Renos Reptiles

07/30/2026

Local online newspaper for North Escambia County Florida, Pensacola, Walnut Hill, Bratt, McDavid, Molino, Century, Cantonment, Atmore, Flomaton, News

07/29/2026

Local online newspaper for North Escambia County Florida, Pensacola, Walnut Hill, Bratt, McDavid, Molino, Century, Cantonment, Atmore, Flomaton, News

07/29/2026

07/28/2026

Planning to join us at Westside Library on July 30th for Reno's Reptiles? Stick around afterward to “adopt” your own tiny dinosaur and take it home in its very own habitat!

04/15/2026

USARK FL will be releasing a 3 part documentary on the MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Holy Thursday Massacre this week on Youtube. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/8uTChlo7YW0?si=C3nvli-_061xbe0c

On April 6, 2023, a legal pet Boa owned by Bill McAdam, was misidentified as a Prohibited species and killed with a penetrating bolt gun. A subsequent necropsy revealed the snake was gravid and carrying 32 offspring.

Over 30 pythons (both Reticulated and Burmese pythons) belonging to Chris Coffee were also killed. These had been legally possessed prior to FWC’s 2021 rule changes that reclassified certain species as “Prohibited.” Coffee had attempted to comply with the new regulations.

We are not publicizing this issue simply to open old wounds or incite hatred against FWC. We are doing this as a reminder that when onerous policies are passed, resulting in overreaching enforcement actions, it affects real people and real living things. In this case, the mental and emotional trauma inflicted upon Bill McAdam, Chris Coffee, and their families is incalculable. This process has deprived Coffee of his life savings, his valuable collection of animals, and has even resulted in his family becoming homeless.

Policies are implemented by people, in this case the people who work at FWC. Even the most honest and competent people make mistakes. We know that there are good people at FWC with good intentions. However, when policies are written in such a way that they do not anticipate the worst possible outcomes, especially when the input of the people that they affect is not considered in the process, the results can be disastrous.

In this case, FWC's rules have not succeeded in reducing wild populations of invasive species. In fact, it is likely that the populations of pythons, iguanas, and tegus have only increased since the rules were passed. However, these rules have upended the lives of people and caused untold heartache. This has resulted in negative media attention and political backlash for FWC. If it is genuinely interested in creating policies that work, FWC must consider reptile keepers as partners, not as adversaries.

As for Chris Coffee and Bill McAdam, FWC should be absolutely eager to take care of them, whatever that takes.