Florida’s FWC agency rife with questions about corruption & controversy
- Staci-lee Sherwood
- 1 hour ago
- 8 min read
By Staci-lee Sherwood
Another vote by Florida’s Fish Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has come to pass without any surprises in what many call a mock public hearing about bear hunting. It was more a dog and pony show than genuine public hearing because everyone already knew how the commission, made entirely of developers and hunters, would vote. Since January 2025 it was clear that a hunt of black bears was all but eminent. Under the ruse of management the proposed hunt will use bait traps and dogs making it not only scientifically unnecessary but also ethically indefensible. Unfortunately it’s every species under threat in Florida. Protected species have zero protection, those lacking legal protection like coyotes, raccoons and skunks can be killed without limit year round. If this is a conservation agency who needs a hunting lobby.
How I personally know FWC’s long systemic history of lies
In 2008 I started working on FWC permit #100 for the morning survey of endangered sea turtles in Highland Beach. I was on the beach almost every day from March – October until the end of 2016 when, due to both my shoulders being injured from excavating hundreds of nests, I had to stop. I continued to work at night in Lauderdale-by-the-sea rescuing disorientated hatchlings from light pollution until 2019 permits #192, #193 #66. After that FWC pulled the permits because we were the only ones actually saving the species and the biggest threat to sea turtles remains today FWC. I have intimate knowledge of how FWC functions.
Alongside sea turtles this horrible agency has lied about the following imperiled species, brace yourself there is a lot of evidence:
Manatees - click here for what they do to manatees https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/manatee-death-rate-skyrockets-while-florida-s-fwc-covers-up-the-cause-lies-to-tourist
Panthers - click here for their support of development in panther habitat https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/florida-panthers-future-hangs-in-the-balance-does-government-plan-to-save-the-rare-cat
Black Bears – click here about upcoming uncheck hunt https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/florida-set-for-2025-bear-hunt-massacre-despite-public-outcry
Burrowing Owls – click here how protected owls allowed to be killed https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/florida-atlantic-university-gets-nod-from-fwc-to-destroy-protected-owl-habitat
Sea Turtles – click here how they are causing their extinction and allow cruel experiments on endangered hatchlings https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/florida-abuses-sea-turtles-by-allowing-experiments-on-endangered-hatchlings
Shorebirds – click here to see how they allow trucks driving on nesting beaches https://www.realitycheckswithstacilee.com/post/trucks-shorebirds-don-t-mix-time-to-ban-this-shameful-florida-policy
Gopher Tortoises – allowed to be killed with a ‘take’ permit with no relocation despite their PR spin
Sharks – despite international disgust and outrage at Florida, FWC did nothing because the abusers were politically connected and rich. https://www.islander.org/2017/08/outrage-investigation-continue-in-shark-drag-abuse-case/
Goliath Grouper – allowed a hunt admitting they don’t even know how many are in Florida waters
This is just the tip of the iceberg. They also poison the water often via noisy airboats, with herbicides they know cause the very problem they claim they are combating – algae. Click here for a ton of background data about the agency, their budget and the commissioners
Pro developers and hunters while anti wildlife
Here are the commissioners deciding the fate of countless imperiled species whose lives will end only because of corruption, lies and fraud….what else could it be? This is why FWC is a fake CONservation agency because every vote every policy is ONLY to help developers #1 and hunters #2. Their paltry press releases serve only to manipulate and confuse the uneducated public with lies the otherwise informed see through.
FWC sets up lots of trail cameras. How much the public is aware who knows but the quality of the Stealth Cam trail cameras isn’t great, it doesn’t need to be. I’m sure it’s main function is their GPS. These are only set up in hunting areas A.K.A. wildlife management areas. There’s no management just killing often unregulated or monitored. Many animals have/are being tagged but again that’s not really for conservation the tags have a GPS.
In 2015 over 300 black bears were killed in less than 3 days. How? I don’t live in the woods but I can tell you that would be an unfathomable feat of luck unless you had technical help like, say GPS data.
Remember FWC has always been about hunting. Originally this agency was part of a large Fish & Game agency then scaled down and morphed into a conservation agency which was always co-opted first by hunters then developers. These two groups have a symbiotic relationship that help each other. The entire commission is comprised of developers and hunters and none have wildlife conservation experience, it’s really a no brainer. In 2019 the Bear Management Plan made preventing conflicts with bears a priority but that changed in January 2025 when Commissioner Gary Lester, a developer, requested a hunting plan.
Barreto – Commission Chair
Coral Gables
Ex Miami City cop when drug cartels ruled. Did he take a bribe? Look the other way? We certainly know that happens more than reported so who knows……
Founder of Barreto Group, Barreto Hospitality
Owner Capital City Consulting lobby firm
Partner of lobby firm Floridian Partners
Has multiple other LLC for various statewide development projects
Animal abuser/trophy hunter
In 2012 US Century Bank sued (and settled) Barreto, a former bank director (along with Sergio Pino president of Century Homes)in a $15 million foreclosure lawsuit. ‘The lawsuit claims both a breach of shareholder agreement against the bank and a derivative action to recover money that was allegedly wasted by the “wrongful and negligent” actions of the bank’s leadership…..The complaint alleges the bank was created to help its directors (Barreto) their friends / family members finance construction projects under unusually favorable terms under lax underwriting standards. The complaint cited the high level of loans to bank insiders…..The insider loans had little underwriting scrutiny and U.S. Century Bank’s loan transactions were used to help its directors and business associates gain political leverage, the complaint alleges Basically a multi million dollar sweetheart reported in many newspapers . Quotes are from the report in South Florida Business Journal by Brian Bandell, Senior Reporter Business_Journal_Amended_US_Century_Bank_Lawsuit_11_26_12.pdf
Votes for a toll road through protected Split Oak State Forest, the road will destroy important ecosystem while taking land and homes via eminent domain over the objections of those who live there. Another sweetheart deal for developers
Pushed for Amendment 2 in 2024 to insure hunting remained a priority removing any science based facts. Sweetheart deal for hunters anti wildlife
In 2022 Barreto tried to cut corners and push for a fancy restaurant in Coral Cables to replace Burger Bob’s over residents’ objections to his project. Eventually his bid was withdrawn after his alleged side deal with the city was revealed by Gables Insider news.
