Florida arrests man accused of bypassing livestock import restrictions 

A central Florida man has been arrested after allegedly bringing 24 sheep and goats into Florida from Texas without the veterinary documentation required under the state’s emergency New World screwworm import restrictions. 

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Roger Rodriguez Vega, of Maitland, attempted to enter the state through the Pensacola Agricultural Inspection Station with the animals, but was denied entry after failing to provide a valid Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. 

According to the department, Rodriguez Vega later entered Florida by traveling through Georgia, bypassing the state’s agricultural inspection station. The agency issued a statewide Be On the Lookout alert because the livestock originated from an area subject to Florida’s emergency restrictions. 

Officers with the department’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement later stopped Rodriguez Vega’s vehicle. Officials said he again failed to provide the required veterinary inspection certificate. 

Rodriguez Vega was arrested and charged with 24 counts of unlawful entry of animals into the state and one count of resisting an officer without violence. 

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said the state will continue enforcing emergency measures intended to prevent the introduction of NWS into the state. 

“We will not tolerate anyone who breaks the law and attempts to circumvent those protections,” Simpson said in a news release. 

The rules place temporary restrictions on livestock entering Florida from designated high-risk counties in Texas and require an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for eligible animals. 

No cases of NWS have been detected in Florida. State officials continue to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, veterinarians, livestock producers and wildlife agencies to monitor the situation. 

Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].