# Florida Fishing License



## xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxfish4fun (Oct 22, 2007)

do you still need a fishing license to surf fish, hear somewhere it is no longer required.?
i'm florida resident and under 65


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## whyworry (Aug 17, 2010)

Current FWC regs list a 0.00 cost for the license. Effective 1 July 2010 the shoreline license no longer exists. Tax collector has the info.


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## captainblack (Jul 4, 2010)

to be clear, alot of people have mixed info, a shoreline license IS REQUIRED, however it is currently FREE, you still have to go and get one, and you can still be checked and receive a citation for not having one, i know this because ive been checked twice in the last month and the second time was the day after my wallet was stolen, the guy took it easy on me that time and even though i had no picture ID or fishing license on me he sat with me by his truck, called in and had my name checked and said it showed I had a license, but told me to get a replacement ASAP because he rarely gave warnings and could have cited me for not having it on my person.

You can get one free at the tax collectors office or go to wally world and its 50 cents to print one out in about 5 seconds just show them your DL/ID, hell while youre there pic up some tackle you might need, grab a couple gotchas or something lol


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## whyworry (Aug 17, 2010)

I called the tax collector this afternoon before posting, and after 3 transfers I was told that the latest info that they had was a governor's order that the physical license was no longer needed effective 7/1/10. I asked the direct question if the 0.00 cost indicated that we had to come in and get one for free, and they clearly stated NO. The FWC site (not the regs) says one (license) is required to meet the federal requirement for head counting and that it can cost from 2-3 bucks depending on who issues it.

As usual, some facts seem to be missing at certain levels.


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## captainblack (Jul 4, 2010)

isnt florida just a clusterf*** of confusion

taken from FWC

"The Florida Legislature repealed the shoreline license fee during the past session. However, legislators retained the license requirement to prevent a more-costly federal registration fee from taking effect in Florida."

"2. Who is required to have a valid shoreline fishing license with them?

Resident saltwater anglers who fish from shore or a structure affixed to shore will need to buy a shoreline fishing license unless they have a regular saltwater fishing license or are exempt.

Return to Questions

3. How much does the license cost?

The license is free, effective July 1, 2010. However, anglers who obtain the license over the phone will pay a convenience fee of $3.33 to the vendor who provides the service, and those who obtain the license off the Internet will pay a $2.31 convenience fee."

"Residents fishing for a saltwater species (other than mullet in fresh water) from land or from a structure fixed to the land are required to have a no-cost saltwater shoreline fishing license."

but like i said over the phone or internet its 2 or 3 bucks, walmart makes 50 cents on em so thats all youd pay there, i actually got screwed, i got a new shoreline for 9.50, a little over a month later they decided to take away the 9 buck fee, after my wallet was stolen and i had to have a replacement printed, if i could have just renewed it would have been 50 cents, but since you cant renew up until a certain point before it expires, i had to pay 2.50 for a replacement... that makes all kinds of sense. 2 bucks is just 2 bucks but its still screwy.

and just to think, once a couple of my buddies have their boats ready for the water again and i replace the yak i lost ill be shelling out money for the regular saltwater license...

floridas a great place to fish, terrible place to figure out, i think monkeys in a back room roll dice to make decisions on some things.

went off topic a little with my whining there, didnt mean to hijack the thread at all, but back to topic from what I have been told and can collect from FWC it is free but required... again, such little sense made, its to avoid federal fees, but why its enforced is beyond me, it used to be residents from shoreline or structure from shore were exempt, lets bring back that rule.


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## xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxfish4fun (Oct 22, 2007)

thanks man,still confuse, think i'll just get one and be safe.


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## Framerguy (Oct 2, 2007)

fish4fun said:


> thanks man,still confuse, think i'll just get one and be safe.


(Are they talking about fishing licenses or condoms???) :whistling:


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## whyworry (Aug 17, 2010)

Tax collectors office now agrees that they will issue no cost resident shoreline licenses. They told me that they will not charge a fee to do so.


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