Python Ban Bill Slithering Through State House

SUMTER COUNTY — Support is growing to keep anyone from owning a Burmese python like the one that killed a 2-year-old girl in 2009.

Lawmakers said Burmese pythons and other non-native reptiles have been a concern for years.

Legislation is moving through the state House to ban these reptiles.

However, they said it was the death of Shaiunna Hare’s at her Sumter County home that really got people’s attention.

“I am ground zero and it’s terrible. What happened there was terrible,” said Robbie Keszey from Glades Herp Farm.

Keszey, who makes a living in the reptile industry, said banning the snakes is a bad move.

“(An) All out ban I think would be stupid,” Keszey said. “It would hurt the economy. And when you all out ban stuff, you’re just creating more criminals because everyone is going to find a way to do it anyway.”

Keszey also argued people should have the right to keep them as pets.

The legislation would allow anyone who already has one of the reptiles of concern to keep it with a permit for the rest of its life.

Some legislators said without any natural predators, these non-native reptiles are just too dangerous to be in the state.

“It’s an intrusive foreign species that threatens our native fauna,” said Rep. Luis Garcia.

Keszey believes the state should focus on getting more snake owners to abide by the law already on the books, which requires a permit and specifies the reptiles must be housed in a locked cage.

Authorities said Jaren Hare, Shaiunna’s mother, and her live-in boyfriend, Charles Jason Darnell, did not have a permit for their pet python.

Darnell said the snake was housed in a glass aquarium with a quilt tied down on top.

“Not everybody knows that there is a permit system, and everybody is crying that something has got to be done because the negligence of the parents,” Keszey said.

Senate Bill 318 would ban what are identified as reptiles of concern, which includes five species of giant snakes and one species of giant lizard.

Under the bill, current owners would be grandfathered in and be allowed to keep their pets.

This, along with already existing pet amnesty days, would ensure there are no unintended releases in response to the new law.