TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida wildlife officials are now facing a second legal challenge over the state’s first sanctioned black bear hunt in a decade. On Wednesday, the advocacy group Bear Warriors United filed a complaint in Leon County Circuit Court, arguing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) plan to allow the hunt violates both state law and the Florida Constitution.
Watch report from Forrest Saunders
Plaintiffs Argue Hunt Is Unconstitutional
The lawsuit, filed under section 86.011, Florida Statutes, asks a judge to issue a declaratory judgment and block the December 6, 2025, hunt. It claims the FWC unlawfully delegated authority to its executive director to make future decisions about hunts, sidestepped public participation, and relied on outdated data from a 2014–2015 population study.
The complaint also cites the state’s 2019 Bear Management Plan, which called for science-based decision-making, and argues the new rules directly contradict the agency’s own guidance. Plaintiffs say the procedures FWC used to adopt the hunt were misleading and deprived the public of due process.
“This bear hunt is not supported by science. Their arguments are based on very stale data from many years ago,” said attorney Raquel Levy, representing Bear Warriors United. “We do not have an overpopulation of bears. We have an overpopulation of greed and of people taking away their habitat.”
Levy previously filed the suit in administrative court but voluntarily withdrew it after defendants claimed it was the improper venue. Levy spoke to us shortly after the hunt rules were adopted in August saying unchecked development, not bears, was driving conflicts with humans.
“Conservation does not begin and end with a bullet. We need responsible, compassionate bear management, and there has to be a moratorium on development,” she said.
State’s Case for Hunting
FWC commissioners approved the hunt earlier this month at a meeting in Havana. The new rules create Bear Hunting Zones in four of the state’s seven Bear Management Units, with a total of 172 permits available through a lottery system. Each permit will allow the harvest of one bear.
“I am proud that Florida is joining the majority of states that manage black bears with regulated hunting,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC in a statement on the hunt. “The components of the hunt are conservative and prioritize conservation, with a limited number of permits only being issued in the areas of the state with the largest bear populations.”
The state’s most recent scientific estimates suggest Florida has about 4,050 bears statewide, with the largest concentrations in the Central and South Bear Management Units. Officials say controlled hunting is a management tool to balance populations with available habitat.
Divided Public Response
The proposal has sharply divided Floridians. Opponents argue the hunt endangers wildlife already under stress from sprawling development. Supporters say bear encounters have surged as populations grow.
“The population has obviously increased dramatically from the early 80s to where we’re at right now,” said hunter Daniel Crawford, who supports the FWC decision. “I see bears monthly, sometimes even weekly.”
Critics, however, warn the risks outweigh the benefits. “More guns will be bought. More bullets will be bought. Who does this really help? Not the bear,” said Kristin Rubin, a Tallahassee resident. Candidate for governor David Jolly also blasted the plan this week, calling it “a giveaway to the trophy club” and urging officials to revisit the decision.
What’s Next
With the lawsuit now pending, the fate of Florida’s first regulated bear hunt since 2015 is uncertain. Bear Warriors United is asking a judge to intervene before permits are distributed and hunters take to the field this December.
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