FL S1298

Revises the definition of "endangered species" and "threatened species" to include climate change as a factor affecting species survival and replaces "overutilization" with "overuse" in both wildlife and plant contexts.

Requires the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to continue protecting species that meet state definitions of endangered or threatened even if they are declassified under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to continue protecting plant species that meet state definitions of endangered or threatened regardless of federal declassification, in consultation with the Endangered Plant Advisory Council.

Prohibits both the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from considering the economic cost of protecting a species when designating it as endangered or threatened.

Establishes that the Endangered Plant Advisory Council shall conduct comprehensive reviews of the Regulated Plant Index every 4 years beginning in 1984, effective July 1, 2023.