Florida could become the 24th state to establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish in 2024 after the Florida State Legislature passed a resolution referring the question to voters.
The resolution would add a 28th section to the Declaration of Rights in the Florida Constitution to say that hunting and fishing are the preferred means for “responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife” and “shall be preserved forever as a public right.” The amendment would not limit the powers of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to regulate hunting and fishing.
Vermont was the first state to constitutionalize such a right in 1777. Since then, 22 states have adopted constitutional amendments creating a right to hunt and fish beginning with Alabama in 1996. The most recent amendment was on the 2020 ballot in Utah and was approved by 75% of voters. Voters in one state—Arizona—rejected a constitutional amendment in 2010.
