Florida cracks down on saw palmetto fruit theft
Harvesting saw palmetto berries without a permit is now a third-degree felony, but that doesn’t stop some thieves.
LAKELAND, Florida. – If you have seen certain small berries growing in clusters in the wild, they could be saw palmetto berries, and they are commonly hunted at this time of year.
In the state of Florida, it is now a third-degree felony to harvest the berries without a permit—and to buy poached berries—but that hasn’t stopped some people.
Saw palmetto fruit theft is nothing new. Ken Gioeli, a natural resources officer with the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension, says it’s been happening for years on public and private lands. But what makes them so sought after?
“They’re used in the medical field and people can buy supplements to treat a number of different conditions,” Gioeli said. “One of them is enlarged prostate and prostate problems, so it can help people with medical problems.”
On July 1, new regulations came into effect that impose harsher penalties on poachers and their buyers. Harvesting the berries without a permit or permission from the landowner is now a third-degree felony and can result in a prison sentence of up to five years.
Last week, four people were arrested in two separate incidents in Polk County for stealing berries in the Frostproof area.
“They said we had a permit and permission to take the berries from this private property. False. They did not have permission. It’s hard to believe, but they lied to us,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
And in Manatee County, a couple was arrested earlier this month. The affidavit states that one of the suspects told the deputy that he had tried to get a free permit from the state but had been denied multiple times.
Officials say the berries can sell for about 75 cents a pound and sometimes fetch as much as $3.50 a pound. They add that the thieves sometimes sell them to roadside buyers, but the berries usually find their way to Immokalee and are then shipped to China for processing.
READ: Florida man who drove too fast in front of police in stolen car got stuck in fence of tennis court at Holmes Beach
“Saw palmetto plants are considered to be commercially used,” Gioeli said.
Gioeli says he hopes people will go the legal route because the berries also play a crucial role in our environment.
“If there is a season when poachers illegally enter natural areas and collect these berries, there is basically no way for the plants to regenerate and produce a new generation of plants, and then the wildlife that is there will also suffer.”
Some of the suspects in Polk County were given $5,000 bail.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
