FL: Pair of duck hunters to appear in court for expired licenses and permits

https://www.leesburg-news.com/2025/09/29/pair-of-duck-hunters-to-appear-in-court-for-expired-licenses-and-permits/

09/29/2025

A pair of duck hunters from Leesburg will appear in court for killing a duck on Haines Creek with expired licenses and permits.

An officer observed 30-year-old Gregory Sardinha and 31-year-old Lindsey Rae Martin on an airboat in Haines Creek at 8:50 a.m. Sept. 23 according to incident summary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

As the officer got closer, he saw they wore camouflage clothing. Sardinha was picking up duck decoys from the water while Martin steered the boat. It was apparent they were cleaning up after hunting for ducks, as it was the second to last day in the early Teal and Wood Duck hunting season, the report said.

The officer asked how they did that morning, and they held up one teal duck to show him. He then checked both hunters’ licenses, permits and firearms. They were unable to pull up their licenses and permits on their phones and did not have their wallets with a hard copy or their ID. Both shotguns were complaint with the maximum round count, though, the report said.

A check with an FWC database revealed both Sardinha’s and Martin’s Gold Sportsman hunting licenses expired on Sept 21. Their Federal Duck Stamps expired on June 30, and their Migratory Bird Permits expired on March 31, the report said.

They were surprised by this and explained they believed “auto-renew” was enabled on their accounts. They did not think to check it prior to hunting, but they were able to buy their updated licenses and permits by the time the officer finished the stop, the report said.

However, they were each issued a misdemeanor citation for hunting migratory waterfowl. They also received two written warnings for no/expired hunting license (resident) and violation of migratory bird hunting stamp act. A court date was set for Oct. 14.