Terms of Use & Fishing Information

About the service and these terms

Florida Fish & Water is an independent guide to selected Florida fisheries, fish, source-linked rules, weather, water observations, access information and trip tools. It is part of the US Fish & Water network, not a government agency or an official licensing service. Questions: contact@floridafishandwater.com.

These terms apply to this website and installed versions linking here. Account and submission features require an adult’s agreement where requested. If you do not agree, do not create an account or submit content. Privacy practices are described in the separate Privacy Policy; acknowledging that notice is not blanket consent to optional analytics.

Adults, accounts and account security

Account creation, reports, meetup creation and other submissions are limited to adults 18 or older. Provide accurate account information, use only an account you are authorized to control and keep credentials and recovery links confidential. Do not impersonate another person. Tell us promptly about unauthorized use. Parental or guardian permission does not authorize a person under 18 to use an account or submission feature. Adults must not provide a minor’s personal information as a workaround.

Account features depend on the Florida service being connected and available. Texas and hub links do not create a shared login. We may restrict a feature or account where reasonably necessary to investigate abuse, protect others or enforce these terms, subject to applicable rights. Contact us for review of a restriction.

Regulations, licenses and jurisdiction

We aim to identify sources and relevant review dates, but a summary is not the governing law. Verify current FWC rules, emergency orders, licenses, permits, seasons, gear restrictions, protected species, special waters and Fish Management Area conditions before fishing or keeping fish. Federal, state, park, local, tribal or other rules may overlap.

A coastal species can have region-specific limits, closed seasons, combined bags, possession rules, slot limits or different measuring methods. A water’s profile does not establish the legal boundary you are in. The current rule of the responsible authority controls if a summary differs. A review date does not guarantee that no later change exists.

Identification, artwork and fish consumption

Fish illustrations and descriptions help comparison; they do not establish the identity or legality of an individual catch. Color, age, hybridization and condition can change appearance. Do not harvest a fish you cannot reliably identify.

Permission to harvest does not mean a fish is safe to eat. Check Florida Department of Health advisories and other responsible health authorities for species, location, serving and population-specific guidance. No listed advisory is not a safety guarantee. The guide does not provide personalized medical advice.

Water scenes may be representative original artwork rather than documentary photographs. A scene is not proof of access, shoreline appearance, water depth or current conditions. Source and artwork disclosures remain available on Sources & coverage.

Weather, tides, water levels and audio

Forecasts predict conditions; station observations measure a particular place and time. Tide predictions are not observed levels or currents. Vertical datums, units, station distance, source issue times and valid periods matter. A nearby station or shoreline forecast does not describe every part of a lake, bay or offshore area.

Computer-read forecast audio is text-to-speech, not a NOAA Weather Radio broadcast, live warning stream or replacement for marine forecasts. Browser audio, notifications and on-screen refreshes can fail. Water Watch checks while the site is open; background emergency-alert delivery is not an active service.

Readings can be delayed, incomplete, retained from an earlier request or unavailable. A refreshed page does not make an old observation new. Use official warnings and marine forecasts, monitor conditions independently and follow local instructions.

Access, mapping and boating safety

A map pin, access listing, meetup point, depth reference or water level does not establish public entry, navigability, launch suitability, minimum clearance or a safe route. Confirm ownership, permissions, hours, fees, closures and ramp conditions with the operator. Do not trespass.

This website is not a navigation chart, onboard instrument, rescue service or emergency-warning system. Outdoor activities can involve drowning, lightning, severe weather, wildlife, equipment and other hazards. Use appropriate training, safety equipment and supervision. Call emergency services for urgent danger rather than waiting for a website response.

Lake DNA, historical records and source limits

Stocking, habitat and survey material is dated evidence with its own reporting periods, methods, geographic scope and uncertainty. Fish released are not a count of living fish today; sampling rates are not angler catch probabilities. Historical stocking does not guarantee current occurrence, access, a bite or future success.

Linked reports and source archives may change, move or become unavailable. We may summarize only part of a source. Check the linked original and any qualifications before relying on a figure. Coverage is selected and incomplete; an omitted water, species or advisory is not proof of absence.

Saved data, synchronization and availability

Browser saves can be lost through clearing storage, private browsing, device changes, browser cleanup or service errors. Cloud save/load actions can replace an existing document in the chosen direction; review the screen and keep a separate copy of important records. An account is not a promise of continuous synchronization or permanent storage.

We may correct, maintain, suspend, change or discontinue features. Network, provider and source outages can occur. Offline pages may contain outdated rules and readings. Do not rely on the service as your only copy of important information or only way to assess safety.

