Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)<\/a>.<\/p>\nAt its February commission meeting in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Feb. 4, the FWC announced that 5,195 green iguanas were collected statewide under Executive Order 26-03, a short-term emergency measure enacted during a period of extended cold temperatures in South Florida.<\/p>\n
The temporary regulations allowed people to remove live, cold-stunned green iguanas from their property without a permit and bring them to select FWC offices on Feb. 1 and 2. Cold weather can immobilize the reptiles native to Central and South America. Iguanas often struggle to function when temperatures drop below 50 degrees.<\/p>\n
![\"Iguanas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/7b0f5790ccc76620a303257c4de9437e.jpeg\"\/)
Iguanas are seen ready to be handed over to the Florida Wildlife Commission, Sunday, Feb.1, 2026, at the field office in Sunrise, Florida. <\/p>\n
Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel\/Tribune News Service via Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cThe special regulations under EO 26-03 provided a unique opportunity for members of the public to remove cold-stunned green iguanas from their property during the recent unusual cold weather and bring them to the FWC, no permit required,\u201d FWC Executive Director Roger Young said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Young said green iguanas are an invasive species that cause \u201cnegative impacts on Florida\u2019s environment and economy,\u201d including damage to seawalls, landscaping, and infrastructure. He credited the scale of the effort to collaboration between residents, agency staff, and wildlife partners.<\/p>\n
FWC officials said staff coordinated with permitted wildlife handlers to transfer live iguanas for authorized purposes, including sale outside of Florida. Green iguanas are classified as a prohibited species in the state and cannot be possessed without a permit. Any iguanas that could not be transferred were humanely killed by trained staff, the agency reported.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a7b2f40dee17e1814e0674670b9e03cd.jpeg\"\/)
An iguana on a tree branch. <\/p>\n
Getty <\/p>\n
The majority of the reptiles (3,882 iguanas) were turned in at the FWC\u2019s Sunrise, Fla., drop-off location. Additional collections included 1,075 in Tequesta, 215 in Marathon, and 23 in Fort Myers. The order has since expired, and the agency is no longer accepting live iguanas from the public.<\/p>\n
The FWC emphasized that green iguanas are not protected in Florida, aside from state anti-cruelty laws, and may be humanely killed year-round on private property with landowner permission. Officials also warned residents never to bring cold-stunned iguanas indoors, noting that the animals can recover quickly and become defensive, using their tails, teeth, and claws.<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\nFlorida is home to more than 600 non-native fish and wildlife species, with roughly 80% introduced through the live animal trade, according to the FWC. Of those, 139 species are now established and reproducing in the wild.<\/p>\n
“Invasive species management is a high priority,” the agency said, citing environmental damage, economic costs and potential risks to human safety.<\/p>\n
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