David Jolly at the Cuban Club in Ybor City, Florida on Aug. 20, 2025. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Democratic gubernatorial candidates say Florida’s conservation agency has strayed from its mission under developer pressure. A few even want to realign the organization with its core mission.
Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commission (FWC) exists to manage, protect, and conserve the state’s fish and wildlife. Commissioners are appointed to their posts by the governor. The agency has been under intense scrutiny following recent appointments by Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose confirmations further entrench development interests at the top level of the commission. Five out of seven current commissioners have ties to the development industry.
“The trend over the last decade has been an FWC leadership that has put conservation on the back burner and, and honestly, has ignored science and too many of its decisions,” David Jolly told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Jolly, a former Republican congressman in the federal house for Florida’s district 13, switched parties in 2016 and is now running for governor as a Democrat.
Under the leadership of developers, FWC made a series of controversial decisions, including approving a cruel and inhumane bear hunt. Critics are calling for the governor to appointment a scientist to the commission who can guide it with a stronger background in conservation.
“Critics are exactly right, the FWC does not need to be led by developers, landowners, and trophy hunters. It needs to be led by conservationists with a grounding in science who understand wildlife management,” Jolly said.
As DeSantis approaches the end of his term in 2026, candidates including Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings are seeking the Democratic party nomination, while Republicans Byron Donalds, Paul Renner, and others are lining up to replace him as Florida’s next governor.
Whoever replaces DeSantis can help shape the direction of FWC and potentially tip the scales of the commission back towards conservation.
Donalds and Renner did not respond to requests for comment.
Demings told WMNF public affairs program The Skinny that he would “absolutely” appoint a scientist or ecologist to the FWC Commission.
“I think we get the best governance when we have a diverse representation on the various governmental bodies,” Demings added.
Jolly told CL that his appointments would also prioritize people with backgrounds in science and data who could change the direction of FWC. “We need to lead with commissioners who understand the mission is conservation. The mission is not how to entertain the sportsman community,” he added.
Rather than having hunters leading the FWC, Jolly proposes they take a role in wildlife management while the overall direction should be set by scientists and conservationists.
“I think we’ve got this upside down. Let’s lead with the scientific and conservation community and have those leaders then bring in the voices of the sportsman community to contribute to final decisions,” Jolly said.
The 53-year-old, who was also a pundit on MSNBC and CNN, points to the recent bear hunt decision as an example, adding, “you have the leadership of landowners and trophy hunters, and you have the scientific community begging for their voices to be heard.”
Hunters have too much sway on the commission, he added.
“We should have their voices at the table, but I think it is wrong to have the game community leading the commission and having the scientific community having to provide public testimony to try to influence the commission in the direction it should, naturally and organically, already be,” Jolly said.
Katrina Shadix, Executive Director of Bear Warriors United, would welcome such a change to the agency.
“If we had a governor who appointed a wildlife ecologist or wildlife biologist to the commission, I would feel elated, because this is long overdue,” she said.
Shadix, who described herself as Republican, said this issue is so important to her and other Republicans she knows that they are willing to cross party lines if it means reforming FWC and saving Florida’s dwindling bear population.
“I am willing to go door to door and knock and campaign for any candidate, Republican, NPA or Democrat, that will commit to putting an ecologist and wildlife biologist on the FWC,” Shadix said.
She knows a thing or two about trying to get through to commissioners.
The developer-stacked body has censored public comments at in-person meetings and on social media. Shadix told CL that constituents who voice frustrations including concerns about the bear hunt are often met with indifference or arrogance from commissioners.
Rodney Barreto called Shadix a broken record during one meeting, a label Shadix wears a badge of honor.
“When he called me a broken record, you know what that means. He’s listening to me,” she said. “He knows the problems that the FWC are ignoring.”
Shadix said the FWC is a “corrupt, captured agency that needs to be cleaned up,” adding that Barreto acts like a bully on the dais.
With all FWC commissioners due to term out before 2030, the next governor will have the opportunity to completely remake the commission. Jolly said he’ll make sure the next commissioner is qualified for the job.
“What I know is that an FWC, devoid of scientists, devoid of conservationists, is going to fail in its mission,” Jolly added. “And we’re seeing that in real time right now.”
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This article appears in Nov. 20 – 26, 2025.
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