As is the case with many widely recognized holidays — we're looking at you, Fourth of July — the annual lobster mini-season is known for its inevitable annual mishaps. And deaths.
Late last month, DeSantis decreed in Executive Order 24-13 that Florida's two-day mini-season, scheduled for July 24-25, would get an extra day this year — that day being the Sunday ten days prior.
"What possessed him to think this one up?" seethes Davis. "It gets bad enough down here as it is, without adding one more day [to the mini-season]."
The Keys are overrun with visitors every weekend as it is, Davis asserts. "We have so much pressure because of folks from Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties and the west coast of Florida who come down," she says. "Pretty much every weekend, we have arrests for out-of-season lobster takings and illegal spearfishing. It is just ridiculous."
Davis is far from alone in her anger. Since DeSantis made his announcement at a June 19 presser in Marathon, hundreds of Keys locals have taken to social media to vent their outrage over the extra day. While the July 14 bonus applies to the entire state and only residents with a valid recreational saltwater fishing license and a spiny lobster permit can participate, the Keys might be the top destination for lobster fishing in Florida. The extra-day dissidents believe DeSantis is encouraging reckless endangerment of natural reefs and lobster nesting areas for the sake of a publicity stunt."Pretty much every weekend, we have arrests for out-of-season lobster takings and illegal spearfishing. It is just ridiculous."
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Fueling their mistrust is a conspicuous absence of specifics from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), as to how the agency that enforces lobster fishing regulations will handle the extra day. Perhaps most notably, lobster season laws are stricter in Monroe County than elsewhere in the state. In the Keys, the legal limit is six lobsters per person (the statewide limit is 12), and individuals may only go out once on a single day. Additionally, night diving — i.e., one hour after sunset until one hour prior to sunrise — is prohibited.
Mini-Season Is an Annual Tradition
According to the U.S. National Park Service, Florida lobster mini-season was established in 1987 to give recreational divers a chance to harvest lobsters before the commercial crews take over with their traps.This year's mini-season will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, and remain open until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, July 25. It is open to Florida residents and non-residents. The bonus day is open only to Florida residents and will cover the equivalent timeframe this Sunday, July 14. (The regular commercial and recreational lobster season begins on August 6, 2024, and runs through March 31, 2025.)
On June 28, FWC posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) in which executive director Andrew Young announced the holiday but provided zero guidance. "Thanks to Gov. Ron DeSantis, we are thrilled to offer Florida families an exclusive one-day opportunity on Sunday, July 14, to explore their local waters along Florida's coast and catch lobsters before the official mini-season begins."
DeSantis spokespersons Bryan Griffin and Jeremy Redfern did not respond to emails requesting comment for this story. FWC spokesperson Shannon Knowles declined to answer questions from New Times, referring a reporter to vague published statements Young provided to Florida's Voice, a Naples-based conservative news outlet.
Responding to complaints from commercial boat captains in the Keys, Young said FWC would have "every officer available that day" and that he is "confident through the enforcement and regulations that we have in place that our coral reefs won't be negatively impacted."
Young likewise shrugged off concerns about environmental impact. "[H]e said there is no scientific evidence or data to suggest that [the] mini-season will 'initiate any lobster migration' or have any 'negative effects.'"
State Officials Caught Off-Guard
State Rep. James Mooney Jr., a Republican whose district covers all of Monroe County and parts of Miami-Dade, tells New Times he knew nothing about the bonus day until the governor announced it at the press conference. Constituent reaction has been a "mixed bag for sure," he says."I wasn't quite sure how it transpired," Mooney says. "But most real estate agents I've spoken with have not seen an uptick for this weekend. I'm trying to find the silver lining that most people won't want to spend the money to stay here Friday and Saturday to go lobstering on Sunday and just catch six per person when they can catch 12 in Miami-Dade."
The FWC and law enforcement agencies in the Keys don't have enough manpower to keep a watchful eye on everyone who's lobster fishing, says Elizabeth Jolin, a Village of Islamorada Council member who owns a recreational charter boat company.
"Everyone applauds their efforts, but I don't think anyone has any expectations that the law enforcement we have in place can actually manage the amount of people on the water," Jolin tells New Times.
"It is unrealistic," she adds. "We are at capacity in the Florida Keys. We have to think about the long-term effect of increasing tourism to the point we ruin the natural resource."
