Reptile breeders fear FWC permits, regulations could run them out of business

TAMPA, Fla. - Austin Harris broke down his business to FWC commissioners Thursday morning.

"We ship 50,000 wild-caught iguanas out of the state every year, and we pay taxes on it, and feed our families," Harris explained.

But reptile breeders say denied permits have halted business for "underground reptiles," due to regulations on green iguanas and tegu lizards.

"You want them out of the state, we want them out of the state, so our agenda says we’re on the same page," he said.

READ Invasive tegu lizards' growing population threatens Florida native species

The regulations date back a year when the FWC voted to add 16 reptiles – including iguanas and tegus – to a list of prohibited species. It allowed current owners to keep their pets, but they must get permits. The FWC says breeding for commercial sale is allowed until June 2024.

Some business owners say this buys them time, but others, like Rian Gittman say there’s no other way to run a business.

"There’s no way for me to house 200+ tegus indoors," Gittman said. "I would have to spend a half a-million dollars building a proper building, and even in that case, I’d still have to get rid of them within the three years."

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Gittman went on to discuss what will happen to his family-run business.

"This represents what’s left of my company now," he stated, holding up a picture of his staff to commissioners, with some of them covered up with a black marker. "Thirty-five percent of them are gone, and it’s only going to get worse. Help me please, guys. I plan on spending the rest of my life taking care of animals in my backyard. I’m going to go out of business."

Stephen Brezil of Xtreme Exotics says the back and forth over the permits has put a lot of work on hold.

"It’s a lot of animals I haven’t been able to save or put forth," he said. "I’ve got a lot of companies building big lagoons for these animals. We’ve really put forth a huge effort into doing this but with spending time fighting over permits and my legal team, and getting stuff back, it’s a pain."

FWC says they created a Technical Assistance Group (TAG) to coordinate with the pet industry and other stakeholders. On Wednesday, the commission approved staff to move forward with additional rules to address some of the concerns discussed at the TAG meetings.

FOX 13 asked the FWC what happens to the reptiles if they are confiscated, but we have not heard back at this time.