Florida Statute 379.3761
“Exhibition or sale of wildlife; fees; classifications”
What it means
Keeping captive wildlife in Florida for public display, with or without charge, or for public sale requires a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The section works alongside Florida's captive-wildlife classification system — Class I, II, and III, sorted by risk — and sets the permit fees: $150 a year for Class I or II wildlife up to 25 specimens, $250 above 25, and $50 for Class III, all deposited into the State Game Trust Fund.
Exemptions cover public wildlife exhibits, traveling zoos and circuses licensed under chapter 205, and farmed ostriches, emus, rheas, and bison. Violations are punishable under s. 379.4015. Personal possession runs under separate FWC permitting — this section is the display-and-sale rule.
- An FWC permit is required to possess captive wildlife for public display or public sale — paid display or free.
- Fees: Class I or II — $150/year up to 25 specimens, $250/year above; Class III — $50/year.
- Fees fund the State Game Trust Fund.
- Exempt: public wildlife exhibits, licensed traveling zoos and circuses, and farmed ostriches, emus, rheas, and bison.
- Violations are punishable under s. 379.4015; personal possession of wildlife is separately permitted under FWC rules.
How it plays out
Estates inherit animals, and occasionally the animal is a macaw, a python, or something with its own FWC classification. The personal representative's duty to preserve estate property under §733.607 includes a living animal — but this permitting system means the PR usually cannot lawfully sell it, display it, or in the riskier classes even house it. The workable plan is made while the owner is alive: place the animal with a licensed facility or sanctuary, sign the care agreement, and fund it through the estate plan, so the fiduciary inherits a contract instead of a caging problem.
Questions people ask
