A 22-year-old Boynton Beach man is facing felony charges after Palm Beach County deputies caught him harvesting saw palmetto berries on a protected nature trail and recovered roughly 500 pounds of the fruit stashed nearby. Alejandro Raymundo Lucas was arrested at the Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, where deputies found him wearing gloves and long clothing, carrying a red berry bucket and a heavy-duty harvesting bag.
According to an arrest affidavit, deputies found Lucas harvesting saw palmetto berries at the Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, a Palm Beach County preserve managed by Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. As CBS12 reported, a deputy spotted Lucas harvesting berries on an ADA-accessible trail and a site manager had already flagged possible berry-picking activity at the natural area earlier in the week. The preserve sits at 150 Hypoluxo Road in Hypoluxo, Florida.
Deputies secured the roughly 500 pounds of berries found with Lucas as evidence. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday and charged with harvesting or destroying saw palmetto berries without permission, grand theft of property valued between $750 and $5,000, and a county ordinance violation. Bond was set at $10,250, per the same account.
A Felony Under Florida's Commercially Exploited Plant Law
Florida law classifies harvesting saw palmetto berries without landowner permission or the required state permit as a felony, a designation the state applies because saw palmetto sits on Florida's commercially exploited plant index. Under Florida Statute 581.189, it is unlawful to harvest the berries on public or private land without written landowner authorization and a state permit, and 2024 statutory updates expanded third-degree felony exposure to unauthorized dealers, transporters, and processors, according to UF/IFAS Blogs.
Getting a permit costs nothing, but the process is not instant. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issues Native Plant Harvesting Permits free of charge, though state rules require harvesters to submit applications at least 14 days in advance and obtain written landowner permission, per WTSP. Even landowners harvesting berries on their own property for commercial sale must obtain a state permit first.
Part of a Broader Regional Crackdown
CBS12's reporting lists regional palmetto berry cases. Kenneth Nail was arrested in Martin County in a case involving berries allegedly harvested from public parks without authorization, an Indian River County man was accused of hauling 150 pounds of illegally harvested berries, and four people illegally collected about 200 pounds of the fruit, the outlet's report notes.
Those smaller busts echo bigger ones from past seasons. In August 2025, South Florida law enforcement officers arrested 11 individuals and seized approximately 6,000 pounds of illegally harvested saw palmetto berries in a single coordinated enforcement action, according to KIRO 7 News. Hoodline previously reported on a Palm Beach County crackdown at J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area that involved over 10,000 pounds of berries, and a separate Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office operation in Plant City that netted 801 pounds of poached berries, which the Tampa Bay Times reported were commanding bulk market prices of $7 to $8 per pound at the time.
Why a 97-Acre Scrub Preserve Is a Target
Saw palmetto berries are used in supplements and for prostate-related purposes. According to UF/IFAS Ask IFAS, saw palmetto is a source of food for Florida wildlife and is used in products including honey, fiber, oil, and wax.
That demand puts pressure on places like Hypoluxo Scrub, a Palm Beach County preserve where deputies intercepted Lucas on an ADA-accessible trail.
Beyond the legal stakes, biologists point to an ecological cost when pickers strip ripening berries from natural areas. Saw palmetto berries serve as a wildlife food source in Florida for more than 200 species, according to UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County.
Florida's saw palmetto berries are ripe from August through November. The crop's cash value keeps drawing illegal pickers onto both public land and private property throughout the harvest window, a pattern that regional law enforcement agencies continue to confront season after season.