Farrior –
Tampa
Animal abuser/Big trophy hunter posing all over the web with his kills. You know what they say about men who kill animals right? They’re lacking where it counts and kill to pretend they’re men.
CEO of Tampa-based Ferman Motor Car Co. and president of Cigar City Motors Inc.
Lester –
The Villages – central Florida north of Orlando
2025 told staff to come up with excuses for bear hunt
Involved with questionable construction companies working at The Villages like Rainey Construction and Hughes Brothers involved and arrested for killing protected wildlife and harassing protected Burrowing Owl
Has expansion plans into Leesburg
Hudson -
Ft Lauderdale
CEO Hudson Capitol Group a private equity firm
Animal abuser/hunter
Donated $100,000 to Gov. Desantis campaign and that’s what is on the books
Rood –
St Augustine
Animal abuser/trophy hunter she and husband John Rood
John Rood owner of Vestcor real estate company also appointed to Enterprise Florida.
John Rood well known big donor to Republican candidates gave $75,000 to Gov. DeSantis campaigns since 2019 but….that’s just what is listed on the books. If you think that’s all I have swamp land to sell you
Kellam -
Palm beach gardens
Animal abuser/hunter
CEO The Garcia Companies involved in farming, excavating sand, land development and building shopping malls, hotels and govt facilities
Maintains largest privately operated water management system in South Florida
Vice Chair of The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida – FWC fake ‘nonprofit’ reported $30,000,000 revenue in 2024 click here for IRS 990 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/593277808
Served on the South Florida Water Management District’s Water Resource Advisory Coalition and the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council
Maury -
Coral Gables
CEO of Leon Medical Centers LLC
Fined for speeding in a Manatee protection zone
For $100,000,000 they could actually do some good but won’t
Did you know that the yearly budget is $100 million and that is about ¼ what they got 2 years ago? Most people didn’t know that because we have little to no investigative reporting. Did you know they have a nonprofit that pulls in millions from….people looking for favors what else. Here are some things they could and should be spending time and taxpayer money on but don’t do :
Building indoor temperature controlled hatcheries for sea turtles because the truth is very few hatchlings make it to the ocean. Most die from light pollution while the few that survive are all female. FWC sea turtle staff have known this for over 10 years probably 20 years since I’ve known this since 2008.
Relocating burrowing owls and gopher tortoises to wild aeas when development can’t be stopped. Protected species in Florida only means you can kill them for a few hundred dollars with a ‘take ‘ permit.
Enforcing both state and federal conservation laws instead of ignoring them
Cleaning up the poisoned water from all their herbicide spraying
Banning aerial spraying of pesticides
Refusing to allow development in panther and bear habitat
Banning the use of dogs for deer and bear hunting
Banning the use of bait traps
Working with Dept of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to buy and protect intact ecosystems but FDEP is just as corrupt
Restoring state land
You see what a real conservation agency can do but Florida can’t bend over fast enough to destroy what little open land they have left. The joke is on all homeowners when, not if, the state runs out of water.
Corruption unfettered must end
If it’s not abundantly clear that Florida has a massive corruption problem go back and read it again. It has been corrupt for a long time and only gotten worse. In the 2025 Florida Legislative session HJR 1625 (FWC reform bill) was introduced. House Rep. Adam Botana is Chair of the House Natural Resource Committee and sits on the FWC Boating Council (he’s VP of boat rental business Bay Water Rental in Bonita Springs ) so he blocked a bill that would benefit all Floridians to help himself and his business donors. In 2024 he was voted 100% approval by Association of Industries. On August 4, 2025 Botana was speaker at the Business People United for Political Action Committee (BUPAC) so it’s clear FWC commissioners have friends who do their bidding all over Florida Government from the Governor down to state legislators and then some.
If there is to be any democracy in Florida the people’s voice should stand the loudest not be ignored. Reforming FWC will take more than just booting out worthless commissioners but many of their employees as well. The same goes for another worthless corrupted agency the Florida Dept of Environmental Protection (FDEP) they work in tandem for developers and against all wildlife.
Here’s how to stop the madness
Support groups fighting to save Florida wildlife & wild space and spread the word far and wide.
Bear Warriors United – in August filed a lawsuit to stop the bear hunt please help support this worthy and just cause. Click here to donate for the lawsuit
Click here for more info about the FWC and the bear hunt
Click here for more info about FWC
Bear Defenders
Click here for more info about the bear hunt
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute, Inc.
Click here for more info about FWC
Click here to sign petition to reform FWC
Call Florida House Rep. Adam Botana office at 850.717.5080 and ask he stop blocking The Joint House Resolution 1625, (FWC reform bill) calls for changes to the appointment process for FWC commissioners and must be brought to a vote asap. Click here to read the bill https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1625/BillText/Filed/PDF
Click here to watch a short film on endangered Gopher Tortoises and how FWC disregards their need for protection
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