We are opposed to proposed constitutional Amendment 2 on the November 2024 ballot because it is not about the right to hunt and fish in Florida–those rights are already firmly established in Florida Statute 379.104. We recommend voting NO on Amendment 2 because it will undermine currently well-regulated, sustainable hunting and fishing in our state and thereby endanger not only hunters, but also the iconic wildlife that all Floridians respect and value, and the public who cherish their access to and enjoyment of Florida’s wild places.
There are three phrases found in the ballot summary that present the serious problems with this proposed amendment. “By the use of traditional methods” is the first. “Traditional methods” is vague, undefined, and open to troubling interpretation. Hunting and fishing methods previously abandoned and/or outlawed because they were unsustainable, harmed non-target species, or were cruel—including steel jaw traps, gill nets, and hunting bears with dogs—could all be determined “traditional” and come back into use.
The second is preserving hunting and fishing “as a public right,” which would elevate hunting and fishing rights to the same level as our freedoms of religion, speech, assembly, and due process. Hunting can be an effective method of managing wildlife populations, and a means of traditional subsistence for a small percentage of Florida’s population, but the methods must be regulated to ensure the protection of non-target species and our shared natural resources, legally referred to as the Public Trust.
Finally, making hunting and fishing the “preferred means” of wildlife management is problematic in two ways. Florida has many highly qualified wildlife experts who determine—through a public scientific process—the best practices (which may be hunting and fishing) for fish and wildlife management. To override their process with preferential treatment of hunting and fishing fails to recognize the role the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its staff play in ensuring the connections between Florida’s human residents, its wild creatures, and the ecosystems in which we all live.
Moreover, naming fishing and hunting as the “preferred means” would likely move controversies over fishing and hunting—including challenges to permit and license requirements—out of the purview of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and into the courts, with the exorbitant cost of legal defense paid by Florida taxpayers.
In August, Floridians from across the political spectrum came together to protect the state’s parks because we cherish our public lands, the creatures that inhabit them, and our ability to access and enjoy them. Voting NO on Amendment 2 can bring Floridians back together again to keep every wild space safe and sustainable for all of us now and in the future.
Signed,