2025 Florida Python Challenge Winner

When I posted that Taylor Stanberry had won the Florida Python Challenge on a forum I post on, one of the commenters asked "When you get the python caught and bagged, what do you do with it?:

Congratulations ... And Cue The Jokes

She'll have to use both hands to hold this python ... hardy har har.

2025 Florida Python Challenge Winner

https://x.com/TaraBull808/status/1956496112434692504

Alligator Kills 61 Y/O Woman In Lake Kissimmee

A 61-year-old Davenport woman, Cynthia Diekema, was killed Tuesday, May 6, while canoeing with her husband at Lake Kissimmee State Park.
According to FWC officials, while in water that was about 2 1/2 feet deep, the couple’s canoe passed over a large alligator, prompting it to thrash and capsize the canoe, throwing the couple into the water.
Wildlife officials believe the gator's thrash was "defensive" and do not believe the gator was provoked by the couple.
"This was not believed to be a predatory incident, but just simply an incident, of a defensive incident where they came upon the alligator, beneath the water's edge," FWC Public Information Officer Bradley Johnson said. "And when the canoe struck it, it caused a reaction."
The woman reportedly landed on top of the alligator and was bitten. She was later found dead.
Her body was spotted from a helicopter, an FWC official said.
The woman was killed on Lake Kissimmee, near the mouth of Tiger Creek, officials said.
The Florida Fish and Wildfire Conservation Commission lists Lake Kissimmee as a Florida lake with the second highest population of alligators in the state.
This is the 27th recorded fatal alligator attack in Florida since 1948.

Black Bear Kills Elderly Collier Man And His Dog

JEROME, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says Robert Markel, an 89-year-old man, and his dog were killed by a bear on Monday, marking the first deadly bear attack in the state since records have been kept.
Authorities say Robert Markel was outside with his dog near the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area in Collier County early Monday when the attack happened.
Markel's daughter told investigators that she saw a bear attack her father's dog, then realized that her dad was nowhere to be found. She then found his body just hundreds of yards away.
"We do know it was a bear attack. We don't know if it was the same bear or multiple bears," FWC spokesperson George Reynaud said.
After deploying four live bear traps, authorities say three bears were killed and their DNA samples have been sent to Gainesville for testing.
There are about 750,000 black bears in North America, but attacks on humans are rare, with black bears killing less than one person per year on average.
About 4,000 black bears live in Florida, according to wildlife officials.
Monday's deadly bear attack is the first in Florida since FWC began tracking bear encounters.
There have now been at least two bear attacks in Florida since last week. A woman in Sanford was attacked outside her home while walking her dog, and said she used a bag of cookies as a distraction to get to safety.

DeSantis congratulates Florida Python Challenge winners for removing 195 invasive pythons from Everglades.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis congratulated the 2024 Florida Python Challenge winners who successfully removed 195 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem.
“Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated in the Florida Python Challenge this year!” DeSantis said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation announced Ronald Kiger as the winner of the 10-day competition Tuesday, who removed 20 pythons and received a prize of $10,000.

According to the website*, Burmese pythons do not belong in the Florida Everglades ecosystem and pose a threat to native wildlife.
“The Florida Python Challenge™ is an exciting conservation effort which helps protect the rare Everglades habitat and the animals that live there from these invasive, nonnative snakes,” the website states.

*https://flpythonchallenge.org

 New poll puts Florida right to hunt and fish effort at 74% support.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new Florida Chamber of Commerce statewide poll revealed 74% of voters support a ballot amendment that would protect the right to fish and hunt in Florida by locking it into the state’s constitution.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce voter survey, administered from April 28 to May 7, 2024 by Cherry Communications and consisted of 223 Democrats, 256 Republicans, and 130 respondents identifying as other, totaling 609 participants statewide.
The proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution would “preserve forever fishing and hunting, including by the use of traditional methods, as a public right and preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife.”
The poll revealed 74% of Florida voters support the proposed ballot amendment, with only 14% opposed and 11% either undecided or refused to answer. It was the amendment initiative with the highest level of support.
The amendment will be on the November ballot. At least 60% of the vote is required in order for it to pass.
A proposed initiative for the ballot amendment aiming to promote and help pass Amendment 2 launched at the end of April.
The campaign is called “YES ON 2.” The chairman of the campaign and a former commissioner of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Joshua Kellam said fishing and hunting is “our God given right” and has been “under attack across the country.”
“There’s been a push across the country for additional restrictions on fishing and hunting in a number of states,” Kellam told Florida’s Voice. “Florida was a target, and we wanted to make sure that we got to get ahead of it before really strong activist groups started to ramp up their efforts.”
According to the “YES ON 2” website*, hunting and fishing bans were “considered” in at least a dozen states in 2022.
Kellam said the campaign has garnered support from a number of companies and individuals. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson donated $100,000 to the campaign.
“Fishing and hunting are inextricably linked to our economy, our lifestyle and the conservation of our land here in Florida,” Simpson said. “I’m proud to support this vitally important campaign to protect our rights to fish and hunt in Florida, and urge fellow leaders to join me in ensuring Yes on 2 has the resources needed to cross the 60% necessary to pass in November.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, recreational fishing, hunting and wildlife-viewing generate an economic impact of $10.1 billion annually for the state.
T. Roosevelt Action, an environmental conservation group, announced a $250,000 contribution to the campaign.
“We are thrilled to announce a contribution of $250,000 to the ‘Yes on 2!’ Committee in Florida, advocating for the passage of the constitutional right to fish and hunt amendment,” CEO of T. Roosevelt Action Luke Hilgemann said.
“At T. Roosevelt Action, we are proud to take a leadership role in this crucial effort, demonstrating our commitment to forever protect the cherished fishing, hunting, and conservation traditions in Florida for all to enjoy,” he said.
The joint resolution previously passed with bipartisan support through the Florida Legislature 154-1. Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Davie, was the only lawmaker to vote against it.
“We have extremely strong support for this amendment, and so I don’t know why somebody would vote against this,” Kellam said. “It really is protection of rights. And I think that we clearly have strong bipartisan support in protecting our rights, and especially our God given rights.”
The amendment is supported by the American Sportfishing Association, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Coastal Conservation Association, Florida Sportsman’s Conservation Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, the International Order of T. Roosevelt and more.

* https://yeson2florida.com/

https://flvoicenews.com/new-poll-puts-florida-right-to-hunt-and-fish-effort-at-74-support/