Florida
What is red snapper? What to know about native fish as 2024 fishing season is announced
Red snapper season in the books for Atlantic anglers
2023 red snapper mini-season is done. How did yo do?
Ed Killer, Wochit
Get your prized fishing rods ready. It’s almost red snapper season!
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the record 103-day 2024 Gulf Red Snapper recreational season, breaking last year’s record of 87 days.
“I am proud to announce that this snapper season will be the longest season since our state took over red snapper management in the Gulf,” DeSantis said. “Florida is proud to be the Fishing and Boating Capital of the World.”
What is red snapper?
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, red snapper are “long-lived, early-maturing reef fish that are broadly distributed in the Gulf of Mexico.” They are also found along the eastern coasts of North America, Central America, and northern South America.
NOAA further details that red snapper can grow at a moderate rate, sometimes reaching 40 inches across and 50 pounds. Those in deeper waters tend to be redder than those caught in shallower waters.
When is red snapper season 2024 in Florida?
Those fishing from private recreational vessels or charter vessels will be able to participate in the 2024 Gulf red snapper season.
The 61-day summer season will begin on June 1 and continue through July 31. The 42-day fall season is the longest fall season since the beginning of state management and spans the following weekend dates:
- September 1–2 (Sunday through Monday of Labor Day Weekend)
- September 6–8
- September 13–15
- September 20–22
- September 27–29
- October 4–6
- October 11–13
- October 18–20
- October 25–27
- November 1–3
- November 8–11 (Veterans Day Weekend)
- November 15–17
- November 22–24
- November 28–30 (Thursday through Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend)
How many red snapper can you keep per day in Florida?
State and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico allow you to keep two Red Snappers, as per the FWC. The same goes for Atlantic Ocean state waters.
However, the limit is one Red Snapper per person in federal waters in the Atlantic.
Do I need a fishing license to catch red snapper?
No unless you plan to go out on your own.
If you plan to fish for red snapper in state or federal waters from a private recreational vessel, even if you are exempt from fishing license requirements, you must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler (annual renewal required) at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Can I keep the red snapper I catch?
Yes, as long as its within the legal size and in accordance with the latest rules and regulations. On the Gulf, the minimum size of your Red Snapper catch has to be 16 inches, while on the Atlantic side of Florida, there’s a 20-inch minimum.
What is the red snapper’s habitat?
Red snapper are generally found at 30 to 620 feet deep in the water. NOAA says larval red snapper swim freely within the water column while juveniles live in shallow waters over sandy or muddy bottom habitat.
As for adult snappers, experts explain they live on the bottom, usually near hard structures on the continental shelf that have moderate to high relief (such as coral reefs, artificial reefs, rocks, ledges, and caves), sloping soft-bottom areas, and limestone deposits.
Where is the best red snapper fishing in Florida?
The Fishing Booker highlights Pensacola as the best place for catching red snapper.
“Florida is one of the best states to catch yourself a couple of these beauties, and Pensacola tops the bill,” the fishing website writes. “The main reason is the large number of artificial reefs that attract all kinds of bottom dwellers. Red Snapper is the most prominent catch on offshore bottom fishing charters, where you can easily hook into a twenty-pounder.”
They also note the waters in the area get deep quickly, so you can get a snapper even in Pensacola Bay.
As for other places around Florida, the website noted these four sites:
- The Florida Panhandle – Specifically from Perdido Key, Pensacola, and Fort Walton Beach to Destin and Panama City
- Tampa
- Volusia County
- Treasure Coast
Florida
Florida college Republicans group chat reveals racist texts: ‘Avoid the coloreds like the plague’
It only took three weeks for a group chat for conservative students at Florida International University (FIU) to become a place where participants eagerly used racist slurs, prompting widespread condemnation from community leaders.
Abel Alexander Carvajal, secretary of Miami-Dade county’s Republican party and a student at FIU’s College of Law, reportedly started the chat after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, in September 2025.
