I am President of the Marion County Herp Society up in Ocala, Florida. I did not hear anything about a possible ban on exotics in Hillsborough. This does not suprise me at all. Lately, alot of upset people have been trying to ban the reptile trade because of the Humane Society. The HSUS is only out to do this because of their idea of reptiles being dangerous and carrying various bacteria and it doesn't help when ignorant people allow their reptiles to escape like our wonderful Pine Island Nile Monitors we now have loose and thriving. Ignorance is killing the reptile industry in Florida. If we do not keep an eye on our own backdoor, laws like this can be slipped in under another topic and passed without any notice to the public. You see, you can't vote against it if you do not know it is happening. That is the sneakiness of the Humane Society of the US. All of Florida now has new permit fees that have been raised. Alot of extra money is now flowing into the Commission's pockets, one fee was raised 20 times the original fee! We should ALL speak up at once and BE HEATD! I will not post on my door a sign that says I keep venomous reptiles, nor a list of all my colubrids on my door. This is an invasion of privacy and will result in slander or harassment by fellow neighbors. If you want to sit by and watch, it will eventually get worse until they have their way. Which may be a world of puppies and kittens allowed only. Will we have to have permits for those too?

Paul Moody
President
Marion County Herpetological Society

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