Boating Officer of the Year

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today recognized Officer Megan Malicoat as its 2017 Boating Officer of the Year during the Commission meeting in Gainesville.
The annual award honors a state officer whose efforts show outstanding performance and achievement among sworn conservation law enforcement personnel in the field of boating, boating safety, BUI enforcement and fisheries conservation. Officer Malicoat’s 1,850 hours of vessel patrol in 2016 illustrate her dedication to this integral aspect of the FWC’s mission. She has protected the safety of Florida boaters with six search-and-rescue operations, seven boating accident investigations, and is very active in resource and boating safety enforcement.
Officer Malicoat is a coastal officer assigned to Volusia County in the FWC’s Northeast Region. Her extensive knowledge of boating safety and fisheries regulations as well as her efforts to establish and maintain close working relationships with partner agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard and Volusia County Sherrif’s Office, have made her an outstanding FWC officer.
One of Officer Malicoat’s greatest strengths is her continuing commitment to teamwork. She is an active and engaged member of her squad, but also volunteers to assist whenever another officer or team needs backup. She has assisted the crew of the offshore patrol vessel Osprey on numerous offshore details, and works with FWC K-9 units on training and deployment operations. She developed targeted enforcement details for regulated vessel speed zones, shorebird protection, offshore resource enforcement, marine sanitation device compliance and public safety. She has demonstrated great teamwork by supporting her neighboring squads with alligator and waterfowl hunting details in both Volusia and Brevard counties. She has worked with the squad and local municipalities in documenting and posting at-risk and derelict vessels along the Volusia County coast.
“Officer Malicoat’s exemplary efforts on the water make her an ideal choice for Boating Officer of the Year,” said Maj. Rob Rowe, FWC’s Boating and Waterways section leader. “Her commitment to public safety is outstanding, and she is a great ambassador for FWC on the water. I’m proud to have her representing our agency as FWC’s Boating Officer of the Year.”