HAVANA, Fla. – Today – in direct defiance of public opinion, science, and its own wildlife data – the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to reinstate black bear hunting in Florida.
The decision reverses a decade-long ban enacted after Florida’s last bear hunt killed over 300 bears in just two days. Since the proposal’s inception, Sierra Club Florida has opposed the hunt as cruel, unnecessary, and ineffective, with FWC’s own research confirming that protecting and restoring habitat – not trophy hunting – is the proven way to support healthy bear populations.
In addition to mobilizing nearly 200 Floridians from across the state to today’s FWC meeting in Havana, Sierra Club Florida and its coalition of partners organized a powerful grassroots campaign that collected more than 3,000 public comments urging Commissioners to reject the hunt. By approving this proposal, the FWC has acted against the clear majority of public input, and violated its stated mission to protect wildlife through responsible, evidence-based management.
Susannah Randolph, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director, said, “Today’s vote is a disgrace to Florida’s wildlife legacy. Our black bears are a vital part of our natural heritage, and killing them is not science-based management – it’s a politically driven step backward. Let’s be clear: Governor DeSantis can stop this hunt. On behalf of Sierra Club’s members and supporters across Florida, we urge him to do so before it endangers an already threatened species and opens the door to further destruction of critical wilderness habitat. Thousands of Floridians have rallied, written, called, and emailed to protect our bears. It’s time for our leadership to step up and listen to their constituents.”
Sarah Younger, Sierra Club Suwannee St. Johns Group Chair, said, “Bears deserve science, not political theater – yet today FWC abandoned its duty and ignored the very science it was created to uphold. Commissioners approved a hunt without even knowing how many bears our habitat can sustain, relying on outdated data to justify killing these animals. This decision violates FWC’s constitutional mandate to base wildlife policy on current research and conservation goals. We will keep advocating at every level to ensure Florida’s wildlife is managed with integrity, care, and long-term sustainability."
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