Snakes and lizards decision a good one

For Florida’s government, the danger posed by exotic reptiles has been harder to spot than a Burmese python hiding in the brush. But at last, the wildlife commission has decided to crack down on non-native snakes and lizards whose presence in Florida ranges from destructive to deadly.

These commonsense changes come far too late for exotic species that have been allowed to establish breeding colonies in many parts of the state. Florida has long been the Wild West of exotics, best known for allowing Burmese pythons to overrun the Everglades and essentially wipe out the native populations of rabbits, raccoons, opossums and foxes, according to a federal study.

The state wildlife commission’s decision prohibits Floridians from owning or breeding those animals. People who already own one of the newly restricted snakes or lizards can keep them until they die, so long as they get a permit and a transponder chip so the animal can be identified. Commercial breeders get breathing room to continue doing business for a few years. This will not placate the reptile-selling industry. They’ve been fighting stricter regulations for years, apparently in denial about their role in the environmental devastation of Everglades wildlife.

Florida has this wildlife commission to thank for watching out for the well-being of the state’s environment, instead of watching out for an industry’s profits at the environment’s expense.