Golden Bear's Son Bows Out, Joshua Kellam Tags in Ahead of High-Stakes Vote

FWC commissioners appear poised to affirm the first bear hunt in Florida in a decade

Heidi Henson protesting against a proposed bear hunt in Tampa on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)Although the odds indicate regulators will OK the first black bear hunt in a decade in Florida, opponents will pull out all the rhetorical stops when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gathers this week in North Florida for a final vote. FWC commissioners voted 4-1 in May to give preliminary approval to …

Golden Bear's son bows out, Joshua Kellam tags in ahead of high-stakes vote

Gov. Ron DeSantis is appointing Joshua Kellam to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, filling a vacancy days before the agency is set to vote on one of the most controversial wildlife management proposals in years — the return of a statewide black bear hunt. Kellam, president of The Garcia Companies and Vice Chair of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, has held previous appointments to the FWC as well as the South Flor…

Florida bear hunt foes aim to stop it or make it 'less cruel' at final vote Wednesday

ORLANDO, Fla. — Waving signs that read “Killing Is Not Conservation,” Florida black bear advocates rallied over the weekend in Central Florida and elsewhere and plan to caravan to a state wildlife meeting Wednesday aiming to block the first hunt…

Florida Wildlife Officials to Vote on Proposal for First Bear Hunt in a Decade

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is scheduled to vote within the next week on a proposal that could reinstate a seasonal bear hunt in the state for the first time in 10 years. The decision, expected during the FWC’s Aug. 13 meeting in Gadsden County, has sparked strong reactions from both supporters and opponents. On Saturday, protests were held across Florida, including a demonstration in downtown Orlando, as resident…