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RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE MORE FUNDING FOR FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORS� EFFORTS TO CAPTURE INVASIVE SNAKES IN SOUTH FLORIDA

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WHEREAS, as part of an international pet trade market, many exotic animals have been removed from their native lands and placed where they are not always welcome; and
WHEREAS, among these invasive species are a growing number of Burmese pythons, boa constrictors, and other large constrictor snakes that now live in the Florida Everglades; and
WHEREAS, the same conditions that allow the vast diversity of wildlife to thrive in the Everglades also support invasive snakes, which are particularly well-adapted for survival and propagation in the Everglades; and
WHEREAS, these invasive snakes have spread into other, more developed parts of South Florida, including residential communities in Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, the snakes� size and power make them top predators in South Florida, posing an outsized threat to many indigenous species, including endangered species; and
WHEREAS, Burmese pythons in particular have voracious appetites, and their consumption of native prey is destabilizing South Florida�s ecosystems not only because Burmese pythons are depleting populations of native prey, but also because they are depriving native predators, such as panthers and alligators, of prey that those native predators would otherwise eat; and
WHEREAS, in addition to harming wildlife, invasive constrictor snakes pose a safety threat to humans and their pets; and
WHEREAS, invasive snakes also add economic burdens to private landowners and public land managers, who must expend resources to rid their properties of these undesirable animals; and
WHEREAS, efforts have been undertaken by federal and state regulators to capture invasive snakes in order to remove them from our ecosystems and our communities; and
WHEREAS, for example, the National Park Service has been expending resources to remove Burmese pythons from Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve; and
WHEREAS, the South Florida Water Management District (the �District�) has implemented a Python Elimination Program that provides financial rewards to hunters who capture invasive pythons from District lands; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has implemented a similar program known as the Python Removal Contractor Program; and
WHEREAS, invasive snakes nevertheless continue to exist in South Florida ecosystems, where they breed and repopulate quickly; and
WHEREAS, this Board previously urged the United States Congress and the Florida Legislature to take action to prevent the proliferation of these invasive snakes, in Resolution No. R-1115-11; and
WHEREAS, this Board now wishes to urge the United States Congress and the Florida Legislature to provide more funding for federal and state regulators� efforts to capture invasive snakes in South Florida,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the United States Congress and the Florida Legislature to provide more funding for federal and state regulators� efforts to capture invasive snakes in South Florida.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, the Florida Governor, the Florida Senate President, the Florida House Speaker, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal and state lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in Section 1, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2019 State Legislative Package to include this item and include this item in the 2019 Federal Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.