Florida Achieves Milestone in Python Removal Efforts with New Collaborative Partner

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Governor Ron DeSantis shared the stage on Tuesday with an enormous 11-foot Burmese python, underscoring the ongoing battle to shield the Everglades from invasive species.

In Florida, removing pythons is a familiar task. The efforts range from initiatives by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to the popular annual python challenge. Recently, the state has partnered with another organization, leading to record-breaking numbers of pythons being removed from the Everglades.

Clearwater police recently extracted a five-foot boa constrictor from a woman’s vehicle, highlighting the everyday nature of such incidents in Florida.

Though the Burmese python does not originate from Florida, it has firmly established itself in the Everglades ecosystem. These snakes are known to prey on smaller animals like birds and rabbits, but they are also capable of hunting larger creatures such as deer and panthers, while their population continues to increase rapidly.

The campaign to eradicate this invasive species from Florida’s terrain gained momentum in 2019. Both Governor DeSantis and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have amplified their removal initiatives, engaging the public through Florida’s annual python challenge.

“Last week we had our first visual python detection from an aerial system and yesterday finalized our predictive behavioral AI model that will improve python capture by 50 times — helping us and our hunters remove exponentially more pythons,” said Aarav Chavda, Co-founder and CEO of Inversa Leathers.

The Florida legislature approved a $2 million investment in 2025, which the governor hopes will only continue.

“Let’s keep this momentum going. We want to work with the Florida legislature to make sure this funding stays in place,” DeSantis said.

In addition to the Florida Python Challenge, there are other ways people can continue to help control nonnative species such as Burmese pythons. Anyone may remove and humanely kill pythons and other nonnative reptiles at any time on private lands with landowner permission and on 32 FWC-managed lands throughout south Florida.

To learn more, click here.

Florida Achieves Milestone in Python Removal Efforts with New Collaborative Partner

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