(CNN) Think Florida: sandy beaches with lines of palm trees, all bathed in gorgeous sunshine.

Now add iguanas to that mental picture. Lots of them.

That's the reality in the Sunshine State, where homeowners are now encouraged to kill green iguanas they find on their properties, a statement on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's website reads.

"Homeowners do not need a permit to kill iguanas on their own property, and the (wildlife commission) encourages homeowners to kill green iguanas on their own property whenever possible," the statement reads. "Iguanas can also be killed year-round and without a permit on 22 public lands in south Florida."

The declaration follows an exponential increase in recent decades in sightings of the large lizards as their sheer numbers have caused more and more problems for residents.

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