PLANT CITY — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stood in front of a scowling grizzly bear with its claws extended — a deceased and stuffed one, that is.
Hunters will not find any grizzlies to shoot in Florida, though the state’s wildlife agency has approved a hunt in December for its closest relative here, the Florida black bear.
The governor appeared at the G FIVE Feed & Outdoor store on Sept. 8 to announce the beginning of a sales tax holiday running through Dec. 31 on hunting, fishing and camping supplies. A sign affixed to the lectern declared it a Second Amendment tax holiday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announces a tax holiday on hunting and fishing equipment during a news conference a the G FIVE Feed & Outdoor shop Sept. 8 in Plant City.
DeSantis began with a recitation of steps his administration has taken to reduce taxes for Floridians. He also reiterated his call for a statewide referendum on eliminating property taxes.
The government said he looked for other ways to reduce Floridians’ taxes.
“And one of the things that we wanted to do was show our commitment to folks who believe in the Second Amendment, who believe in exercising those constitutional rights, as well as our new constitutional protection for fishing and hunting that the voters enacted last year in the 2024 election and added that to Florida’s constitution,” DeSantis said.
A veteran asks a question of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he announces a tax holiday on hunting rifles and sporting equipment during a press conference at G FIVE Feed & Outdoor shop Monday Sept.8 2025 in Plant City Fl. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
That measure, which gained approval from 67.3% of voters, enshrines the right to fish and hunt in the Florida Constitution and states 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 tax holiday covers not only guns, bows and fishing rods but also accessories, including ammunition, baits, gun cleaning kits, camp stoves, sleeping bags and tackle boxes, DeSantis said.
The full list of qualifying items can be found at www.FloridaRevenue.com/HuntFishCamp.
DeSantis also announced plans for price reductions on certain dates at shooting ranges, including Oct. 25 and Dec. 6 at Tenoroc Public Shooting Range in Lakeland, and free admission for veterans on Nov. 9, Veterans Day.
Reduced admission will take place at these sites and dates:
Oct. 12 (Columbus Day) at all ranges.
Oct. 25 and Dec. 6 at the Tenoroc Shooting Center in Lakeland and the Bay County Shooting Range in Panama City Beach.
Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving) and Dec. 20 at the Triple N. Ranch Shooting Range in St. Cloud and the Palm Beach County Shooting Sports Complex in West Palm Beach.
The state has cut the cost of hunting and fishing licenses over the past two years, the governor said.
Bryan Gill and Taylor Clark make a video of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he announces a tax holiday on hunting rifles and sporting equipment during a press conference at G FIVE Feed & Outdoor shop Monday Sept.8 2025 in Plant City Fl. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
Making push for open carry
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a former state senator from Hillsborough County, joined DeSantis at the event. DeSantis praised Collins for sponsoring a “constitutional carry” bill, which took effect in 2023. Under the law, Floridians are no longer required to secure licenses to carry concealed weapons.
DeSantis and Collins called for the state Legislature to pass a law allowing guns to be carried openly in Florida. All but four states permit some form of open carry.
“Our 2A rights have to be codified,” Collins said. “We’re going to continue to fight for those, and we should be an open (carry) state. I think we’re on record many times saying that. Hopefully, this is the year, but we’ll continue to fight for those freedoms and those rights each and every day until we get them all back.”
Legislators have so far resisted the push for allowing open carry in Florida. Some have warned that such a policy could negatively affect the state’s $128 billion tourism industry.
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chair Rodney Barreto spoke briefly at the news conference. Barreto did not mention the December bear hunt, which he championed despite fierce opposition from conservation groups. It will be the state’s first bear hunt in a decade.
Florida Lt. Governor Jay Collins runs over to greeet a friend before Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces a tax holiday on hunting rifles and sporting equipment during a press conference at G FIVE Feed & Outdoor shop Monday Sept.8 2025 in Plant City Fl. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
The event’s other speaker, Dania Vizzi of Odessa, is a ballerina turned skeet shooting champion who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I’m excited to be able to deliver this,” DeSantis said. “This was something that we had a lot of positive feedback from when I first floated it, however long ago we did that. And so, I was like, ‘All right, we got to find a way to get this done.’ So, I’m glad it made it across the finish line.”
The mounted grizzly positioned behind the speakers was one of many stuffed animals in the spacious store. Among the others were moose, elk, a turkey and various fish. All were shot or captured by G FIVE owner Bill Glisson or his family members, according to store employees.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: DeSantis unveils ‘Second Amendment’ tax holiday