FWC stands by decision to probe activists’ personal information

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a statement Friday afternoon defending its use of a state database, which is designed for criminal investigations, to look into activists who publicly criticized the agency’s policies.

The statement came a week after the Miami Herald reported that FWC criminal intelligence analysts have been looking at activists’ records in the state’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known as DAVID, since 2023.

READ MORE: ‘Appalled.’ FWC looks at its critics’ info in database meant for criminal probes

The FWC — which not only enforces conservation and boating laws, but also establishes environmental policy through a governor-appointed commission — said the records were pulled to assess “credible threats” even though its officials stressed a week earlier that no one who was probed is under criminal investigation.

But that is what DAVID is specifically used for. The database is typically employed by police officers conducting criminal investigations and includes sensitive information like people’s Social Security numbers, medical-disability records, addresses, signatures and emergency contacts. Only authorized people can pull DAVID records, and an official reason is required.

The Herald confirmed the FWC pulled the DAVID records of 12 people who have been critical of FWC policies on issues such as development and a controversial bear hunt.

“They can issue whatever statement they want. I did nothing wrong,” said Sandy Moise, a 60-year-old Miami-Dade educator with a long history of advocating for environmental causes, including the rookery of Biscayne Bay.

FWC officials responded to the reporting after the story came out by stressing that none of the activists were or are under criminal investigation even though the reason the analysts stated on the form for pulling the DAVID records was “criminal investigation.”

But, a week later, the agency said DAVID was accessed “for public safety purposes” in the wake of heated comments made at public commission meetings, particularly the ones leading up to the approval of the bear hunt last summer. The FWC attached a sample of violent online comments with its statement, none of which are known to have been made by anyone whose records were pulled, nor did the FWC attribute the comments to the subjects of the DAVID probes.

“Taking threats seriously is common sense and requires preparedness and planning. Keeping the public, our staff, and our Commissioners safe is a very real and critical responsibility,” the agency said.

“Due to these and other types of actions, the DAVID inquiry was conducted for public safety purposes. We believe that multiple DAVID inquiries were conducted in conjunction with recurring Commission events and public safety planning that are consistent with legitimate law enforcement practices,” the statement reads. “Assessing credible threats to the people who attend our meetings and work in our facilities is a legitimate and lawful function of law enforcement, and we take every threat seriously.”

The Miami Herald asked if any of the 12 people probed through DAVID left any of the sampled comments and did not immediately receive a response. The FWC blacked out the profiles of the people who made the comments on the sample sheet it provided.

“I understand their legitimate concern regarding the threats they received, but that does not justify them placing me, an individual who never made a threat, under criminal investigation, and it did not give them legal grounds to access my records through DAVID. They had no legitimate official purpose,” said Moise.

Katrina Shadix, a 58-year-old anti-bear-hunt activist in the Orlando area, found out through a public-records request that the FWC accessed her DAVID information 17 times between 2023 and 2025. Information accessed included her photograph and signature and her driver’s license transaction data, according to the report, which was seen by the Herald.

She also denied ever making threats and is working on a lawsuit against the FWC for pulling her DAVID records.

“They can PR this all they want, but they are busted, and they know it,” Shadix said Friday.

Shadix added that the comments that the FWC cited in its statement were made on social media, and the agency could investigate to find out who made them. But, instead, the agency is going after people exercising their constitutional rights to criticize a public agency, according to Shadix.

“If they wanted, the FWC could have gone after them, and be justified in going after these people who threatened their lives,” she said.

Brent Fannin, 38, was the first activist to discover the FWC was pulling critics’ DAVID records. He has been leading an effort to reform the way commissioners are appointed by the governor, with the goal of picking more candidates with backgrounds in science and conservation.

He said the threatening quotes cited by the FWC “may be real,” but also noted that the FWC has been pulling activists’ DAVID records for several years.

“They’ve been following conservationists for at least four years now,” Fannin said.

Rodney Barreto, the chairman of the FWC, told the Herald last week that the DAVID records were accessed to check people who signed up to speak at public meetings to ensure attendees’ safety. Fannin noted that he, Moise and some of the other people whose data was probed don’t go to the agency’s meetings.

“Many of us who’ve been surveilled have never been to a meeting,” said Fannin, who helped write a bill that has been stalled in the Legislature for the past two sessions aimed at revising “the composition” of the FWC’s commissioners.

“The idea that the FWC is transparent is laughable,” he said.

Sometimes those stakeholders all agree on various issues, but not always. The issues that come before the Commission are at times controversial, and that means stakeholders on each side of the issue are passionate about their position. This can lead to safety and operational concerns that require vigilance to ensure the protection of all meeting participants.

We included a small sample of serious threats on various social media platforms that we have received because of FWC’s work. One of the most egregious on the list was during the debate over the bear hunt, when commissioners and staff received threats such as “don’t let it kill him, let him live totally paralyzed and in agony for many years to come.”

In addition to these threats, additional examples include:

Employees have been doxed (i.e., information requested for two employees and their home addresses were made public).

Calls have been received requesting specific information as to the location of offices in specific buildings.

People targeted a commissioner’s business by setting up a protest and intentionally leaving negative reviews to try to influence his vote.

FWC must balance these threats with our need to continue to operate in the public. Situational awareness, safety assessments, and safety planning are a must in order for FWC to continue its mission.

We thank the Floridians who participate in the process and who see the value of every person who works or volunteers with FWC. We all have a role in making Florida a national leader in conservation and outdoor recreation and helping ensure our natural resources remain accessible for future generations.

That work must stay within the limits of the law, and it must respect the privacy of every Floridian. Protecting people and protecting rights are not competing goals, and we intend to honor both.”