Florida wildlife officials are moving forward with plans for what could be the state's first black bear hunt in 10 years. During a meeting in Ocala Wednesday, commissioners for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-1 to amend the state's hunting rules, paving the way for a potential hunt in December. During the meeting, FWC staff presented options regarding the bear hunt, which were developed from stakeholder groups and public meetings on March 13, April 2, April 3 and April 5. Officials said allowing a black bear hunt would allow FWC to start managing population growth rates for the Bear Management Units, or BMUs, with the largest bear subpopulations. “The resurgence of the Florida black bear is not just a victory for conservationists; it’s a win for all Floridians,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC. “Hunting is a biologically sound method to slow population growth, resulting in a healthy and well-managed Florida black bear population for the future.” The last bear hunt in Florida was in 2015, with 304 bears killed, according to FWC online records. Earlier this month, we spoke with Adam Sugalski, the founder of a group called One Protest, which advocates against animal injustice. He was present at the 2015 bear hunt in Lake City, taking photos and helping count bears as they came in. "They were supposed to kill 304 bears in a week," he said. "They killed 298 in 48 hours. They were coming in so fast they had to call the hunt off in two days." In 2015, there were more than 4,000 bears in Florida, according to FWC. Current numbers