Florida Black Bear
Despite a population low of around 400 in the 1970s, the Florida black bear has made a comeback yet in recent years, but continues to face many threats to its existence. In 1974, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classified the Florida black bear as a threatened species. FWC biologists estimate the black bear population in the state of Florida to be around 4,000 bears.
Florida's black bear population is spread across the state in seven geographic areas. While three of those regions (Central, South and the East Panhandle) have more than one thousand, the numbers in the other four regions are significantly lower: roughly 500 bears in the North (counted as part of a contiguous subpopulation with south Georgia, adjacent to the Okefenokee Swamp), 120 in the West Panhandle, 98 in South Central and just 30 bears in the Big Bend area.
Black Bear Facts:
- Female Florida black bears have a home range of roughly 15 square miles. Male Florida black bears have a much wider home range—anywhere from 25 to 100 square miles, with the average around 60 square miles.
- Florida black bears give birth to two or three cubs (in rare cases, four) every other year.
Vehicle-bear collisions account for the majority of bear deaths in Florida. In 2023, the FWC recorded the highest number of vehicle-related bear deaths (318) over the past 20 years. The number of vehicle-related bear deaths (295) was lower in 2024.
Black Bear Hunting
In 2025, the FWC approved of a three-week regulated bear hunt in four of seven bear management zones. Under this ruling, annual bear hunts will continue with a harvest number selected solely by the director of the FWC, removing future decisions from public oversight or Commission vote. 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.
Sierra Club Florida, along with a coalition of partners, continues to stand in opposition of a bear hunt. For more bear data and statistics, see the Florida Black Bear Research and Management 2024 Annual Report
Florida Panther
The protection of the endangered Florida panther and conservation of panther habitat continues to be a major concern of wildlife organizations and partners across Florida. With an estimated 120-230 existing today, the Florida panther faces constant threats due to a lack of interconnected wildland and overdevelopment in panther habitat.
Organizations like Sierra Club Florida, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and the Florida Wildlife Federation are working to improve habitat connectivity to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. These actions include conservation land protection and the creation of safe passageways under highways.
State land acquisition programs such as Florida Forever and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program preserve panther habitat through conservation easements. Federal programs help acquire conservation easements and preserve agricultural lands with wildlife values. These programs provide matching funding for landscape-scale conservation projects with other governmental and non-profit organizations.
Panthers range from the extreme southern portions of the peninsula into Central Florida up to Orlando and occasionally farther north. Although a few panthers have been spotted north of the Caloosahatchee River, most females are found south of the river. Young males in search of their own territories have been documented in other parts of Florida, but most of the breeding population remains restricted to South Florida, below the Caloosahatchee River.
Vehicle strikes are the most common result of panther deaths. In 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported 36 panther deaths, mostly by vehicle impact in Collier and Hendry counties is South Florida.
Florida Manatee
Often referred to as “sea cows” because of their grazing habits, manatees are herbivores that eat seagrasses and other species of freshwater floating or submerged aquatic plants. The Florida manatee was reclassified from an endangered to a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act in May 2017.
Since suffering a devastating mortality event in the Indian River Lagoon from December 2020 through April 2022, the manatee population has recovered significantly. The mortality event was due to starvation caused by seagrass loss when an unprecedented number of 1,255 manatee carcasses was documented and 137 rescues were conducted along the East Coast. A supplemental feeding program through the FWC and USFW during the winter seasons of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 provided the manatees with additional food in a region severely impacted by the loss of seagrass until they dispersed from their winter warm water sites.
The improvement in mortality is attributed to the fact that seagrass is slowly recovering in some key areas. The total statewide manatee mortality number (565) for 2024 was well below the average (739) of the five most recent years.
During the winter months, manatees head for warm waters, such as springs and power plant discharge basins. For the remainder of the year, manatees are widely dispersed in Florida's waterways. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs approximately 1,200 pounds. Manatees can live more than 65 years; however, among the wild manatees that reach adulthood, only about half are expected to survive into their early 20s.
Popular places to spot wild Florida manatees include Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Blue Spring State Park, Wakulla Springs State Park, Fanning Springs State Park, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, Manatee Observation and Education Center in Fort Pierce, and Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach.
Gopher Tortoise
In Florida, the gopher tortoise is listed as threatened and both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law. Gopher tortoises can be commonly found throughout Florida in sandy, upland habitat including forests, pastures, and yards. They dig deep burrows for shelter and forage on low-growing plants. Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species, and are therefore referred to as a keystone species.
Gopher tortoises must be relocated before any land clearing or development takes place, and property owners must obtain permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission before capturing and relocating tortoises. For more information on gopher tortoise permitting, click here.