VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Picking berries in the wild may seem harmless, but it could get you arrested in Florida. A Volusia County woman is facing a felony charge over unpermitted berry harvesting.
Melissa Guarino was arrested Sunday and charged with destroying or harvesting the berries, according to Volusia County Circuit Court records.
Unpermitted harvesting of saw palmetto berries is illegal in Florida because the crop is an important ingredient in medications, most commonly used to treat prostate conditions.
Due to pharmaceutical demand, the berries can be resold for a significant profit, driving unauthorized picking across private lands.
Guarino’s arrest occurred about a week after Brevard County deputies said they caught four people stealing saw palmetto berries on private property.
Deputies were patrolling when they saw two vehicles park on private land, a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office social media post states. The deputies approached Daniel Depace and then saw three others hiding behind some bushes.
The deputies said they found the group with roughly 200 pounds of berries in a car, leading to charges of harvesting palmetto berries without permission. Arrested were Depace, Sonya Sloan, Ivan Flores, and Shyeim Campbell.
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