Two public meetings will be held, Sept. 19 and Oct. 10, to slow the spread of deer chronic wasting disease into Florida
FWC photo of white-tailed deer.
Following confirmation of a positive test for chronic wasting disease (CWD) earlier this year in a single white-tailed deer in Holmes County, Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) have scheduled two additional public meetings that will be held in Bonifay and Marianna to discuss new regulations that will help to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in north Florida
The meetings will provide information about chronic wasting disease, updates on the unified agency and partner response, new hunting regulations for the area, sampling and testing procedures, and an opportunity for area residents to ask questions about CWD and CWD management strategies. Details for the public meetings are as follows:
Tuesday, Sept. 19
6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (CDT)
Bonifay K-8 School Auditorium
140 Blue Devil Drive
Bonifay, Florida 32425
Tuesday, Oct. 10
6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (CDT)
Rivertown Community Church Auditorium
4535 Lafayette Street
Marianna, Florida 32446
Questions for both meetings can be asked in advance by emailing CWD@MyFWC.com. A recording of the first public meeting, held on July 6, 2023, can be viewed at The Florida Channel at this link:
https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/7-6-23-florida-fish-and-wildlife-conservation-commission-florida-department-of-agriculture-and-consumer-services-meeting-on-chronic-wasting-disease/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=campaign
The FWC and its agency partners take CWD very seriously and have implemented a comprehensive response plan. As part of the plan, the FWC and FDACS have been collecting samples from established zones to further assess any spread of the disease.
The FWC is asking anyone who sees a sick or abnormally thin deer, or finds a deer dead from unknown causes, to call the CWD hotline, (866) CWD-WATCH (866-293-9282) and report the animal’s location.
For more information, visit MyFWC.com/CWD.