The following is a letter from Detective Alexandra Holt to Chief Rick Swann of the Indian Shores Police Department regarding waterfowl hunting in the intercoastal areas:
DATE: February 12th, 2024
TO: Chief R. Swann
FROM: Detective A. Holt
RE: Waterfowl HuntingChief Swann,
In response to concerns regarding waterfowl hunting in the intercoastal, here are some resources and information that may be of interest to concerned citizens.
On January 11th Indian Shores Police Department (ISPD) responded to assist Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) with a suspicious person call. The information given to responding units was that a man in camouflage had a rifle in the intercoastal and appeared to be shooting. ISPD responded and located two hunters in the intercoastal waterway, due east of 176th Terrace Drive. The hunters exited on the eastern side of the intercoastal where PCSO took over the call. The two hunters were found to be hunting waterfowl and were cleared of any wrongdoing. This information sparked concerns from Redington Shores residents of waterfowl hunting in such proximity to homes.
Florida State Statute provides that fishing and hunting is permitted to take place on private property with landowner permission or on any water body that has public access. The statute does not have a restriction on hunting areas, unless it is listed in the Florida Administrative Code (F AC). Administrative code restrictions include wildlife management areas, water management districts and national wildlife refuges, among others. Currently, Redington Shores and surrounding areas do not belong to any restricted areas listed in the F AC. Additionally, there is no statute that prohibits a hunter from being a certain distance from a home, as they hunt waterfowl. However, shooting or propelling potentially lethal projectiles over or across private land without authorization to take game is considered criminal trespassing and is a felony.
All hunters in Florida are required to have completed a hunter safety course, which covers the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to be a safe hunter. Waterfowl hunters also must adhere to nontoxic shot regulations, which is a nationwide ban on using any shot type that can cause sickness and/or death when ingested by migratory birds.
Often, when someone sees a large shotgun, they may associate it with large ammunition. In waterfowl hunting, hunters are restricted to using a type of ammunition that consists of small pellets designed for small game and birds. Once fired, these pellets can only travel about 50-100 yards. This distance is almost 95% less than a typical shotgun round.
As the Town’s law enforcement department, it is our priority to ensure that citizens feel safe and informed about activities in and around the Town we share. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) website has significant information on this topic and others, including how hunters support waterfowl conservation efforts in our state. Further information can be found on myfwc.com or through FWC’s law enforcement dispatch center, 863-648-3200.
Respectfully submitted,
Detective Alexandra Holt