Sarasota Activists Buy Bear Hunting Permits to Save Lives

Sarasota residents are joining conservationists in a novel effort to protect Florida black bears by purchasing state lottery tickets for bear hunting permits. The goal is to secure permits and prevent bears from being hunted in the upcoming season.

This "activist jiu-jitsu" campaign emerged last year from frustration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Despite 200 attendees opposing the hunt at a 2025 FWC meeting, the commission approved it, citing high bear populations. This year, the FWC did not hold a public comment period.

Susannah Randolph, chapter director for the Florida Sierra Club, explained the strategy. "When we were stymied last year from having our voices heard and from having the Florida Wildlife Commission respond to us, we decided, 'Let's get everybody together and enter the lottery,'" Randolph said. "We want to see if we can get some permits in the hands of conservationists and people who know that this is not a good, well-done hunt."

Environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Bear Warriors United, are organizing the effort. Randolph recalled purchasing a ticket last year: "I sat for a minute and felt incredible because I thought, 'This could be the ticket that saves a bear's life.'"

Conservationists and non-hunters bought many tickets last year. While precise numbers are unavailable, only 52 of the 172 permits issued were used during the 2025 hunt. This year, the FWC increased the number of available permits to 215. "That's why we have to get that many more people this year to enter this lottery so that we can protect these 215 bears with targets on their backs," Randolph urged.

A hunting license costs $17, or is free for those 64 or older. Lottery tickets are $5 each. The Sierra Club suggests members buy one ticket for each of the state's four bear hunting zones. If an individual wins a permit, it costs $100. The Sierra Club established a fund to assist those who cannot afford this fee. The lottery for permits closes September 21, 2026.

Florida black bears, once reduced to a few hundred by the 1970s due to hunting and habitat loss, rebounded to an estimated 4,000 bears after a 1994 hunting ban and subsequent conservation efforts. Randolph and wildlife biologists argue the hunt lacks scientific backing, stating the FWC ignored its own data. Last year, the FWC reduced the permit number from 187 to 172 after noting a two-thirds loss in the Osceola forest population.

Florida's black bear populations are concentrated in the Panhandle, Big Cypress, the Everglades, and pockets of North and Central Florida. Sarasota County has a low bear population, but Big Cypress, located 140 miles south, hosts one of the state's largest subpopulations. The four hunting zones this year target areas with larger bear populations. However, wildlife biologists note the FWC manages hunting as if each subpopulation is isolated, despite bears dispersing between them—a movement essential for species survival. Hunting in larger populations could reduce dispersal to smaller, more vulnerable groups, potentially increasing inbreeding and disease susceptibility.

Vehicle collisions remain the primary cause of bear deaths in Florida, as bears navigate fragmented landscapes. The Sierra Club advocates for canceling the hunt entirely and directing lottery funds toward Bearwise trash cans, which help prevent bears from entering neighborhoods.