- Abandoned burrow
- A gopher tortoise burrow that has collapsed, cratered, or become heavily overgrown and is no longer functional. Not counted toward the tortoise population estimate.
- Active burrow
- A burrow showing signs of current use — fresh tracks, a clean sand apron, and no debris across the entrance. Treated as occupied by FWC.
- Apron
- The fan-shaped mound of loose sand at a burrow entrance, pushed out by the tortoise while digging. A key identifying feature.
- Authorized Agent
- A person permitted by FWC to conduct gopher tortoise surveys, apply for relocation permits, and legally capture and relocate tortoises. Mr. Tortoise LLC is an FWC Authorized Agent.
- Burrow
- The tunnel a gopher tortoise digs in sandy soil — averaging 15 feet long and up to 10 feet deep — used for shelter, temperature regulation, and nesting.
- Commensal species
- The 350+ other animals (burrowing owls, gopher frogs, indigo snakes, invertebrates) that use gopher tortoise burrows, making the tortoise a keystone species.
- Conservation Permit
- The FWC permit for sites with more than ten burrows conflicting with a project — typically subdivisions and larger developments.
- Development area
- The portion of a property where construction or ground disturbance is planned. FWC requires 100% survey coverage of this area plus 25 feet beyond it.
- Disturbed Site Permit
- The FWC permit used to bring a project back into compliance after burrows were disturbed without prior authorization.
- FWC
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — the state agency that regulates gopher tortoises under Rule 68A-27, Florida Administrative Code.
- Gopherus polyphemus
- The scientific name of the gopher tortoise, the only tortoise native to the southeastern U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
- Inactive burrow
- An intact, usable burrow showing no fresh signs of use (e.g., leaf litter or a web across the mouth). Treated as potentially occupied and counted in the survey.
- Keystone species
- A species whose burrows or habitat many other animals depend on. The gopher tortoise is Florida's classic example.
- Mitigation contribution
- A fee some FWC permits require, contributing to gopher tortoise habitat conservation as part of authorizing relocation.
- Negative survey
- A survey report documenting no evidence of gopher tortoise presence on a property. Provides legal and transactional clarity.
- Off-site relocation
- Moving tortoises to a permitted recipient conservation site, required when a parcel lacks suitable habitat or borders a canal/waterway. Adds a $5,000-per-tortoise recipient fee.
- On-site relocation
- Moving tortoises to a protected area of the same property. Requires qualifying habitat (750+ sq ft, 10+ ft wide, 25 ft from construction) and avoids recipient-site fees.
- Population estimate
- The projected number of tortoises on a site, derived from active and inactive burrow counts using FWC's accepted correction factor (one tortoise uses multiple burrows).
- Recipient site
- An FWC-permitted conservation property that accepts and permanently manages relocated gopher tortoises, charging a per-tortoise fee (commonly $5,000).
- Relocation permit
- The FWC authorization required before capturing and moving gopher tortoises for a construction or land-clearing project.
- Rule 68A-27
- The section of the Florida Administrative Code that protects the gopher tortoise as a state-Threatened species and defines prohibited 'take.'
- Scrub habitat
- Dry, sandy, well-drained upland with scrub oak, saw palmetto, and pine — prime gopher tortoise territory throughout Southwest Florida.
- Survey
- A methodical on-foot inspection of a property to locate, map, classify, and count gopher tortoise burrows, producing an FWC-format written report.
- Take
- FWC's term for harming, harassing, capturing, or killing a tortoise, or molesting, damaging, or destroying its burrow — prohibited without a permit.
- Threatened species
- A species at risk of becoming endangered. The gopher tortoise holds this state designation in Florida.
- Transect
- A straight survey line walked across a property. Overlapping parallel transects ensure complete burrow coverage during a survey.
- 90-day validity
- The window during which a gopher tortoise survey remains valid for an FWC permit application. After 90 days, a new survey is required.