Your reports, notes and limited permission to use submissions

You keep any rights you have in your original submissions. By submitting a report, correction, water request or meetup information, you give us a non-exclusive permission to store, review, format, display and use it to operate that requested feature and maintain the guide. Approved reports and intentional sharing may be displayed as described in the Privacy Policy. This permission does not turn private account notes into public promotional material.

Submit only material you have the right to provide. Factual corrections and source references can inform the guide without guaranteeing publication, attribution or a deadline. Do not submit confidential material, copyrighted material without permission, children’s personal information or another person’s private data.

The submission permission is limited to the feature, review or contact purpose for which the material was provided and remains subject to the Privacy Policy. It does not authorize publishing private contact details or private account notes, enrolling a sender in marketing, or using private submissions as unrelated promotional material. Submitting material does not transfer ownership of your original work.

Community rules and moderation

Do not submit unlawful, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory, sexually explicit, fraudulent or malicious content. Do not impersonate officials, fabricate a condition or access notice, expose sensitive personal information, promote illegal harvest or invite trespass. Do not post advertising spam or content designed to exploit another user.

We may reject, edit for clarity or privacy, remove or limit submissions, and restrict abusive activity. Moderation is not a verification of every statement and does not guarantee an error-free community feed or continuous monitoring. Report a concern to contact@floridafishandwater.com with the water, record link and reason. We may retain records for investigation or legal needs as explained in the Privacy Policy.

Meetups and outside interactions

Meetup tools share a location and time you choose; they do not verify a person’s identity, authorize access or provide supervision. Anyone with the link can forward it. Choose an appropriate public meeting place, protect private details and use your own judgment about interactions.

We do not organize or supervise a user-created meetup merely by hosting its link. A meetup is not an official event, a booking, a guide service or a guarantee that anyone will attend. Cancellation or expiry cannot retrieve copies previously saved by another person.

Acceptable technical use

Do not defeat authentication or rate limits, attempt to access another person’s records, interfere with the service, upload malware, harvest personal information, impersonate another account or overload APIs. Respect applicable source-provider terms and access controls. These restrictions do not prohibit conduct that applicable law protects. Report suspected vulnerabilities privately to contact@floridafishandwater.com without exploiting or disclosing other users’ information.

Branding, source rights and outside services

Original branding, interface and artwork remain subject to their rights holders’ rights. You may use the guide normally and share links. Access does not grant a right to sell or redistribute the full artwork library, use our marks as your own or imply a government or network endorsement. Third-party data, trademarks and source material remain subject to their own rights and applicable law.

Links to official sources, map providers, the network hub, other state guides or external services do not make us responsible for those operators’ content or promises. Their own terms and policies apply. No commercial or professional relationship is created merely by following a link.

Current service scope, promotions and future paid features

This guide does not currently operate an on-site checkout, charge an account subscription, issue licenses or accept bookings through its guide tools. We do not ask for payment-card details in reports or account notes. A future paid product, promotion or event would need its own clear price, eligibility and applicable purchase, cancellation or event terms before you commit. These terms do not invent a refund policy for a checkout that does not exist.

A contact message, request, proposed partnership or suggestion does not create a paid engagement, sponsorship, booking, refund entitlement or obligation to publish. A paid commitment requires a separate agreement expressly accepted by the parties, with its price and applicable terms disclosed before payment. These provisions do not limit rights that applicable law gives you in an actual transaction.

Warranties and limits of liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without a promise that every item is accurate, complete, uninterrupted, secure or suitable for a particular trip. We do not guarantee a catch, safe conditions, legal harvest or continued access. You remain responsible for your outdoor, boating, consumption and sharing decisions.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential losses arising from use or inability to use the service. Where a lawful monetary limitation applies, our aggregate liability for claims concerning this free guide is limited to the greater of US $100 or the amount you paid us for the affected service in the preceding twelve months.

These limits do not exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence or injury where applicable law prohibits exclusion. They do not waive non-waivable consumer or privacy rights, excuse legal duties or prevent relief available under applicable law.

Disputes, changes and contact

Contact contact@floridafishandwater.com to explain a concern and give us a reasonable opportunity to address it. This request does not stop you from contacting a regulator, using emergency services, meeting a legal deadline or exercising a non-waivable right. These terms do not impose mandatory arbitration, a class-action waiver or an exclusive court location. Applicable law determines legal rights and jurisdiction.

If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to the extent permitted by law. We may update these terms and will provide additional notice or request a new agreement when required for material changes. The version date is shown above. Accessibility concerns, corrections, rights complaints and questions can be sent to the same contact address.

Changes operate prospectively except where applicable law requires otherwise. An updated page does not erase an accrued right or supply consent that was never given. A waiver or separate commitment must be expressly authorized; silence, a suggestion or an ordinary support response does not create one.