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Senate passes
bill to name gopher tortoise Florida's
official tortoise |
By
Associated Press
04/25/08
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Senate has passed a bill that would make the gopher tortoise
the state's official tortoise.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Burt Saunders, a Naples Republican. It zipped through the
Senate on a 36 to 1 vote. There is no similar legislation moving in the House.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted in June 2006 to upgrade the
status of the gopher tortoise from species of special concern to threatened.
Gopher tortoises burrow in sandy, dry areas such as dunes. Biologists estimate their numbers
have dropped by up to 80% in the last century due to coastal development.
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