The Florida FWC issued an executive order January 30 that temporarily gave residents a chance to safely remove the iguanas and bring them into field offices throughout the state.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held a green iguana (Iguana iguana) collection event this past weekend to enable residents of the Sunshine State to safely bring in cold stunned iguanas to various Florida FWC offices, without having to obtain a permit to possess the invasive reptiles. The Florida FWC issued an executive order January 30 that temporarily gave residents a chance to safely remove the iguanas and bring them into field offices throughout the state.
The event, which took place February 1-2, was fairly successful as resident collected hundreds of iguanas that fell to earth from the trees and other arboreal spaces in which they live. The FWC office in Sunrise Florida, reported a whopping 1,000 reptiles collected on February 1 alone. One resident was reported to have brought in over 100 pounds of iguanas on February 1, according to NBC6 News, which was on site at Sunrise to report on the event.
The executive order allowed property owners and members of the public to humanely kill the reptiles that were found on properties managed b y the Florida FWC Commission. Those who participated had to follow strict guidelines in the handling and transpiration of the large lizards.
The green iguana has become an invasive species in southern Florida, having come originally as stowaways on vessels from South America. This small population was probably augmented by folks who released former pets into the wild. The lizard has thrived in the climate of south Florida, but have been the victim of cold snaps, the first which occurred in January 2008 and a second one in January 2010. The February 2026 cold snap should reduce their numbers. The green iguana was the first popular lizard in the hobby, but turned out for a lot of folks to be a challenge to keep. They are ideal for intermediate to advanced keepers.
