Beatrice Yaxley

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Mission: Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) consists of 1,947 full-time-equivalent employees, including more than 700 sworn law enforcement officers. More than 900 Other Personal Services employees also work for the FWC. All personnel work together to protect and manage more than 575 species of wildlife, 200 species of freshwater fish and 500 species of saltwater fish. The FWC works to balance the needs of these fish and wildlife species and the habitats that support them with the needs of Florida's nearly 19 million residents and the millions of people who visit the state each year. The FWC came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission. In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.