“Why an amendment to make it legal to fish and hunt in Florida?” you may ask. “We are already allowed to hunt and fish here in the state of Florida.”
Yes, we are currently. However, as we have seen in several states across this great country, some extreme groups have attempted to outlaw access to public lands for hunting and fishing or outright prohibit public access to public lands altogether. Imagine a Florida where such access is no longer guaranteed. This is the potential loss we face!
While the ultimate intent of those groups may be discussed elsewhere, we recognize that here in Florida, the people closest to the land and water are generally those with the most significant concern for its sustainment and preservation versus those in far-off capitals and cities. Farmers and fishermen, hunters, and horticulturists have an affinity for taking care of what the good Lord has gifted us in a manner that distant bureaucracies can never match.
We, the ones who witness nature’s bounty from behind the bow or flinging a fly, are the ones who ultimately conserve and preserve for the next generations. It is our knowledge of nature, passed down from generations, that makes it so important to ensure that enshrining access to fishing and hunting is written into our state constitution. We are the stewards of our land and water, and our actions today will shape the future.
“Yes on Amendment 2” means preserving our fisheries and hunting lands for the future and preserving the tremendous financial windfall that the State achieves through licensing these activities.
As noted in our article NO FISH / NO FLORIDA, fresh and saltwater fishing (now) generates $13.8 billion annually while sustaining 120,000 jobs, and hunting generates another $2 billion with over 14,000 jobs attached. These monies and jobs give back by funding monitoring, sustainment and conservation efforts.
“Yes on Amendment 2” should be regarded as the proverbial ounce of prevention is better than the pound of cure. Let’s get ahead of any efforts to deny access today and save our Florida for the future!
In the meantime,
We invite you to take in a few Flats Nation Podcast Episodes to help "Scratch that Fishing Itch" when sipping coffee, traveling, or at work and you cannot hitch up the Skiff and go, on these links:
Our main podcast page works well for your mobile devices since it will stream (or download) right on your phone/tablet. It can be found by clicking Here.
Tight Lines, and God Bless!
Rick and the Team
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