5.4. Section 379.367(4), prohibiting the willful 85
molestation of spiny lobster gear. 86
6.5. Section 379.3671(2)(c)5., prohibiting the unlawful 87
reproduction, possession, sale, trade, or barter of spiny 88
lobster trap tags or certificates. 89
7.6. Section 379.404(5), prohibiting the sale of illegally 90
taken deer or wild turkey. 91
8.7. Section 379.4041(2), prohibiting the sale of 92
illegally taken bears. 93
9.8. Section 379.405, prohibiting the molestation or theft 94
of freshwater fishing gear. 95
10.9. Section 379.409, prohibiting the unlawful killing, 96
injuring, possessing, or capturing of alligators or other 97
crocodilia or their eggs. 98
11.10. Section 379.411, prohibiting the intentional 99
killing or wounding of any species designated as endangered, 100

HB 1171 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1171-00
Page 5 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

threatened, or of special concern. 101
12.11. Section 379.4115, prohibiting the killing of any 102
Florida or wild panther. 103
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 104