But on Wednesday, the Miami Herald published leaked WhatsApp conversations in which the college Republicans made racist, sexist, antisemitic and homophobic comments, including variations of the N-word used more than 400 times. Knowledge of the chat’s existence was revealed on the same day that Republican lawmakers in Florida pushed forward a bill to rename a one-mile stretch of road alongside FIU in honor of Kirk.
William Bejerano, who the Herald noted once tried to start an anti-abortion group at Miami Dade College, was the most prolific user of the N-word. Using the slur, Bejerano called for dozens of acts of extreme violence against Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting.
Dariel Gonzalez, then the College Republicans’ recruitment chair, who has recently applied to become a GOP committee member, responded to the calls for violence by saying: “How edgy.” He repeatedly used “colored” to describe Black people, including writing: “Ew you had colored professors?!” and “Avoid the coloreds like the plague,” according to the Herald.
Carvajal, who was appointed to a two-year role on the city of Hialeah’s planning and zoning board earlier this year, confirmed to the paper that the group chat was his doing, but he denied knowledge of the problematic comments until the publication contacted him about its logs last week.
“It’s been five months since this was sent and this is the first time I’ve seen this message,” Carvajal told the Herald.
“I guess to an extent, I bear some responsibility, cause I created a chat. But if I had seen this at the moment, I would have removed [Bejerano] from the chat. I probably would have even blocked his number.”
The Herald found that Carvajal had deleted 14 messages sent by other participants in the chat and 42 of his own messages before the publication obtained the chat’s logs.
He also participated in some of the racist discussions. While referring to a Black student who allegedly left FIU’s College Republicans after a member of the group “called her a [N-word]”, the Floridian reported that Carvajal wrote: “Why didn’t miggress leave?” Elsewhere in the chat, the publication reported that Carvajal used “Miggress”, “Migglet” and “Migger” to refer to Black women, Black children and Black people, in general.
At one point, Gonzalez wrote: “You can fuck all the [K-word, a slur for Jewish people] you want. Just don’t marry them and procreate.”
Ian Valdes, the Turning Point USA FIU chapter president, responded, “I would def not marry a Jew,” before changing the group chat’s name from “Uber [R-word slur for disabled people] Yapping” to “Gooning in Agartha”. “Gooning” is a gen-Z slang term for male masturbation, while “Agartha” is a mythical white civilization promoted by Heinrich Himmler, one of the most powerful leaders in Nazi Germany next to Hitler.
Gonzalez reportedly described Agartha to the group chat as “Nazi heaven sort of”.
Kevin Cooper, the first Jewish chair of the Miami Dade Republican party, condemned the group chat in a statement published to X and called for Carvajal’s resignation.
“The majority of our board voted to request Carvajal’s resignation. We have commenced removal proceedings and look forward to resolution from the Republican Party of Florida,” he wrote.
That call was echoed by Juan Porras, a Republican state representative and Miami-Dade GOP state committee member, who said in a statement: “Leadership carries responsibility. When someone in a leadership role engages in this kind of behavior, it damages the trust placed in our party by voters across Florida. For that reason, I am asking the Miami Dade Republican party secretary to step down from this position.”
In a joint statement, Florida Republican state senators Alexis Calatayud, Ileana Garcia and Ana Maria Rodriguez denounced the chats and called for the expulsion from party leadership of its participants.
“The individuals in the group chat have exposed how profoundly misaligned their beliefs are to the views of the Republican party of Florida,” their statement said. “We call for the immediate expulsion of the individuals disseminating from any level of leadership of the Miami-Dade Republican Party … We will not tolerate bigotry or discrimination.”
Multiple leaked group chats from young Republicans have created controversy in recent years.
Last year, Politico published messages from a group chat of more than 100 conservatives across the country in which users also made racist and antisemitic comments. In 2022, a Young Republican group chat from North Dakota was revealed as a cesspool of homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric.
Florida
Federal judge blocks DeSantis executive order declaring CAIR a 'terrorist organization'
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
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