Proposed ordinance would ban sale of pythons, iguanas in Palm Beach County

The question of course is is the proposed ban for pythons period, or just specific ones. By the wording of this article they're wanting to ban all pythons regardless.

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Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty wants to create a county-wide ordinance banning pet store owners from selling pythons and iguanas.

McCarty says the reptiles are causing widespread problems in Palm Beach County and the Florida Everglades.

She will ask her counterparts on the county commission Tuesday to support drafting ordinance. Two public hearings must be held before the restriction would become official.

"The pythons are taking over the Everglades," McCarty said.

South Florida's non-native reptile problem gained widespread attention last fall after an Everglades National Park pilot photographed the carcass of a 6-foot alligator protruding from the split midsection of a 13-foot Burmese python.

The pythons are breeding in the Everglades and threaten native species, water managers say.

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Another article on the topic.



West Palm Beach, FL (AHN) - Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty plans to request her fellow commissioners to agree on creating an ordinance on Tuesday to ban the sales of python snakes and iguanas that are causing major problems throughout the county.

If the commissioners agree with McCarty’s proposal, then the county must hold two public hearings for the restriction ordinance to become official for future enforcement.

The Burmese Python problem in Florida continues to grow and there is rising concern for the environment and a threat to native species.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Allyn Szejko proposed the ban to McCarty. Szejko is a wildlife rehabilitator with Wildlife Rescue of South Florida.

These pythons have been rapidly breeding for the last couple of years with over 200 being found during this time span. Many of the snakes have been found right on the main roads.

According to authorities, these snakes are eating almost everything in the Everglades National Park in Florida.

The pythons are originally from Southeast Asia and thousands of them are imported into the United States and sold as pets every year.

In the wild they can grow to be more than 20 feet long. They grow quickly and are among the largest snakes in the world.

Apparently, many owners who couldn't handle their pet's growth in size anymore simply released them into the wild. Commissioner McCarty confirms this problem, and wants to create a way to stop it.

Too many pet owners do not realize the serious damaging effects these snakes have on the environment after they let them go.

According to Szejko, there are also pet iguana owners who no longer want to keep these pets as well. They are also releasing the iguanas into the wild on a regular basis.

These iguanas, also known as large lizards, can grow to be as large as six feet in total length.

According to McCarty, the iguanas are also not friendly and they belong in their natural habitat, as they are not native to Florida.

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