The United States Association of Reptile Keepers-Florida (USARK FL) opposes the proposed rule to list the Florida Reef gecko as a State Threatened Species in the current form that it is being presented by FWC staff to the Commission. We are neither disputing nor agreeing with the need for protection, but we oppose the listing due to its impact on captive populations. This species should be preserved in the wild and in captivity for the future. We do not believe the current proposal accomplishes that goal. In Florida, the Reef gecko is primarily threatened by habitat destruction and rising sea level. Provisions in staff’s proposal that ban the keeping and captive breeding of the Florida reef gecko are irrelevant to its continued survival in the wild.
USARK FL has previously submitted our comment to FWC that possession, breeding, and sale of state-listed species and state-protected species (including non-listed species that have possession limits) should be allowed with proof of legal origin. If animals are purchased from a legal source, a receipt documenting the source must be available for inspection by FWC. If animals are bred in captivity, the history of those animals and chain of custody from a legal source must be documented. This does NOT allow for collection from the wild within Florida. Candidate Species should not be restricted until their actual listing process is complete.
The proposed listing of the Reef gecko has come before the FWC Commissioners at multiple meetings. Reptile keepers have made public comments at each of these meetings opposing a captive ban. In each of these instances, Commissioners have directed staff to work with the reptile industry and consider our input.
Unfortunately, we believe our request for an allowance of keeping and captive breeding written into rule has been addressed in a manner that is confusing, and at odds with current taxonomy. Since the last Commission meeting, reptile keepers have met with staff in the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation (HSC) twice. In the first meeting, staff presented the idea that FWC would only enforce the ban on the subspecies of Reef gecko which is endemic to Florida, the Florida Reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus notatus). We presented our concern that this subspecies is not universally accepted and is very difficult to differentiate from other subspecies. Staff agreed and further asserted that unless a specimen possessed was specifically-labeled as a Florida Reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus notatus), FWC would not take enforcement action. For instance, if specimens were labeled simply as Reef geckos (Sphaerodactylus notatus), FWC would not take enforcement action. We believe this would be a novel approach by FWC law enforcement which would be different from interpretations of rule that we have seen in the past. We have significant concerns as to how this can be enforced.
For the second meeting, we had hoped that FWC staff would come back to us with changes to the proposed language of the rule accommodating our requests. Unfortunately, we were told that no changes were being made to the rule as written. FWC said that listing of this was necessary to gather data on the species and that they did not think that possession of the Florida Reef gecko with receipts documenting the origin of captive specimens was sufficient to prove a legal chain of custody.
USARK FL has a stated goal of protecting diversity of species within the reptile industry while also maintaining captive populations of sensitive species as assurance colonies in case wild populations disappear. We have clearly expressed our desire for FWC to avoid “gray areas” in rules that are subject to varied interpretation. We are striving for policies on paper rather than assurances from people who may or may not even be part of FWC in the near future. We believe that FWC’s proposed rule on the Florida Reef gecko accomplishes none of these goals.
We do want to acknowledge and appreciate the effort that FWC has put in in an effort to find an acceptable solution. Further, we appreciate that they have acknowledged that the Florida reef gecko may be determined to be non-native in the future, and their documents clearly state that if this is found to be the case, then protections will be eliminated. In spite of our mutual attempt to find common ground, we cannot support the proposed changes. Rather than give up the ability to work with this rare and unique species, we would prefer a solution that allows us to continue to contribute to the body of knowledge on this gecko.
We do not believe that habitat loss and the ability to collect data is valid justification for a captive ban. Therefore, USARK Florida is opposing the rule as written. We once again ask that Commissioners table this issue until staff makes a genuine effort to incorporate the input of reptile keepers into the written rule.
The proposed Reef gecko rule is Item 9.C. on the agenda for next week's FWC meeting (Feb. 4-5) in Tallahassee.
https://myfwc.com/about/commission/commission-meetings/february-2026/
Members of the public may email the FWC Commissioners commissioners@myfwc.com or give public comment in person at the meeting.
