The purpose of this list is to provide a list of plants determined by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council to be invasive in natural areas of Florida and to routinely update the list based on information of newly identified
occurrences and changes in distribution over time.
Also, to focus attention on –
• the adverse effects exotic pest plants have on Florida’s biodiversity and native plant communities,
• the habitat losses in natural areas from exotic pest plant infestations,
• the impacts on endangered species via habitat loss and alteration,
• the need for pest-plant management,
• the socio-economic impacts of these plants (e.g., increased wildfires or flooding in certain areas),
• changes in the severity of different pest plant infestations over time,
• providing information to help managers set priorities for research and control programs.