Two people were arrested for allegedly harvesting saw palmetto berries.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as of last July, a permit is required to harvest the berries in Florida.

The two were harvesting the berries after midnight on Friday in the vicinity of the Baseline Trailhead Park when they were seen as the MCSO helicopter happened to be in the area.

Those on the helicopter then radioed to a deputy, who tracked down the man and woman, later identified as Elizabeth Merson, 32, and Frederick Allen Graff, 45.

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The two were booked into the Marion County jail on misdemeanor charges.

What are the new requirements for a contract harvester of palmetto berries on public or private land?

The contract harvester must possess written permission from the landowner or the legal representative

prior to harvest

The contract harvester must also possess a Native Plant Harvesting Permit from the Department prior

to harvest. The permit application must be submitted fourteen (14) days prior to the intended date of

harvest.

What are the new requirements for any person transporting for sale, selling, or offering for sale saw palmetto berries?

A person transporting for sale, selling, or offering for sale saw palmetto berries, which is harvested from the person’s own property, must possess a Native Plant Harvesting Permit from the Department.

The permit application must be submitted fourteen (14) days prior to the intended date of

harvest.

What enforcement action can be taken if these requirements are not followed?

If found by law enforcement officials to not meet the requirements above, the harvester or person

transporting for sale, selling, or offering for sale saw palmetto berries may be charged with a

misdemeanor. The illegally harvested berries will be confiscated and returned to the owner. If the owner cannot be located, the berries will be destroyed.